1 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:11,016 These islands we call home have a rich and varied history 2 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:13,560 stretching back thousands of years. 3 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,776 But hidden under the ground and under water 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,456 are some amazing treasures just waiting to be found. 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,456 Wow! 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,416 So each year, all across the country, 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,896 archaeologists dig, dive, 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:33,936 and explore their way down... 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:35,296 Oh, this is brilliant. 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:37,496 ...searching for fresh discoveries... 11 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,656 And it is completely intact. 12 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,896 ...revealing traces of ancient cultures... 13 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,176 This shoe is 2,803 years old. 14 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:48,296 Oh, wow. 15 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,376 ...and unearthing fascinating artefacts. 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,616 Ooh, that's a nice thing. What is it? 17 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,856 I've never seen anything quite like it in my career. 18 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:57,616 Every dig adds new pieces 19 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,856 to the ever-growing archaeological jigsaw... 20 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:02,536 That's so cool, isn't it? 21 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,280 ...That is the epic story of our islands. 22 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,896 This year, I visit digs in some extraordinary locations. 23 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,656 The ceiling just got a bit lower. 24 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:18,736 And I call on the help of a trio of expert investigators... 25 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,896 It's quite difficult to find any other evidence of things 26 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,016 that just don't leave a mark in the archaeology. 27 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,936 This is a really powerful document because we're getting to hear 28 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:29,736 the voices that we don't usually hear. 29 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,936 ...Who delve deeper to answer the questions raised by the finds. 30 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:36,696 Is all of this already recorded in books? 31 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,440 There was none of this in a book anywhere. 32 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,336 Finally, the archaeologists bring their most amazing discoveries 33 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:46,936 into our tent... 34 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:48,496 Astonishing! 35 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,336 ...for up-close analysis. 36 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,816 Genuinely rewriting history. 37 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,080 Welcome to Digging For Britain. 38 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,616 This year, because of the sheer number of brilliant digs there, 39 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:13,816 we're returning to the west of the United Kingdom. 40 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:15,576 In the middle of a modern city, 41 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,656 we unearth evidence of people living here 3,000 years ago... 42 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,736 What we've got here is the oldest house 43 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:25,576 yet known in Cardiff. 44 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:27,496 ...With a treasure trove of finds. 45 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:29,776 And what was it like when you found them? 46 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:31,256 Find of a lifetime for me, that is. 47 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,296 - Right on my doorstep. - Yeah. Yeah. 48 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,216 Teetering on the edge of a crumbling cliff, 49 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,056 a forgotten fortress finally gives up its secrets. 50 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,736 We didn't know that we were going to find this stonking great big 51 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:44,056 stone roundhouse. 52 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,216 Big, chunky stone building, super clear to see, very satisfying. 53 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,336 And a new discovery at one of our best known Roman villas 54 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,136 shocks the experts... 55 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:55,536 I couldn't believe it. 56 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,936 This date goes against the established narrative. 57 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:03,096 ...And could revolutionise our understanding of Britain's past. 58 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:05,496 It's one of those times we can genuinely say 59 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:07,760 this is rewriting history. 60 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,896 The west of Britain is home to some of our most well-known castles, 61 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:28,720 like the stunning 11th century Chepstow Castle... 62 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,856 ...and the Norman fortress at Skenfrith, 63 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:38,240 both guarding the ancient border between England and Wales. 64 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,160 But other castles have almost disappeared into the landscape here. 65 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,616 Our first dig takes us to the village of Snodhill, 66 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,800 12 miles west of Hereford. 67 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,696 This is Snodhill Castle. 68 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,856 It's actually quite easy to drive straight past it, 69 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:09,136 up The Golden Valley, without noticing it's here. 70 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,056 There's just a couple of romantic ruins 71 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,256 cresting the top of the hill. 72 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,096 But now archaeologists are getting the chance to excavate it 73 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:23,440 and uncover just how important this castle was in its medieval heyday. 74 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:29,976 Left to fall into ruin, 75 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,840 the castle was declared critically at risk of collapse in 2016. 76 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,416 This prompted a group of locals and enthusiasts to set up 77 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,336 the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust, 78 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:45,040 to conserve and investigate the site... 79 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,280 ...probing its 14th century origins... 80 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:54,560 ...at the height of the medieval period. 81 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,800 This year, they're getting a helping hand... 82 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,096 ...with volunteers and students from Manchester and Cardiff Universities 83 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:05,440 joining the excavation. 84 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,760 They're revealing impressive walls... 85 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,216 ...and unearthing intricate finds. 86 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,376 This is perfect. We're discovering things. 87 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:19,680 - Oh! - Wow! 88 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,456 The castle is surprising the archaeologists - 89 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,000 it's so much larger than expected. 