Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

... gimps, aren't they? I mean let's face it, walking up and down a field all day waving a stick? Not exactly arousing. And then when you watch Time Team and see Baldrick, a man synonymous with total and utter repugnant failure, all animated because that slab of grey stone that has taken them 4 weeks to uncover in the pising raining has been proven to be the poo step in a latrine in an ancient village .... not exactly edge of your seat action, is it?

So why is it that when I was digging a moat in my garden today, and I happened upon an old mortar (not the bang bang type, but the squish squash my seeds are nicely crushed type), it was exciting! Suddenly this well defined moat plan became a hack and slash affair as I hurried to find the whole Indian kitchen set. Alas, I didn't find anything else except an old German label proclaiming "Achtung" and a pair of children safety scissors (which I didn't run with), but still it got me thinking ... what wonders do we all have in our back garden?! Underneath my lawn, could there be some ancient jewellery, or the holy grail ... a velocorapter complete with cape?

I think tomorrow I'll just have to continue with digging the moat as planned, but for a short time I thought about retraining as an archaeologist or someone else who digs big holes.

Anyone else found anything cool while building home defences?

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

Not sure if you saw the original thread on Petrolheads, however this has to be the ultimate DIY garden archaeology thread/blog

Warning - do not open the link unless you have a lot of time to spare - it is an addictive tale, the original thread on Petrolheads eventually ran to 231 pages!

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

Fallout i fear that your house may have been built on a local landfill site.

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

That's epic. Not seen it before and insanely jealous of having such a thing to uncover. It's a shame there were no mercs in there or nazi gold, but guns will do! :)

Disappointingly, this area was a forest until developed in the 60s. Even landfill would give me more to dig for! :(

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

A cannon ball.....or was it a shot put?
Either way, it was round and heavy.
The interesting part, is my house is behind what used to be the barracks, training grounds, head quarters for the original Duke of Wellingtons regiment.
When they excavated the footy pitch for the new houses being built it was riddled with lead, and they had to shift truck loads of muck out, and bring new stuff in.
Obviously a lot of lead shot and target practice, exercised there!

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

Not much to find here in the new world.
Prior to 1976, when my house was built, the property was forest land forever.
Treasure found here with metal detectors is mostly limited to finding coins and jewlery lost by tourists in the sand at the beach.


I might well be showing myself to be a stupid american by asking this but I must ask,
Are you seriously digging a moat for home defences???
Against???
Wet or dry??

I'd think a shotgun would be more effective and a lot less work.

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

I could perhaps be digging a footing trench for garden sleepers, but until my sleepers are delivered, it's a moat! :D

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

Didn't anyone tell you?

An English mans home is his castle. :D

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

Are you going to be gracing us with some pictures of your exploits or have i misses that bit?

I found a musket ball in the old garden, took it to the museum and they put it on display. In the current house there's nothing but clay and perhaps if you dig a little deeper, yet more clay. :(

Re: Time Team types and Metal Detectives are all ...
 

When I was a kid me and some friends found some corrugated iron.

We wanted my dad to take it to the museum in case it was roman.

He told us he did but that they said they already had some. In retrospect it may have gone straight to the dump.