Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Archaeological Finds From Plymouth Navy Victualling Yard. Source: See ITV News link below. |
A major dig is underway in Plymouth after 17th century artefacts were discovered in a former boat yard.
Archaeologists have been called in after recent repair work at a quay in Commercial Wharf unearthed some pottery and other items.
Experts from the University of Plymouth and Plymouth Archaeology Society are excavating the site, which was used by the Royal Navy for more than 200 years.
Those involved said the artefacts were proof of the city’s status as “an epicentre of global trade”...
A victualling yard was an essential component of any naval facility and is the area concerned with the storage, preparation and packaging of food and drink for the fleet.
Venetian glass bead and Chinese porcelain among stars finds at Plymouth’s first navy supply yard - University of Plymouth
Plymouth navy yard dig finds 17th Century artefacts - BBC News
Major dig in Plymouth after 17th century relics found in Navy yard | ITV News West Country
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Ceramic shards are a common first clue to old sites, and can occasionally be found on beaches. When mudlarking, they are among the most common finds.
I like looking along the shore of the Indian River Lagoon. Not only does it provide a nice walk on a nice day, but you can occasionally find some interesting things, including but not limited to, old bottles.
Normally I go when the tide is low, but I was anxious to see what happened recently. Yesterday the low tide was not very low, but the water was calm, and visibility was good, so I decided to go take a look anyhow. It was a beautiful sunny day, which is not my favorite weather, and I had no idea if there would be much to be found or not.
I took along my GoPro and took some videos so you could get an idea about what it was like. I walked a while before I found a spot where there was some visible scattered glass and litter.
Above you can see what it looked like, and below you can see what I found when I finally located an area where some glass and ceramics were visible.
Even when the visibility is good, you can't see as clearly through water as air.
The YouTube video below shows a sample of what I saw before finding a glass stopper, which is the best thing I found. I ignored a of stuff that many mudlarkers would have found interesting, such as shards. Here is the link.
Short Shallow Water Mudlark On The Indian River Lagoon Florida in January. - YouTube
That video is a little longer and the file bigger than what I am able to load directly to blogger, so I put it on YouTube. Maybe someday I'll explore ways of cutting down the file sizes and learn a little about video editing.
And here is the glass stopper.
I didn't find much today, but I did see what conditions were like, and I did find the stopper. I always like finding stoppers because of the number of bottles I find without their stoppers.
I did find one bottle that was a little older, but it wasn't very old or interesting. Most of the bottles I saw yesterday were mid-century or later.
I personally find it difficult to take videos while hunting. I need a couple more hands. Too bad evolution didn't favor us with that seemingly advantageous development.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com. |
It looks like we are going to get a bump in the surf, but enough to do a great deal of good. Now it looks like the peak surf Sunday will be only three to five feet.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net