Once the trenches have been mechanically excavated, the recording can start. An archaeological excavation is a destructive process and can only be performed once. It is therefore especially important to record every detail with extreme precision. The surveyor uses a total station to determine the exact location of the trenches across the moat. The archaeologists photograph the various soil layers, draw them at a scale of 1:20 and describe them very precisely in terms of colour, texture and inclusions, if any. Archaeological finds, such as earthenware and bone material, are carefully removed, layer by layer. Pollen samples are collected from every trench. If the layer contains organic fills, samples are taken for archaeobotanical and archaeozoological analysis.
