Chat Ed : Welcome Mary, Stewart
Mary Alexander : Hello everyone!
Stewart Ainsworth : Hi, I'm sitting here comfortably and waiting for the questions to arrive. Quite surprised to be called the map expert on the programme, but there we go!
enola : Does tony Robinson Actually DO anything or does he just run around getting semi excited?
Mary Alexander laughs
Stewart Ainsworth : Tee hee
Stewart Ainsworth : Having worked with Tony for 6 or 7 years now, he does put a lot of effort into making what is a very complicated subject easy for the viewer to understand, and that is hard work in itself.
Mary Alexander : He's a fantastic front man and his enthusiasm is great. He deliberately does a bit of the being a "normal person on the street" who doesn't understand all the archaeological terms. He's just great.
David Jefford : The three channells found in area C are interesting! did the dig team find any evidence as to suggest what sort of cargo these boats were carrying? and also what sort of didtances and from where were the boats likely to be coming from?
Mary Alexander : There is no evidence of their cargoes. The channels would have been cleaned out to keep them free of silt to keep them wide and deep enough for the boats to keep travelling up them. Most of the river traffic at Ely would have been going to or coming from the port at Kings Lynn.
Stewart Ainsworth : When I was looking at the 19th Century maps of Ely, a bit further down the river, one map showed channels coming off the river which were preserved in boundaries right through to the 19th Century and that in all probability there was a whole row of these channels all along that river frontage.
Anne B : Since there is no longer pressure from a developer, shouldn't the excavation into the Saxon element of the site be allowed to continue? How do Mary and her team feel about that?
Mary Alexander : We are always funded by developers. In this case it was East Cambridgeshire District Council. They have been very generous, but there always has to be a stopping point. We had a fair crack at it. At least it will be preserved and not destroyed by the later developments, as they are turning it into a park.
jimmy : whats the strangest thing you've ever dug up?
Stewart Ainsworth laughs
Stewart Ainsworth : Oh god!
Mary Alexander : I can't think! Oh no, blank!
Mary Alexander chuckles
Mary Alexander : Can we pass on that one? Sorry!
Ross Clement : Would the entire town of ely been just as rich in archaeological sites if it could all be dug up, or was that a particularly rich site?
Stewart Ainsworth : I think from the map evidence and from the evidence of other excavations in Ely there is a far chance that most of it is one huge archaeological site. It shows that the size of the island in Saxon times, in medieval times and in modern times has changed very little. So wherever you dig in Ely you will find some evidence of early activity.
Nigel : what happens to all the artifacts that you have found?
alison : an you tell us what has happened to the finds? will the leather items survive?
Mary Alexander : We wash all of the finds, catalogue them, and do whatever we need to preserve them. Then they are sent to different specialists for them to look at and make a report, which will be incorporated into our final report on the site. Then they may be stored in the local museum. It depends what area you are working in. As far as the leather is concerned, it will be conserved and preserved and probably put on display in the Ely museum I should imagine.
Mike : How long would it take to assess and interpret all the finds following the Ely dig?
Mary Alexander : In this case, as we have such a huge amount of pottery, brick and tile and the rest of the finds we have are quite large, it will take quite some time to get them all assessed. We have only just finished washing all of the pottery, brick and tile. I would estimate at least another year.
Stewart Ainsworth : It will be a best seller!
Mary Alexander : There is a lot of hard work that goes on that you don't see on TV.
Lukibaus : When you are digging in the rain, do you have special ways of keeping your wellies on ?
Mary Alexander laughs
Mary Alexander : Super glue and masking tape!
Stewart Ainsworth chuckles
Tony Butcher : are there any plans to excavate other sites in Ely?
Mary Alexander : We only excavate sites when they are threatened by development, so we'll have to wait and see.
AndyP : A heraldic emblem was seen on one of the leather scabbards. Has it been traced?
Mary Alexander : As far as I know I think it's a fairly general emblem used, but I'm not on expert on such things.
John 2 : How do you choose where to dig? I seem to remember in the beginning people used to challenge time team to excavate wherever.
Allan : How are the sites for time team actually chosen?
