As Pete T reports below we were out and about around Sheffield last week. We were, together with students from other archaeology MAs, taught the basics of off-set planning, taking levels and traversing and a little geophysics.
Where we were taken was for me the most interesting part. The places themselves were nice to visit, even in the rain, but it was the story that was woven with the sites I found most useful. Our guide was adept describing the changes that had occured at the places we visited. All too often a site visit will concentrate on the Iron Age nature of this hill, or the medieval character of this valley when a monastery was in use. However Colin manged to highlight the historical contingency of the places we visited and to construct a flowing narrative all so important when we’re thinking of transitions and becomings that are fashionable today. After all there wasn’t a Neolithic or a Middle Bronze Age, these are just descriptions we use to make things easier (?) for us study. In fact the transition is continuous.
Change as a constant was the most important part of our fieldtrips last week.