90 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,320 Tim Hoverd is leading the dig. 91 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:38,801 - Tim, hi. - Hiya. 92 00:05:38,802 --> 00:05:41,176 - So what are you finding out about this castle? 93 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,496 We're just beginning to find out that it was actually 94 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,056 a very complex castle and a very large castle, 95 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,016 and probably a very important one. 96 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,336 So where are we here? Where am I standing? 97 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:52,296 This looks like a doorway or a gateway. 98 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,736 You're standing in the middle of the back door of the castle, 99 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,056 so the postern gate. 100 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,536 So this is the way that they would have come out of the castle, 101 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,120 - their emergency exit, if you like. - Yeah. 102 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,936 The postern gate would have been guarded by a heavy metal grill 103 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:10,320 or portcullis. 104 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,576 Through it, soldiers could have snuck out, 105 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,576 perhaps to launch surprise attacks 106 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,256 against any enemy laying siege 107 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:20,440 to the castle... 108 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,480 ...but this postern gate has some unusual features. 109 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,256 Normally we just have one postern gate 110 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:32,576 which goes out into a gatehouse. 111 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,856 Here we have a postern gate that leads out into a corridor, 112 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:37,696 which turns around 90 degrees 113 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,296 and goes through yet another postern gate, 114 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,176 with yet another doorway and portcullis. 115 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,776 - A double portcullis? - Yes. - Yeah. - Yes. 116 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,296 They appear to be utterly paranoid about people getting into 117 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,216 - this castle. - Is that another portcullis slot over there, then? 118 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,856 That's the other portcullis slot over there. 119 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,176 This means that this castle was one of the strongest castles. 120 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,936 - Really? - The defence in depth is amazing. - Yeah. 121 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,296 I mean, you've not only got a two-and-a-half-metre thick wall, 122 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,976 but then you've got at least two, if not three, 123 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,616 defended gateways to get through. 124 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,216 - And that's just the back door. - Yeah. - It's quite remarkable. 125 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:14,896 And this isn't the only bit, presumably. 126 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:16,096 No, this isn't the only bit. 127 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,376 I mean, if you think this is a strong piece of castle, 128 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:19,976 then you ought to see the panic room. 129 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,016 - The panic room? - Yes, the panic room. 130 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,240 - Definitely want to see that. - Right. Well, that's just round here. - OK. 131 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,320 Last year, the team excavated within this monumental tower. 132 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,656 The walls here are the thickest in the entire castle, 133 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,120 even stronger than the outer defensive walls... 134 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:47,696 ...so if Snodhill ever came under attack, 135 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:52,096 the castle's elite could retreat inside this inner sanctum, 136 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,400 which even had its own well. 137 00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:59,976 Well, these walls are absolutely enormous. 138 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,136 I mean, they're so thick. 139 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:02,416 They're huge, aren't they? 140 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:04,176 - Yeah. - It's complete overbuild. 141 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,216 Here, they're three metres thick when compared to the curtain wall, 142 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:08,696 which is only two metres thick. 143 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,176 So this was built for a purpose, 144 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,296 for people to use this space in an emergency. 145 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,296 And when do you think this is built? 146 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,216 This is part of a strengthening of an existing castle. 147 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,216 Under the floor, we found a selection of pottery. 148 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,016 We've got these green-glazed wares, 149 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:29,016 and the date range all coincides with a date of around 150 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,936 the very late 1390s to 1400 range. 151 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,136 - OK. - So we're looking at something that must have been built 152 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:41,056 by about 1405, 1410, something like that. 153 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,616 OK. So the obvious question is, 154 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,336 you've got a date for this strengthening of the castle, 155 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,176 what is it they're worried about? 156 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:50,776 They're worried about the Welsh, 157 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,936 but more specifically, they're worried about 158 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:54,296 the revolt of Owain Glyndwr. 159 00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,896 - OK. - And he, we know, 160 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,776 got to this part of Herefordshire and North Herefordshire 161 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,080 in about 1406 and laid waste. 162 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,216 Owain Glyndwr led a long and bloody Welsh revolt 163 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,720 against English rule starting in the year 1400. 164 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:16,536 After racking up several victories, 165 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,680 he was crowned Prince of Wales in 1404. 166 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:25,536 It's precisely around the time when the fortifications 167 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:28,480 at Snodhill Castle were revamped... 168 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:36,560 ...with new gatehouses and this extra strong panic room. 169 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,896 Now, across on the other side of the site, 170 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,736 the team are unearthing the remains of an enormous chapel, 171 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:50,120 more than 25 metres long and housed within the castle walls. 172 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,520 This chapel holds more clues to the castle's importance. 173 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,616 The chapel ends just here, 174 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,456 but then we have this room that's been added to it, 175 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,776 possibly again in the early 1400s, 176 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:07,736 which appears to have been a strong room 177 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,656 - with a cupboard and then a small cupboard... - Ah. 178 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:13,216 ...Which is known as an aumbry. 