This dig diary is written by 2nd year BSc Archaeological, Anthropological and Forensic Sciences student Laura Boxell. However, any errors are down to me as editor – Paul Cheetham.

Site overview day 1 looking west with the walls of the later Roman buildings visible in the foreground

The morning of the first day of the dig started with various talks including health and safety, the general etiquette of working on an archaeological site, and an overview of what has been found out about the site to date. First discovered by detectorists over 10 years ago, the site covers the transition between the Iron Age and Roman periods and has yielded some interesting finds in the previous seasons, including many graves, storage pits with enigmatic depositions of artefacts in the backfills, and masonry Roman buildings. Bournemouth University have dug on the site for the past three years and this year has already seen some finds from just below the topsoil, including a base of an amphora most likely from the late 1st century BC (see photo). Amphorae were used by the Romans for transporting goods such as wine, olive oil or fish sauce and highlight the active trade that would have occurred throughout the Mediterranean. A piece of black burnished ware pottery from the late Romano-British periods has also been found and identified from the rim. Neil Summerson and Joshua Charles, both studying BA Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology, have enjoyed their first day on a dig site, especially using the mattocks to straighten up excavation trench edges. They are both looking forward to getting stuck in to the archaeology once the site has been cleaned back and prepared, which usually takes up the majority of the first week. Harry Manley, who is in charge of planning, will also be taking a photograph of the site every day from a camera pole so we can see the gradual changes of the site over the duration of the dig.

Trench H diggers straightening the edges of the site

The base of the Roman amphora found on the first day