Torque of the Town: Conserving the world’s largest Iron Age coin hoard
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2019-03-29

Recording methods in archaeology are crucial in the construction of the final archive, allowing the preservation and continued analysis of the archaeological context. The Le Catillon II project uses innovative recording methods in the micro-excavation of the world’s largest Iron Age coin hoard. A six axis metrology arm fitted with scanning laser and point probe heads produced both laser scans of the hoard’s surface and 3D maps of coin and object position of within the hoard. These models allow the preservation of the original context in a digital format, which gives us significant scope to use the hoard in new and innovative ways. This technology has not only proved to be crucial in the conservation of the hoard but has impacted our understanding of the archaeological context. By considering the hoard as a micro-excavation in itself, the dual scanning techniques enable us to retain information regarding the context of each aspect of the removal process which enables a deeper understanding of the nature of the hoard’s construction. The ability to combine the scans and collection management system, as well as the decision to leave a percentage of coins and artefacts uncleaned has provided a backdrop for future research.

Neil Mahrer (Jersey Heritage), Georgia Kelly (Jersey Heritage) and Viki Le Quelenec (University of Central Lancashire)