The first and second years were assembled in the area referred to as trench D to begin clearing back excess soil and debris to define the Roman buildings in this area. The third years remained near the ‘banjo’ entrance to excavate the ditch and also carefully uncovering one of the crouched burials. Updates on the… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 12: Dawn of a new era for Durotrigian tribe, as they see the transition into a Roman way of life.

Most of today’s finds of interest all appeared during the last hour of the day as the sun finally shone upon the site. However, earlier in the day an animal rib bone was recovered which appears to be worn down by its use in burnishing pots. It has been suggested that it was used by a… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 11: Trade and tradition

A number of features across the site are now completely excavated and recorded. From these features there have come many exciting finds, which has kept up the moral of the students on the coldest and wettest day on site yet. The artefacts include half a pot, decorated by the fingers of the craftsman in a traditional Durotrigian pattern. There are also… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 10: Soaked to the bone!

Work on the site today progressed with the first years continuing excavating their features. Second years were dotted around the site supervising and assisting with uncovering artefacts within pits or ditches. The third years were clustered near the entrance of the ‘banjo’ enclosure excavating new and previously discovered features. Other third years and MSc students were allocated to trowel… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 9: Skeletons make their debut

Yesterday saw the site being washed out. However, while the heavy rain stopped excavation for the day, it turned out a blessing in disguise as it dampened the ground and washed away a blanket of fine dust masking some unexcavated features. This highlighted fifteen additional pit and ditch features, including a buried wall line.  I… Read more » about The Big Dig – Day 8: Rain wins a game of hide and seek with a dusty site