Digging 8: More planning!

The recording of every context on the site, planned, photographic and written records, both before and after excavating, is a constant duty, and horrible to do in the rain!
Luckily this morning started dry, so I finally got a chance to draw a 1:10 in situ plan of SK2, and start to lift the bones.

Most planning is done at 1:20 or 1:50, so drawing at this larger scale means rubbing many lines out until you get your hand-eye coordination going.

I thought that blipping the plan would give a better idea of how the skeleton was laid out, as a week of rain had caused the bones to get covered in a thin layer of mud, and there was hardly any contrast for a photograph under the dull light.

Finished lifting the body after lunch-break. It is a task that can intimidate a lot of diggers, but is easy to do if gone about methodically in the right order (for example, it is best to lift the vertebrae from the base of the spine to the neck).

One day I'll get my act together and write that "How to dig a skeleton" manual, if priced right I think it could sell quite well.... :)