Archaeology on Furlough
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Item Open Access Archaeology on Furlough: Sheepfolds of the Lammermuirs(2020-08-01) Bradford, Brittni; Connolly, David; Hawker-Yates, Lily; Kdolska, Hanka; Paice, Cas; Scott, Gemma; Wiseman, Rob; Wiseman, Rob [0000-0001-8947-5624]Sheepfarming has had a profound effects on the economy, culture and landscape of the Scottish Borders for hundreds of years. This project identified and catalogued sheep-related sites in the Lammermuir Hills—primarily sheepfolds, as well as sheep dips, sheep houses and other livestock enclosures. Using aerial photographs, historic maps and lidar data, the project team documented 860 sites These have all been catalogued and sorted into different types of structures. This data was further analysed using GIS software to understand more about where these were positioned in the landscape. This highlighted a preference for sites lower than 100m altitude, as well as proximity to roads and water. The project report also includes an extensive discussion of placenames in the Lammermuir Hills related to sheep raising.Item Open Access Published version Peer-reviewed Archaeology on Furlough: Roman Planting Trenches in the East of England(2020-11-08) Wiseman, Robert; Brewer, Emily; Luxford, Robbie; Losh, Jospeh; Fosberry, Rachel; Roberts, Michael; Jackson-Slater, Clare; Boulton, Ashleigh; Wiseman, Rob [0000-0001-8947-5624]Across eastern and central England, excavations of Roman sites have uncovered rows of parallel trenches which are usually interpreted as remains of cultivation systems. Their use is disputed. This project gathered a large sample of excavation reports, and analysed the trenches’ characteristics, contents and relationships to other contemporary Roman features. The project team identified 52 sites—over twice as many as the most recent survey. While these features show characteristics of house garden beds described by Roman authors, they are much larger, capable of supporting hundreds of people with vegetables. One possible interpretation is that the planting trenches might have been established to support the Roman army during the first century of the Roman occupation, and positioned close to roads in order to provision troops on manoeuvre. The project ZIP file contains a PDF report and an Excel spreadsheet containing a summary of individual sites' data.Item Open Access Archaeology on Furlough: Accessing Archaeological Information Online: A Survey of Volunteers’ Experiences(2020-06-30) Wiseman, Robert; Ronn, Phoebe; Wiseman, Rob [0000-0001-8947-5624]Archaeology on Furlough (AoF) involved volunteers gathering together and analysing large volumes of archaeological data on a wide range of archaeological themes. Inadvertently, it became a test for how easy it is for archaeologists to obtain information they need. To understand more, AoF volunteers were surveyed about their experiences when locating, obtaining and using archaeological information.Item Open Access Archaeology on Furlough: Rapid Review of Digital Tablets for Use in Archaeological FieldworkWiseman, Rob; Malik, Rose; Kriti, Alexandra; Sessini, Serenella; Wiseman, Rob [0000-0001-8947-5624]Over the last twenty years, digital technology has made great inroads into archaeological work in the UK. The last major part of archaeology which remains largely paper-based is fieldwork. This project reviewed 35 digital tablets which might be suitable for recording archaeological data in the field. This report is a non-technical review. It makes no recommendations about tablets suitable for use in UK archaeology. Rather, it outlines factors archaeological units need to consider when adopting tablets, along with the information systems they need to work in, if tablets are to be effective and efficient tools. Attached to the report is a spreadsheet with details of the 35 tablets reviewed by the project team.