Sunday appeared sunnier than it was due to the chance for Los Increibles to finally knock out the hearth. The boys (being boys!) flocked after David when he mentioned looking for a ‘big pick’ and all enjoyed the demolition. Before removing the hearth, a time-consuming excavation all around the hearth had been necessary to fully expose it. The soil under the hearth was similar to that in front, which had yielded no artifacts, so we decided to use picks rather than trowels to remove it… only to find a bone as we began brushing it clean for a photo.
This prompted a vague memory from Jo, of a tradition in England of burying a cat under the hearth for luck. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but we had somewhat of a bone to pick as the fine tools came out and we delicately exposed more of the skeleton. We were specifically trying to determine if it was articulated (indicating buried whole) or if the bones were all jumbled – one source described such cats as being mummified, so we kept our eyes peeled for any skin.
Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones, having carefully revealed the stratigraphy of a dirt floor overlying a clay base excavated the post, the remaining part of the floor and the clay base rapidly given the lack of finds. The only possible finds were some squarish lumps of wood and a yellow stone. The floor in their squares seems consistent with that in our squares, so we now have a valuable guide as to what lies beneath our excavation. The Rolling Stones have now ceased excavation in order to examine their finds, while tomorrow Los Increibles will lift out the skeleton.
All enquiries regarding missing cats should be directed to the Archaeology Department, La Trobe University.
This prompted a vague memory from Jo, of a tradition in England of burying a cat under the hearth for luck. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but we had somewhat of a bone to pick as the fine tools came out and we delicately exposed more of the skeleton. We were specifically trying to determine if it was articulated (indicating buried whole) or if the bones were all jumbled – one source described such cats as being mummified, so we kept our eyes peeled for any skin.
Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones, having carefully revealed the stratigraphy of a dirt floor overlying a clay base excavated the post, the remaining part of the floor and the clay base rapidly given the lack of finds. The only possible finds were some squarish lumps of wood and a yellow stone. The floor in their squares seems consistent with that in our squares, so we now have a valuable guide as to what lies beneath our excavation. The Rolling Stones have now ceased excavation in order to examine their finds, while tomorrow Los Increibles will lift out the skeleton.
All enquiries regarding missing cats should be directed to the Archaeology Department, La Trobe University.
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