Some words from Patrik

Hi there, my name is Patrik and I’m in charge of digital measuring on the site. Krister has asked me to write a few words about what I do on the site and my view of it all. First of I can say that this is the first dig I’ve been on where I have any sort of authority something that both fascinates and scares me. I was on the 2009 dig here in the bog and thus have some previous experience with it. I also got to replace the original measuring expert who is on maternity leave and because of my interest in the measuring technology on last year’s dig. And on this year’s first day of digging I came into contact with the brand new total-station we are now using, and of course I had no Idea on how to make it work. But after some luck and a lot of trial and error during day one we got it up and running during day two. So you probably understand when I don’t feel like the expert some on the dig se me as.

"Action" photo from the measuring team.

 But on to other matters, what do I actually do you might wonder? Or maybe you’re wondering what/how we measure? Well mostly I go around and measure in artifacts position as we find them to make a 3D map that will show where everything is found. And we do this by using a total station. Basically it’s a machine that will first calculate where the heck it is on a given grid and then were the prism is. It is then my job to keep the prism over the artifacts we want to measure in, make sure that each artifact has a number that corresponds with its electronic coordinates and that all problems regarding this gets solved. Something that is very important, if not vital, to the excavation but can also be mind numbingly dull at times as it gets very repetitive very fast when no one makes mistakes. On this particular dig the way of measuring differs from most other digs. Instead of dividing the dig into squares like we normally would we measure in every single rock and artifact individually. This is to get a better and more detailed computer model. Since we don't have any clear structures left we have to rely on and pay more attention to artifact placement in the site.
One perk however that usually make up for the monotony is the fact that as measurer on this dig I get to see each and every find. So I see all the cool stuff. And on this dig I’ve also been one of the more popular guys, everyone wants me to come to their trench. Granted it is because people find artifacts faster then I’m able to measure in and remove them, but still!

 As Krister mentioned in his last entry he only gets a vague Idea of what is happening at the site due to the fact that he is of looking for treasure. I can say however that we are slowly excavating what seems to be a small campsite with either one big or two medium fireplaces and quite a few posts (note that its not postholes as the posts are still there! Amazing stuff right there). In the site are numerous flint fragments, charcoal pieces and hazelnut shells. We also have a deep trench next to the site that was meant to help us locate the bottom; it has however given us a lot more interesting results then just that. As an example we found beaver gnawed wood-pieces there last week. If possible I might be able to delegate measuring for a shift or so and sneak down in the trench, fun stuff down there.
On this particular dig the way of measuring differs from most other digs. Instead of dividing the dig into squares like we measure in every single rock and artifact individually. This is to get a better and more descriptive computer model. Since we don't have any clear structures left we have to rely on and pay more attention to artifact placement in the site.