Portraits of Diggers - Archaeology Blogs

As per last year, part way through the season I became fascinated by the physicalness of digging. I’m always struck by the way that excavators manipulate their bodies whilst digging, fitting themselves into tiny gaps, like those internet meme photos of cats in glass bowls.

The angles necessary to really get your trowel into the corners of a Tudor drain, and the flicking of the wrist needed to excavate the bottom of a 17th century trench, all results in yoga-like positions. I took a few snaps in the second week of the dig that I wanted to share with you.

We also had a visit from Peter Wheeler in the second week of the season. Peter is an excellent photographer, and I couldn’t resist including some of his photos here.