News

Warboys Archaeology Project (and Jemima) with their new T-shirts!

A sterling group from Warboys Archaeology Project braved the elements yesterday to learn how to conduct a resistivity geophysical survey with the help of Jigsaw staff. We also learnt how to use a CAT scan (in preparation for testpitting), and started a plane-table survey of the site. We return today to complete the work!

As you can see, the weather was somewhat bracing!

Ever wanted a quick and easy way to notify the Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record of your discoveries, or to ask permission prior to starting some research? Jigsaw Cambridgeshire in conjunction with CHER have created an HER Report Form which you can use to provide CHER with any of the following information:

* You have discovered a new site not on the HER
* You would like to amend an existing record on the HER
* You are about to start a research project (e.g. survey, excavation)
* You are in the middle of a research project and would like to give an interim report
* You have completed a piece of research and would like to notify the HER before submitting a report

Please use the form to report recent work you or your society has conducted (or any work that's never been reported!).

NB: It is not designed for the reporting of individual finds including those from metal detecting (these should be reported directly to Helen Fowler of the Portable Antiquities Scheme: Helen.Fowler@cambridgeshire.gov.uk). It is also not designed to be a substitute for a full report of your findings, which will still need to be submitted, but it does mean that the HER team will hear about your findings earlier than they may have otherwise done.

The form can be found here.

Spring may not be springing with any alacrity, but Jigsaw is still busy and our first 'summer' projects are beginning. Tomorrow we are going to Warboys for two days to teach members of the Warboys Archaeology Project how to conduct resistivity geophysics and plane-table surveying. They have already received some training from members of the Huntingdon U3A Archaeology group in plane-table surveying, who in turn were trained by Nicholas James last August at one of our Jigsaw training courses!

Our new Archaeology Action Groups, St Ives Archaeology Group (STAG) and RamArch (Ramsey) are busily wading through group formation paperwork and planning their first group archaeology projects for this summer. We are greatly enjoying working with them!

Our next Jigsaw training courses are on Saturday 13th April: 'Medieval Pottery Identification' in the morning, and 'First Aid for Finds' in the afternoon. Both courses are fully booked, with a considerable waiting list for the 'First Aid for Finds' course.

Our next two Jigsaw training courses are next Saturday 2nd March at Ely Library.

C2 Prehistoric Pottery Identification (Level 2) is in the morning, 10am - 1pm and will be led by Matt Brudenell and Mark Knight, pottery specialists of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit.

C3 Roman Pottery Identifcation (Level 2) is in the afternoon, 2 - 5pm and will be led by Alice Lyons, pottery specialist from Oxford Archaeology East.

We have limited spaces on both courses, so book now!