Time Team Forum Friends :: View topic – Big Roman Dig – HELP!!!

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:39 pm    Post subject: Big Roman Dig – HELP!!!

I wonder if anybody can help with a little problem encountered on a BRD over the w/end.

I have been helping to find the Roman Road from Manchester to Ribchester but the trench is very confusing

The following photos show the current bottom of the main trench which is like a reddish shale type deposit. Now one opinion is it may be natural as there is apparently a quarry a mile away where there is a similar looking strata BUT the onsite archaeologist reckons it may possibly be a deposit from a mine that was located nearby. Can anybody enlighten us?? Has anybody come across a similar thing anywhere else?

The darker band is a vertical face. The trowel is for scale.

The following is a ‘flake’ of the deposit

I’m backing the Natural theory btw

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:45 pm    Post subject:

Could it be something to do with natural iron deposits, Phil?

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:55 pm    Post subject:

Looks very much like natural shale to me.

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:57 pm    Post subject:

That’s one of the reasons I think the Archy thinks it’s a deposit melter. Crushed ore or summat like that (Didn’t quite understand her logic ) It’s extremely flaky, brushing it could take a few layers off.

That’s what I thought Pam

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:03 pm    Post subject:

I’m with Pam on this one, and I would think the fact that it’s flaky backs up the shale theory.

But then, if you can’t grow spuds in it, what do I know?

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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:26 pm    Post subject:

I’m popping over to the site after work tomorrow so I’ll tell peeps what has been said.

Thanks all