Casgliadau ac Ymchwil

Bore da! Galw heibio'n sydyn ydw i - mae cymaint i'w wneud y bore 'ma na alla i aros yn hir: cynnau'r arogldarth, paratoi'r groes, cwpan a'r ddysgl, a chamu mewn i'm gwisg 1520aidd. Mae hynny'n ddigon o drafferth - fe godais i'n gynnar i blethu fy ngwallt i steil Tuduraidd heddiw hefyd! Dangosodd un o'r Tudor Group imi sut i wneud pan fuon nhw'n aros yma adeg y Pasg. Fe wnaeth hi i'r holl beth edrych yn hawdd iawn - dwi ddim cweit yn plethu'n rhwydd eto, on dyfal barhau sydd raid, am ein bod ar fin cynnal digwyddiad am ffasiwn Tuduraidd fis nesa.

Yn y cyfamser, rwy'n paratoi ffilm o Duduriaid ddaeth i'n gweld ni y llynedd, i'w roi yn Oriel 1 yn yr arddangosfa Creu Hanes: 1500-1700. Mae rhai o'm hoff wrthrychau Tuduraidd i'w gweld yno, gan gynnwys ffigur o Grist: gwrthrych prin iawn sy'n olrhain hanes crefyddol Cymru. Wedi'i gerfio cyn y Diwygiad, mae'n wrthrych cain ac anarferol - cafodd ei ddarganfod wedi'i guddio tu fewn i wal yn yr 1850au.

Manylyn o gerflun Crog

Ni wyddom lawer am sut y cyrhaeddodd y cerflun ei gartref yn y wal, ond bydd Penny Hill, Cadwraethwraig a Hanesydd, yn dod i siarad am ei hanes cudd ar ddydd Sadwrn. Gobeithio y gallwch ymuno â ni ar ddydd Sadwrn yn Oriel 1, am 2 o'r gloch, ar gyfer sgwrs fydd yn mynd ymhellach na'r plwyf lle'r canfuwyd y gerflun. Mae Penny yn arbenigwraig mewn pigmentau a phaentiadau hanesyddol, yn bennaf, ac felly fe fydd yn dod â lliw yn ôl i hanes y Groes o Gemaes.

Pigmentau naturiol ar gyfer addurno cerflun

Bydd y sgwrs yn Saesneg: galwch am ragor o wybodaeth ar 029 20 57 3424, o ddydd Llun i ddydd Gwener. Gobeithio y gwela i chi yno.

At long last all the natural history galleries are now open again at National Museum Cardiff. You can see old favourites such as the Humpback Whale and the world's largest recorded Leatherback Turtle but there is also something new.

We have created a new gallery which is an introduction to marine biodiversity - or life in the sea. The gallery has over 100 new marine specimens on display with a focus on marine invertebrates rather than fish and you will also find specimens of seaweeds, an often neglected group when it comes to museum displays.

Nearly all the specimens have been displayed in indvidual cases which allows you to get up close and marvel at the intricate design of some of these beasts (and algae!). We have reserved the 3 large cases to display heavy or fragile specimens. Two have displays of some of our fantastic Blaschka glass models. The detail in these models has to be seen to be believed and all the more amazing is they were made over 100 years ago.

So if you are in Cardiff and have an hour free why not pop in and have a look at the new galleries.

After documentation, the next step was to take stock of the overall condition of the block, and to make a preliminary inventory of the types of archaeological materials I could see.

As can be seen in the birds-eye-view photograph, there are some large cracks running across the block: these most likely occurred during lifting and transportation from the site to the museum. Unfortunately, these extend through some of the exposed armour, and areas of thin, mineralized iron plate have broken. This kind of damage, whilst regrettable, couldn’t have been avoided.

I wanted to keep the broken pieces in place for as long as possible, as the positioning of the remains is important to our interpretation of the events taking place in these two rooms of the warehouse. In order to ensure that fragments stayed together (at least for the interim) I used a wax-like substance called Cyclododecane, which I melted and brushed onto the artefacts. The Cyclododecane will eventually sublime altogether, and so I will not have to remove it later.

In addition to the iron plates, there are also a range of other interesting artefacts visible on the surface of the block. There appears to be a scattering of copper alloy scale armour (see photograph for an example), which would also have been worn by a soldier.

At the edge of the block is a large copper alloy stud, its use in antiquity currently unknown: it is not an artefact which has been associated with lorica segmentata. As the photograph shows, the copper has corroded considerably and is very thin.

Scattered amongst these exciting finds are the usual types of artefacts found during archaeological excavations: pieces of red ceramic tile, fragments of pottery, bits of animal bone, and crumbly lumps of white plaster (from the building itself).

Excavating the block will be both time consuming and challenging: I have selected a number of small tools to use. I am unable to place a microscope over the block, and so will be using an optimizer (a visor with magnification lenses) instead- I do not want to miss any small artefacts or details during the excavation.

After wheeling the large block into the archaeological conservation laboratory, I began the task of removing the plaster bandages covering the top of the block.

This proved a simple and satisfying job- the bandages were easily torn off in layers, revealing the Clingfilm barrier underneath. In order to reinforce the sides of the block, yet more bandages were wetted and wrapped around it.

The next step in opening up the block was to peel back the Clingfilm. This had to be done very carefully, as I didn't want dust from the plaster covering the archaeological artefacts beneath. Pegs and bulldog clips were very useful in holding back the plastic layers neatly.

After much anticipation, the armour was revealed. As I had not been present during removal of the armour from the fort, this was the first time I was able to see the lorica, and I was very impressed by the corroded remains.

As I excavate the armour contained within this soil block, I have to document every individual feature, and the physical relationships between all the artefacts. This provides invaluable information for the archaeologists working on the project, who want to tell the story of Isca.

This documentation process involves taking many photographs and making copious notes day by day; before I even begin to excavate the block using small hand tools, I  drew a plan of the whole block, at a 1:2 scale. It was easiest to do this by laying string across the top of the block, and drawing it in sections.

After all this preparation, I cannot wait to get started excavating the soil overlying the armour and other artefacts- though this will take a very long time.