Getting things recorded

Site archives
You often hear Phil Harding or Mick Aston saying 'OK, let's get that recorded and then move on'. But what does that involve?

Usually, in this series, it's involved Steve Thompson from Wessex Archaeology. Steve works behind the scenes creating the site archive. This involves recording all of the archaeology in photographs and drawings so that anybody can understand what was found, where and how. It also helps the author of the site report when they are looking back on the dig and trying to interpret the site.

Meticulous records
'By photographing and drawing all the features, making sure all the context sheets (a paper record of the excavations) are filled out, and drawing the main site plans, I'm creating a full record of what has been found,' says Steve. 'After you've excavated a site there's not much left so it's important to record everything meticulously for future reference.'

Continually jumping from one trench to another, Steve is kept busy for the whole programme – and afterwards. Recording is time consuming and often archaeological features need to be recorded before they are dug. This means that if Steve isn't on the ball the excavation could be held up. Fortunately Steve has gained a solid reputation for speedy and accurate recording which fits in well with the programme's tight three-day timescale.

After the dig
After the three days, when the cameras have stopped and the diggers have gone home, Steve remains on site with a few trusty stalwarts. After the shoot it becomes much more like a normal archaeological job. There's no location catering or cups of tea on tap. 'We just get on with it and get the site recording finished off. After I'm done, the site supervisor, Kerry Ely, directs the machines to backfill all the trenches and that's about it. All that's left is the film, the finds and my records.'

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