Week 3 in the DV House

The trolls have headed home (or at least headed back under the bridge!), we’re steadily moving towards our target (nearly 40% funded!) and another week brings another round of positive write-ups from our friends in the blogging community.

First out of the blocks was Geoff Carter at Theoretical Structural Archaeology. Geoff’s an engineer by trade, coming to archaeology later in life with a practical eye to how prehistoric buildings may have worked and what we can find out about this from the analysis of post holes. Not surprisingly, it’s the potential of our waterlogged wood that interests him most (I’m sure he’ll be tuning in to our results!) and we look forward to reading his take on what we find!

Over at Electric Archaeology (that would look great in electric blue neon lights) Shawn Graham has given us a positive write-up from his perspective as a professor of digital humanities. Shawn’s a Romanist originally, but blogs on computer modelling in archaeology, as well as a range of new and interesting approaches breathing life back into what Mortimer Wheeler once counselled could become ‘the driest dust that blows’. Shawn raises interesting points about how far we could really take the crowdsourcing aspect to our project, and what that might mean for our results. All we can say is: watch this space! We’ve got a few surprises in store for users of our ‘Site Hut’ digital platform, and we can’t wait till July to try them out.

A nice piece from Alice Watterson at Digital Virtual Pasts was followed by an in depth post at Landscape Perceptions from Ulla Rajala. Taking an almost historical approach to our funding model, Ulla looked at similar attempts that have happened elsewhere, and drawing a line between our digital platform and the subscription model that used to support Flag Fen Trust. Also picking up on this aspect to our project – The Secret Archaeologist – who had a little secret of her own to share. Now a business consultant to the creative economy, ‘The Secret Archaeologist’ was one of the original excavators of Fengate, and has put a few of her original photos up (artefacts in themselves!). Whatever we said, we said it right – she’s now a fully signed up Venturer!

And talking of putting their money where their mouth is: try the British Archaeology Super-Squad out for size! They’ve only gone and promised all the proceeds from their new range of T-Shirts to our Flag Fen Lives campaign! We’ve been following these guys since 1972 when they were sent to prison by a military court for a crime against archaeology they didn’t commit. They promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as archaeologists of fortune. If you have a problem…if no one else can help…and if you can find them…maybe you can hire…The British Archaeology Super-Squad! Got the impression? Check out their blog – Archaeo-Awesome – here…

Thanks a million to all the bloggers and tweeters who’ve been following and promoting our exploits – looking forward to reading your take on things as they develop further!

All the best, Brendon