Promising finds

     I am learning that archaeology isn't an instantaneous process.  They can't just dig and say "oh, this is amazing."  They dig, sift the dirt through screens, and look to see what might be there other than dirt.  Shards of pottery, bits of metal, and any clearly man-made items are removed and placed in a bag marked with the digging site from which the items came.  When it is all over, the bags, photographs, and all the other records they maintain will be taken back and examined over time in the comfort of offices and laboratories.
      That said, it is hard not to feel excited about the discovery of the item in this photograph.  The archaeologists, who are remarkably good at identifying common objects at first glance, believe this is one part of a cuff link.  With the crown, it would have been for a dress up occasion.  Since I am not an archaeologist and don't have to be scientific about this, I'm sure Yarrow Mamout wore this when he was painted by Charles Willson Peale.  The archaeologists are a wee bit more cautious.  They say this could have come from Yarrow's time, but it also could have come from later in the nineteenth century.  That's why they take everything back to labs where they have reference books and things.

The first day of digging

    The archaeological work has finally begun at Yarrow's lot.  The owner has given permission, and a team of archaeologists from the DC government is digging.  The team consists of Ruth Trocolli, Archaeologist for the District of Columbia, her assistant, Charde Reid, and Mia Carey, a PhD candidate in archaeology at the University of Florida.  These photos are from the first day's work.  The plan is to dig a series of round test pits in a grid across the property.  (The lot is 30 feet wide and 150 feet deep) to give the archaeologists an overview of what's under ground.  Once those are completed, trenches will be dug in the more promising spots.  The work is complicated by the fact that the property had both a cellar and swimming pool and the spoil from these excavations was spread on top of the soil from Yarrow's day.  This overburden may be two to four feet deep.
    The archaeologists would also like to use remote sensing.  This consists of Ground Penetrating Radar that can "see" what's under the ground.  GPR images aren't quite like xrays though.  They only show irregularities in the soil.  Nonetheless, GPR should show if the foundation from Yarrow's house is down there, if there are logs from his house or organic remnants of logs, and possibly the rectangular soil disturbance from his grave.  The archaeologists would also benefit from earthmoving equipment to help dig.  The city doesn't have money for this, however, and so arrangements have been made for donations from the public to the DC Preservation League.  The League will then use the money to pay for the needed equipment and operators.  Donations are tax deductible and can be made online at https://dcpres.wufoo.com/forms/z1qvq2b30nfy8d6/,  The archaeological team has set up its own website for the project at http://yarrowmamoutarchaeology.weebly.com/.  You can follow the progress there.