Stewart Ainsworth : The Time Team sites are chosen from requests sent in by members of the public usually. Sometimes from people with gardens, county archaeologists or other people. We narrow it down to 13 episodes and there is a lot of research that goes on too. We certainly could not have tackled Ely in 3 days.
Phil : Since the work you do is important to Britain as a whole, can you not get lottery funding etc to finance projects
Stewart Ainsworth : Lots of archaeological projects are financed by the lottery actually.
Dundarach : Stewart / Mary what one thing do you wish early cartographers would have added to their maps?
Norm : How accurate are early maps?
Stewart Ainsworth : The quality and accuracy varies considerably. Some are very accurate in terms of what they show and their measurements but some are completely off the wall. Scale would be very helpful, Dundarach!
Anne B : Just echoing a question that's been asked on the TT forum, if I lived in Ely, what is there to stop me digging a big hole in my back garden to see what I can find?
Mary Alexander : Nothing really! We'd like to think that if you did find something fantastic that you would be responsible and report it to your county archaeologist. We rely on local people to alert us to great finds. This helps tremendously to help us build up the archaeology of an area. But no, there is nothing to stop you Anne B, go ahead we'll come round and help!
Stewart Ainsworth : It would be helpful for you to put it on a map please, and not just say 'down the road beyond that fence'! Always put them on a map.
Chat Ed : OK y'all - our half hour is up now, so last two questions now, thanks....
christie : why was the dig under a time contstraint when the area was being laid to gardens? Could the whole area not have been excavated ?
Mary Alexander : There are always time and money contraints. At the beginning the area was originally designated for housing development. After consultation with the residents of Ely it was decided that the area would be landscaped and converted into a park. We do have a policy in the country of attempting, wherever possible, to preserve archaeological remains in the grounds. It's better to leave things in the ground for future archaeologists with better techniques. If it's not going to be destroyed now by future developments then leave it there, as in the future scientific techniques will be so much further ahead. They will be able to tell us so much more.
Stewart Ainsworth : It's also nice for the people who are going to sit in that park to know that they are sitting on archaeology, and that it will be there for future generations to enjoy.
jimmy : if someone invented a time machine, ud be out of a job... what would you do instead?
Stewart Ainsworth laughs
Stewart Ainsworth : That's a good one. I don't think I'd know what else to do! I enjoy this so much, and if I wasn't being paid to look into the past I'd probably just sit and day dream about it anyway.
Mary Alexander : I'd be in that time machine! You wouldn't get me out of it!
Mary Alexander laughs
Chat Ed : OK LAST question now....
Maz : hello , im really interested in archaeology i was wondering is it a easy profession to get into? What qualifiacations would I have to get to succeed?
Stewart Ainsworth : I would say be aware that it is a very difficult area to get a career in. It's a lot of part time work and contract work. Go to University and do a degree in something you love and take up archaeology as a hobby. Get a proper job where you get paid well and don't stand in mud all day and use archaeology as a hobby!
Mary Alexander : Yes get a degree in archaeology would be the official answer. It is bad pay though and it is insecure, but be determined and keep going.
Chat Ed : That's it! Thanks for coming, Stewart and Mary, that was fantastic. And thanks for all your questions, folks! Hope you all enjoyed it! Time Team's Timechester and the Ultimate Time Team Companion are available from www.channel4.com/shop or by calling 0870 1234 3 44
Lynn Ann : Thanks for chatting with us after that wonderful show...we've been waiting to see it for several months!
lottie : Pass on best wishes to team, and keep up the good work.
Dundarach : Look forward to the new series on the telly - thx for your time both of you...thx c4 :)
Mary Alexander : Bye for now! Thank you for logging on.
JW : Thanks
Bernard2 : Thanks
Andy Agate : thank you
Maz! : bye thanks for ya help
jimmy_bond : Bye!
tony lloyd : very enjoyable
Jen : Really enjoyed the chat
Pad : Bye and Thanks
Gary : many thanks...impressive
graham taylor : Thanks for a great evening everyone
jimmy : thanks :) was fun
Chat Ed winks
Stewart Ainsworth : Thanks to you all who watch Time Team. Please write in if you have any good ideas for sites in the future and I'm glad I didn't take up digging as a career!
Stewart Ainsworth leaves the room
Mary Alexander leaves the room
