Archaeological digs

[Flummery]

Yes. I studied for a Certificate in Archaeology about 15 years ago. If you fancy doing it Piskie, try joining your local Archaeological Society - most colleges and universities will have one - and you can go on digs with them - they have insurance - most important. Yes, it's mainly routine but you can find some spectacular stuff field walking. Again, do it with a group and be sure they are insured.

[binley100]

We have a seelction of old bottles dug up from the top of the garden ........

[roitelet]

Never done it but would like to. While diging here I have turned several worked flints, an almost perfect porcelaine pipe bowl that would have had a long reed stem, WW2 bullet various old coins the most interesting of which was a Louis 14 something (can't remember what) and lots of other bits and peices.

[FionaH]

The Silchester dig is Reading uni students. Members of the public can apply to join in. Eldest was going to study at Reading before he got his job offer. MrH used to be an archaeologist, he has a very long and very "exciting" slide show of a dig in Syria

[northepaul]

I photographed some 'finds' once from a dig in Pompey. I dont know if I'd have the patience to sit with a tiny brush all day.

[vegnut]

Probably something that i would never get the time to do, but it would fascinate the pants off of me. Especially for those rare times that something does pop up out of the ground after two thousand years or so.

[Florence Fennel]

I'm too much of an old fossil to do the required bending and kneeling for this, but yes, it must be fascinating. In my garden if any digging is done, we find teaspoons and toy cars!

[Aberdeenplotter]

I would really like to sit in mud and dust all day digging with a spoon and a paint brush.

Have you ever done this?

I have a really enjoyable method, I dig a bit, then have a seat on my bench with a can of beer and a scotch egg, them dig another bit and repeat the process. I couldn't afford the beer if I used a teaspoon

[Comfreyfan]

DD studied archaeology at Reading Uni and went to the Silchester dig twice - she loved every moment of it (although maybe not so much when it rained!). I was thrilled as it fascinates me and visited her at Silchester a few times through the summers. I'd love to have a go - but I don't think my knees/back would let me!! I'm always digging up 'interesting' things in the garden and saving them for DD to see (clay pipes usually of course!)

[arpoet]

I once dug up an iron canon ball in my back garden, and our lottie site was the village tip a 100 years ago and we keep on digging up all sorts of small household items and lots of clay pipe stems.

If we all made up a time capsule of small gardening items and burried them in our lotties or back gardens they may prove of quite historical value in a few hundred years.

Roger

[Florence Fennel]

That's a lovely idea Roger, I wonder if Binley has thought of it for the Centenary Garden (as if she hasn't got enough to do)

[VirginVegGrower]

Many years ago i lived in the village of Wall ( Letocetum ) near Lichfield where there were some Roman baths .
I was digging in the garden of the Trooper Inn one day and discovered a Roman coin about the size of a 2p piece a bronze coin and i still have it..jacob

And Wall is close to where the Saxon Hoard was found recently - they suspect more hidden gems 'neath those fields. Went to see it recently - the little seahorse is amazing. My son who's 14 wants to be an archaeologist. I hope he makes it!

[JanieB]

My ex and I had just moved into our farm and the previous farmers weren't into gardening so they'd turned it into more paddock. My ex got a tractor in to turn over the soil so's I could have my garden but didn't get very far. A few inches under the surface was a roman pavement. We just covered it up again, put a load of topsoil on it and pretended we'd never found it.

Oh, and I was at school with Phil Harding from the Time Team!!

[BroadRipple]

Overwyre, and I'll raise YOU some oyster shells, a clay marble and some of those strange coloured glass pebbles which were fashionable in pot pourri in 1989.
Piskie, I completely agree. sitting muddily all day would be fantastic. in fact with that in mind I've just booked myself in on a stone-carving course! haven't a clue re: carving but looking forward to the dust.
does anyone in london know of any archaeology taster days etc?
one more thing...to Piskie and all you other mud-fans out there, how about...FOSSILS? same opportunity to get grubby, same scanning-the-ground-two-inches-away-instead-of-admiring-view kicks, and same thrilling possibility of finding something ancient and unique?
I've only been fossicking a few times and have found it completely addictive; can't sing its praises enough. go onnnnnnn...

[Headfry]

Piski I would love to do this! always wanted to. Slightly different, but I find many shell fossils on my plot.....fab an unusual 'harvest' from my allotment.
Let us know if you manage to find a way please.