So the exam results are back...

... and they're not too bad. Two upper seconds is nothing to sniff at, so all-in-all I'm pretty pleased. I've got three more subjects to do before I finish my university career, and hopefully I can gain good marks in those too to receive a decent grade at the end. I'm happy with one of the remaining subjects: Roman Britain and the Roman Army. It's absolutely fascinating, especially as the lecturer is an archaeologist who specialises in Roman military fortifications in Wales, giving us an in-depth insight to how archaeologists operate and what are their main concerns.

As to my other subject - my dissertation - things are not going quite so well. The main problem is is that I do not have a question with which to formulate a 12,000 word essay around. With a clear question with which to ask, I can then look at a document in a more focused manner, allowing me to discriminate between sources, asking questions of them such as whether it is relevant to my study, as well as asking what the source is saying and does it answer my question? If I had this clear objective, I'd've written the damned thing by now! As it is, all I know is that I'm interested in medieval craftsmen, but I do not know what questions to ask about their lives and their work. Nothing specific anyway. I'm not sure whether looking at wage rates between say York and Durham will make a worthwhile dissertation, and secondly, where would I find the relevant sources needed to make such a comparison? Especially as I'm stuck in Aberystwyth, making any trips to county archives nigh impossible. I could look at Welsh artisans, but there may be trouble with language (I don't speak a word of Welsh), and trouble with sources - are there any relevant pieces still in existence? I'm not a happy bunny at the moment.