Knowing where you discover something is important: archaeologists survey the base of the theatre at Clunia.

Rosa brushes off one of two chunks of a statue bust in a room built alongside the entrance to the amphitheatre. Shrine? Looters’ storage area? Green room? Nobody knows.
This is Joan, the site director’s son, guarding a bronze blob he and I found in the middle of a ramp leading into the amphitheatre. The first clues were some green-tinged rocks. Beneath them some chunks of green and rust-colored metal sat encased in gray dirt and rock. It was hard to separate them so instead we worked around them, widening the pit until it got to about half a meter deep and we could see that the bronze didn’t go any lower. The blob rested on some old roof tiles and ash and burnt wood. Before removing it, Joan wrapped it in gauze and painted it with acetone to hold it together.

Shannon wriggles her nose while Francesc and Aixa hash out the next steps for uncovering steps on a ramp into the backstage area of the theatre.