Page 24 - TVH 2000 Anniversary Shipwreck Project

Sieve Recovered Artefacts The decision to take the spoil from the excavation on to the vessel through a sieve was a consideration when planning the recovery and recording of artefacts. We had the facility for two divers excavating with (152mm) 6” airlifts for the removal of overburden deposited since the last excavation in 1993 in the stern, for working some areas outboard, and for excavation in the upper layers inboard. The sieve was built with two compartments and manned by four people. Crates for recovered artefacts were clearly labeled before each dive with the sequential dive number, so all sieve-recovered objects were attributed to a particular diver’s dive. As we managed to extend the diving beyond the predicted range we did not need to have two divers excavating simultaneously. As most divers were using helmets, the excavation was recorded, and the archival video tapes were also numbered with the dive. The use of a sieve was not to discourage controlled excavation, but as a safety mechanism. I had been particularly impressed with the large numbers of very small items recovered through sieving on the Kronan excavation (Einarsson, 91, 96) and wanted assurance that small items would not be missed. In fact a high percentage of small items were recovered without damage such as pins, (A0235, A0411, A0456, A0496), a cufflink (A0323) and a pencil (A0231 Photo 11). The combination of an acoustic position for the diver and total video coverage during excavation were factors in the decision to sieve. The ability to regulate the air flow to the airlifts meant that even the larger airlifts could be used merely to clear visibility or for very delicate cleaning3. Marking on a barrel stave 3 See TVH-2000 Tape 112 - 22 -