Breadalbane Academy Students Excavation and Archaeology Day
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2004 Excavation Experience / 2005 Archaeology Day
Breadalbane Academy Student Excavation Experience
During the summer, between 2003-2005, pupils from Breadalbane Academy volunteered to take part in the Ben Lawers Historic Landscape Project. Some undertook work experience at the excavations while, in 2005, fifteen pupils had an Archaeology Day, helping the NTS archaeologist and education officer to pilot ideas for working with schools.| Zarah, Jenny, Robyn, Samantha and Carla from Breadalbane Academy, Aberfeldy,
took part in the excavation at Tombreck in September 2004, as part of
their work experience programme arranged by their history teacher. (Over
the past two years, thirteen students from Breadalbane Academy have worked
on a Ben Lawers excavation.) Zarah is in the 5th year; the others are 6th year students. The weather was mainly cold and wet but all the students worked hard and with great good humour. The students were interviewed. |
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How did you hear of the excavation?Robyn: Through our history teacher. (Are you studying history?) No! Samantha and Carla are doing Advanced Geography. They asked around the students in the school, and Jenny and I were interested.Zarah: We're lucky because our history teacher Mr Thomas fixes a lot of these sorts of things - I don't think I'd get the same opportunities if he wasn't at the school. |
Why did you want to take part?
Robyn: It sounded interesting - not something we've done before.| Zarah: I am interested in archaeology and I thought it would be good
work experience - I could see if I liked it and could study it at University.
Carla: You can do archaeology at University and I wanted to see if I'd like to do that. What have you been doing on site?Zarah: I've been helping in one of the trenches - Trench 15. The project is in its third week. I'm only doing one day this year but I was here last year too and then I did two days. There was more detailed work last year - I came onto the site later and I found several artefacts then. |
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Have you found anything today?Samantha: Yes, I found two bits of worked quartz.Carla: I've found glass and pottery. The archaeologist was expecting some glass because there were some small windows in the building. What did you know about archaeology before this?Zarah: Before I came, I knew a little because I'd watched quite a lot of archaeology programmes on the TV but it doesn't give you the same experience as actually being here - so I've learnt a lot. |
How have you found the excavation?Jenny and Robyn: Wet and muddy! No, but it has been interesting - a good experience. Samantha: It's worth trying everything once. We knew it could be wet! We've done the Duke of Edinburgh Award - camping on Ulva for our gold award - so we're used to getting wet. We did the award together - the four of us. |
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Would you do this again?Robyn: Well, I might like to try somewhere else - somewhere hotter!Is this experience going to help you?Jenny: Yes, it's good for character building - out there, digging, digging, digging. Carla: It's given me an experience so I can make a decision about my career in the future. Zarah: It's made me feel I could go on to do archaeology - this is my second time here and I'm enjoying it as much. The hard work and the weather doesn't put me off. The weather doesn't bother me but, as a student, I'd like to do some excavations overseas too! |
Archaeology Day
During the Archaeology Day in 2005, the students created grids, recorded finds and undertook survey and excavation work.
Hugh explaining how to use the dumpy level |
Recording the location of finds |
More measuring in of finds |
Laying out the grid |
Recording elevation of finds using the dumpy level |
Using the total station to carry out a topographic survey |
