The next discovery though radar and measurements were a 10’ by 20’ rectangular pit that extended 1-4 inches below the ground and contained a large number of boulders between 12 and 18 inches in diameter. The only known building historically in this area was a 17th century fort (palisade) or meeting house. The fort would have been surrounded by a palisade so if they were attacked, the palisade would have held back the attackers and if they breached the walls, the citizens had time to fall back to the Motte, the fort on the top of the hill, to stand fast against the attackers. In Plymouth, it is also historically known that redoubt were built at the crossroads in the center of the town. On each redoubt four pateroes were constructed that were …show more content…
Some tools are specialized and very expensive and others are common household items and cost effective. The most expensive tools used were geophysical equipment such as magnetometers ground penetrating radar, global positioning units, and surveying equipment. Smaller tools such as hand shovels, spades, buckets, wheelbarrows, screening units, and trowels were used for the smaller more intricate levels of the archeological dig. While there were different excavations going on at one time it was very complex and difficult because the sites were located in areas of downtown Plymouth making it hard for archaeologists and their teams to excavate as they were on the edge of a cemetery and in full public view for all to see. Mattocks were a main staple tool used by the team in larger areas of the dig. This type of tool is commonly used to break up hard ground by hand. A common gardeners trowel and sometimes a hoe can be used to carefully scrape back dirt and soil in a controlled way. Screening every soil sample is labour intensive and meticulous as to capture even the smallest of item for examination. This fine screening with sieves was used to examine samples of soil for smaller remains such as seeds, pollen and tiny molluscs. Once the items are evacuated from the earth further cleaning can be done using paint brushes of various sizes and hardness. The more intricate detail work will see archeologists use dental tools for small areas of cleaning and detail. These detail cleaning and identification was conducted by additional teams back in the University laboratory under controlled light and temperature conditions as not to accelerate any further decay or decomposition of the artifacts. All evidence is catalogued and photographed for inventory records. Dr. Landon summed up this archeological finding in the following statement. “Finding evidence of colonial activity