The Arbeia project is an ongoing excavation and reconstruction of a Roman Supply base and fort that was constantly modified during a period of roughly 300 years. It is located in the present day town of South Shields in the Tyne and Wear district of Northern England. The closest large city that might be known by Americans is Newcastle, which is just a few miles to the west on the River Tyne. After the Roman Army left Britain in 409 A.D., many citizens and ex-soldiers remained around the forts and towns they had defended. Many had intermarried with the local population or were of mixed ancestry having no real home country to which they could return. This region soon underwent many changes as invaders came and went, fortunes rose and fell, and the church spread its power over the region. Arbeia is mentioned in a text as being the birthplace of a certain local king in the sixth century.

    About this same time many small churches were built in the region, including St. Hilda's in South Shields. According to local lore, some of the stone used to build this church may have come from the walls of the Arbeia fort. The fort seems to have been largely ignored after this time (7^th century) and was used as a grazing area.  As time passed, the local residents continued to use the stone for new buildings and what remained of the fort was slowly covered over.

    In the late nineteenth century, the area was to be used for a new development of homes. Many locals persuaded officials that there should be some kind of investigation done before the site was built over. Interest in archaeology was growing and a few men in this region had carried out excavations or purchased land to protect it for future excavations. The excavations revealed tombstones, pottery, and many other artifacts. Once the excavation was declared finished, the new homes were built on top of the site. Many of the homes in this part of town still bear street names of emperors, generals, or their wives. Since the 1950's, the homes directly over the site have been removed and sporadic excavation carried out. The present phase has been ongoing for the better part of a decade.

    I met my Earthwatch group Sunday afternoon at the fort. The group was comprised of all Americans except for four Englishman. The ages ranged from the teens to early seventies. Professions included students, teachers, an editor, aero-insurance representative, and a few retirees. Nick Hodgson gave the group a tour of the site. He explained a brief history of the excavations and some of the interesting artifacts that had been found on site during the past 100 years or so.

    That evening I got to know my housemates at dinner. I was sharing the house on Ocean Street with three girls from California, and a woman from Hawaii named Suzanne. I also met some of the non-Earthwatch volunteers which included a young woman from Naples, Italy and a young man from Turkey. It soon became apparent that although everyone had varied backgrounds and different interests this was going to be a good team.

    When we reported for work Monday morning, none of us was sure exactly what we would be doing. Graeme divided us into two groups. One group would work in a section where the granary and barracks overlapped, while the other group would work on a section where later walls were being removed. The two groups were to work in these sections for one week and then switch. This would allow everyone on the team a chance to experience different periods and types of excavation. Each team was then divided into smaller groups and assigned to a supervisor. My first supervisor was Lorraine in the later period excavation, and the second was Andy in the second century barracks.

    We were instructed on how to use our trowel, brushes, shovel, wheelbarrows, etc. We were also told that if we had any doubt at all as to the importance of even a rock, ask. Someone, during the previous week, had uncovered a brooch and thrown it onto the dirt pile. I think that all of us asked a thousand questions that first day. Spirits were high as well. Suzanne, my housemate, had discovered a lead seal from Septimius Severus. We quickly got into a routine, and then would regroup at tea-time, lunch, and dinner to discuss the day's highlights.

    A typical day would begin at 6:30 or 7:00 a.m. I would get up, shave, dress, etc. and come down for breakfast. I would leave the house around 8:30 to walk to the fort. We were supposed to be at the fort by 9. Once there, I would pick up my equipment from the storage trailer and proceed to the work area. Sometimes the area would have to be wet down before we started. This would leave time for helping others or mapping the site. If a section of the site had to be mapped before excavation continued, it meant another trip to the trailers for equipment and paper. The spot had to be sketched on graph paper in scale and in relation to the coordinated pegs on site. Elevation also had to be done for sample areas in the sketch. The coordinates and elevation also would have to be taken any time a "special find" was uncovered. During my two weeks I worked on five plans.

    As we excavated, we used our trowels to remove layer after layer of earth. It was important that we not jab into the soil damaging the layers, or perhaps even an artifact. Direction, depth, texture, and color all became quite important. We uncovered nails, pottery shards, bones, etc. We would break for tea at 10:30, have lunch at 1:00, and tea again at 3:20. We had to clear our "loose" and empty all the buckets before each of these breaks. The day ended at 4:30. All equipment was put back in the trailers, finds trays returned and locked up, and the site cleaned up.

    My partners Rina (a high school student from California) and Dorita (a teacher from London), and I spent most of the first week sketching, numbering, and disassembling a wall. All the stones then had to be moved to another location and our numbers were shellacked to keep them from fading. A small group of paid workers will then one day reassemble the wall as they have started to do near the museum. Soon after we took down this wall, I found my favorite discoveries. Near the edge of the later excavation site I found several chunks of wall plaster that were still painted next to several shards of Samian ware. 

    I really enjoyed my time at Arbeia. Our team pulled together and worked very hard. Everyone was very enthusiastic and helpful. This also included the staff. After a few days you got to know not only supervisors and students, but also other volunteers and on site paid workers. Of course, learning to take orders, follow rules, and adjust to a different lifestyle all at the same time is a challenge.

    The staff also spent quite a bit of time with us on lectures, and field trips to Hadrian's wall, a visit to Chester's bridge, Wallsend, Segedunum, and Newcastle. The staff was an interesting mix of people. Gillian, Lorraine, and several of the others were amused by the fact that I am still fond of records, and went to great lengths to point out shops or the like where I might find records. They also seemed amused by the fact that I liked old European cars and could not find many in Northern England.

    I already knew a fair amount about archaeology and excavations from reading, but had never been on a "real" dig. I quickly discovered the amount of work, repetition, and adrenaline that goes along with a career in archaeology. A great deal of the time, science seems to blend with luck and speculation. I had a great time and would certainly consider doing a project like this again. And maybe, one day after I retire, I could focus on archaeology.

    The trip to Arbeia reminded me just how much I always wanted to be an archaeologist. At the same time, being away from my wife, child, and friends reminds me why I decided against pursuing it as a primary career. I would love to do more trips like this and maybe even to Arbeia again, but I do not think I would like much more than two or three weeks away from home.

    As for using this experience in my teaching at Severn, it certainly will help me to explain the work that goes into understanding and reconstructing the past. As I said, a great deal of the eighth grade year is spent on the Roman Empire. I have discussed Roman Britain, but my knowledge was limited to, and focused mostly on, southern Britain. I had not read much about the northern frontier during the late empire. Now I not only know more about it, but I was there. I hiked Hadrian's wall, stood in several forts, and looked at gravestones in area not ten miles from where one of my maternal ancestors left in the 17^th century to come to Maryland. I realized that my ancestors did include Roman citizens (a given for a good chunk of Europe), but it was no longer an abstract idea. I was here, and the 1500 years back to when this was still part of the empire did not seem so long ago. 

    I will  continue to work on these pages and add more pictures or information as time allows.  Below are links to several  pictures with a small caption to each.  I have also included links to sites related to Arbeia or the Roman period in Britain.  

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