Farewell to Mick Aston

We read a great article recently about the contribution that Mick Aston (Time Team) made to the world of archaeology.
I have enjoyed watching him and his brightly coloured jumper for years, and was very sad to hear he'd passed away this last year.
Thanks Mick and the Time Team team for bringing the exciting world of discovering the past into my home, and encouraging my love of history and archaeology.

You can read that article via this link: http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/exclusive-interview-mick-aston-an-archaeological-journey.htm
and the tributes from his fellow cast here:
http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/mick-aston-time-team-remembers.htm

Alexander The Great visits Sydney

This school holidays I visited the Alexander The Great Exhibition at the Australian Museum (Sydney). My favourite part was seeing all the ancient artifacts. Especially those that showed Heracles and some of the other Greek Gods and Goddess'.

I especially loved the coins or "Tetradachma's on display.

The exhibition is definitely worth going to http://www.alexandersydney.com.au/the-exhibition/about/

My favourite picture in the exhibition was of Alexander meeting the hermit Diogenes. The story goes that Alexander on meeting Diogenes offers to give him anything he wants and Diogenes responds "Get out of my Sun light" - Very Funny!

Alexander meets Alec & Tzara at the Australian Museum

Old Red Clay Bricks

After a few weeks of continuous wet weather we resumed our dig at Rouse Hill Anglican College and discovered these pieces of Red Brick. They are very old, include numbering marks N23 on one and 6 or 9 on the other. They are quite thick, show that there were holes in the centre, and seem to have been glazed (matte) finished as some point. We suspect that they are pre-1950's.
Here's some interesting info on brick history in Australia:
http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/bricks
http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/convict-sandstock-bricks/

Cream Ware and pottery from Bathurst NSW

Thanks to the work of Jackson T. from my class I'm adding this new entry. Jackson and his family collected this cream ware, plain and decorated from Bathurst NSW whilst on holiday, they suspect it is from landfill, but probably still local. All of it is quite old. I've been searching the web to find a match for the patterned pieces but no luck so far.

Day 1 of 2012 Dig Season Begins at RHAC

Today I started year 3 at school and we are in a different playground so at lunch we began searching for finds on  our new dig site. Mum had sent a kit of brushes in my bag so we were equipped and ready to go. I've posted a photo of today's finds. There was heaps of old roof tiles, some with lettering (probably Monier).

Time Team

I've been enjoying watching Time Team UK with my family on TV lately, it's my favourite show. I love the mystery of it, wondering what they are going to discover in each episode. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team

A lost Civilization?

My dig team (AKA my buddies in year 2 at school) have been busy. We have been excavating a part of the site at Rouse Hill Anglican College (apologies to Mr Binnie the grounds keeper for the holes everywhere), and the picture attached shows some of our finds. There seems to be a large mixture of floor and wall tiles all from the 1970's & 80's by the look of it. Either they've been dumped as part of a land fill from somewhere else, or its part of a lost civilization, or settlement on the site before the school was built here in early 2002.
http://www.hht.net.au/discover/highlights/guidebooks/rouse_hill_house__and__farm_guidebook