In my mind archaeology was essentially treasure hunting. Digging and sifting to find the mummies, the ancient scrolls, the lost tombs of cursed pharaohs in a state of eternal unrest and anger. Ok so obviously the bulk of my archaeological knowledge comes from Indiana Jones, but I recently sat down with Nic Fulcher, the assistant project manager of the Shakespeare’s New Place project, to learn about the excavation at New Place and ground my Indie fantasies in modern archaeological technique.
His first point was to address my misconception that success and value in archaeological work is in the piece of jewellery or the unbroken piece of pottery. Though these artefacts are exciting and satisfy our desire to physically connect to the past, the real story we crave lies in… the rubbish pits.
A major purpose of the archaeological work on New Place was to discover as much as possible about the home Shakespeare owned for the last 19 years of his life. The New Place archaeological team was able to successfully outline the footprint of the house and the potential purposes of each room. Walls, ovens and wells revealed the bones of the structure but what about its inhabitants? What happened inside the house? The soil that hugged each side of the walls was the real teacher and through it archaeologists help us peak into New Place’s social history (this is where the rubbish pits come in).
While digging a never before explored corner of New Place in 2015, the archaeological team happened upon Shakespeare’s kitchen. Apart from realizing this profoundly humanizing thought (Shakespeare in a kitchen), the team hit gold; rubbish.
Within these pits of dark soil hid a massive amount of animal bones. The volume was the first thing to intrigue the team, next was the variety of the bones. They found a great deal of fish; cod, pike and herring. They also found the bones of sheep, rabbit and pork. To slaughter a pig in that period meant there were enough people in the house to eat a whole pig. Taking a closer look at the pork bones, the specialists noted that they were charred from roasting. This is highly uncommon and speaks volumes about the household. Only the best cuts of meat would be worth roasting and only families with wealth could afford the best cuts. The charred pork in addition to the variety of dishes and the incredible volume of food remains lead the experts to conclude that New Place saw elaborate feasting. It is impossible to say who was visiting or living at New Place, but they ate well. A fact that hints at a lifestyle and household atmosphere previously hidden from us.
It may not sparkle but soil played a key role in teaching us about Shakespeare’s New Place and the people who lived there. During the excavation process the New Place Team extracted a sample of soil at the heart of New Place from the strata of earth dating back to Shakespeare’s ownership. Shakespeare the man is a bit of an elusive concept that has captivated scholars and historians for centuries. This sample of soil was taken with the purpose of making a connection. It acts as a conductor of sorts between Shakespeare and anyone who wishes to get closer.
You can even have a sample of this soil yourself through the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s Kickstarter campaign, but today is the last day. I, for one, am glad they are willing to share.