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. 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,… Read more » about Day 1 – all hands to the dig

Today the site activities were being geared towards completing features by the end of this week. It can be felt around the site that the previously inexperienced students have now got into the rhythm of excavating and recording their features effectively. In area ‘B’ an impressive pit, which measured 2.5 metres in depth had a… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 21: Our ancestors adorned themselves with glass beads and brooches

Today began excitingly with the discovery of two very well preserved brooches from pits in area C. The first was Iron Age, classified as a ‘ La Tène’ brooch, and was followed by the Roman brooch in another nearby pit. Each has been cleaned, and due to their excellent condition it is possible to see… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 20: Brooches within the ‘Banjo’

The sun baked down on the site today, and by the end of the day it was clear that even though people lashed on the sun screen there were still some rosy shoulders and faces. The day started with the weekly briefing by Miles Russell. He stated that as a result of the past three… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 19: The last week of the dig – so it’s full steam ahead to complete excavating features

Today saw the end of excavation of many more features. The house platform in area ‘A’ has almost been fully excavated except the narrow baulks, and is still producing a large amount of ceramics from the Roman era as well as possibly recycled material from the stone buildings nearby. It is also producing more high… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 18: Gullies and glistening finds