179 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:18,496 So we think that whatever silver plate, etc., was being used 180 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,176 in the services in the chapel were being stored in here. 181 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:22,776 This is where the treasures are kept. 182 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,696 - That this was built to keep things very, very safe indeed. - Yeah. - Yes. 183 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,456 And we had this little figure... 184 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,136 - Oh, wow! - ..which is quite remarkable. 185 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,800 - Can I open it? - You can indeed, yeah. 186 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:40,016 It's French, from Limoges, from about 1250 to 1275. 187 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,496 And it is a little person. You can see the face there. 188 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,136 - Yes, in a robe. - Isn't that lovely? 189 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:46,416 And there's traces of gilding on him as well. 190 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,536 - So that would've been really beautiful. - Yes. 191 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:51,696 And it's designed to be attached to something. 192 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:53,576 Yes, it was riveted to something. 193 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:54,976 What was it riveted to? 194 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,496 - Either a processional cross... - Yeah. 195 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:59,216 - ...Or a reliquary box. - OK. 196 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,216 So a box that held very important things, perhaps bones of a saint 197 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:04,616 or something like that. 198 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,896 Perhaps hence the strong room. 199 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:09,856 - Yeah. And the heavy defences. - And the heavy defences, yes. 200 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,896 You've got a lot of unusual features in this castle, haven't you? 201 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:15,736 - Yes. - An unusual postern gate with two portcullises, 202 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,296 an unusually large tower there on the north side, 203 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:20,256 and now an unusual chapel. 204 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:21,376 What's it all telling us? 205 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,096 It's telling us that Snodhill is a remarkable castle. 206 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,216 It's almost forgotten about in terms of its importance. 207 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,176 - Very much so. It became hidden. - Mm. 208 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,240 - And, as you say, forgotten. Indeed. - Yeah. - Yeah. 209 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,536 Thanks to the team digging here, we're starting to understand 210 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:44,536 how Snodhill Castle fitted into the wider medieval landscape 211 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,440 in these battle-ravaged borderlands. 212 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,696 There really are only a few fragments of this castle 213 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:56,696 surviving above ground. 214 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,616 But it's also clear that the archaeologists 215 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,816 have been genuinely surprised at how much remains 216 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:04,576 below the surface. 217 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,576 And what they're discovering is that this castle was 218 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:13,016 much more complex and much larger than they'd originally thought. 219 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:16,816 Takes us back to this time of great turmoil and strife 220 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,496 in this landscape, 221 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:22,896 when Snodhill Castle was one of the largest and most impressive 222 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:24,656 in Herefordshire. 223 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:26,216 ♪ Just a lonely radio 224 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,096 ♪ Just a makeshift show and tell 225 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,800 ♪ Playing out the lives of the lost and found... ♪ 226 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,736 The west of Britain was only partially conquered by the Romans, 227 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,400 but they certainly left their mark on the landscape. 228 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,256 The region is home to some of the best preserved Roman remains 229 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:58,480 in the country, like the world-famous baths in Bath. 230 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,696 And the amphitheatre at Caerleon, 231 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:06,560 built to entertain the Roman Legion that was based here. 232 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,376 The transition from Roman Britain into what we call the Early Medieval 233 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,976 period was a time of radical change, 234 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,736 political instability. 235 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:20,216 We know that. 236 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:23,536 But, actually, this period is quite murky. 237 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:27,776 We just don't have much in the way of documentary evidence, 238 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:32,176 so it means the archaeology is really, really important. 239 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:36,736 And this next dig is incredibly exciting because it's showing us 240 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,496 that some of our assumptions about what was happening 241 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,800 in this period are just wrong. 242 00:13:45,680 --> 00:13:49,256 Our next dig takes us to the village of Chedworth, 243 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,360 14 miles east of Gloucester. 244 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:58,400 This is the world-famous Chedworth Roman Villa. 245 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:05,616 It's a sprawling complex with more than 30 rooms, 246 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,976 and elaborate mosaics. 247 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,776 Grand villas like this were thought to have been abandoned 248 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,736 even before the Roman army withdrew from Britain in 410, 249 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:22,000 marking the beginning of the Early Medieval period. 250 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,696 In 2017, a team from the National Trust 251 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,896 re-excavated a stunning mosaic that had been covered up 252 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,336 ever since the villa's original discovery in the 19th century. 253 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,696 They used photogrammetry to record the intricate patterns 254 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,720 and then reburied the mosaic to preserve it. 255 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,480 Martin Papworth led the investigation. 256 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:53,496 One of the things we did, 257 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,016 we decided to take radiocarbon dates, 258 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:58,096 and then the results came back. 259 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,120 I looked at it and I couldn't believe it. 260 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:04,120 The results were a complete shock. 261 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,016 This initial radiocarbon date suggested the mosaic 262 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,416 wasn't actually Roman. 263 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:16,336 It was created later, in the post-Roman or Early Medieval period, 264 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,816 when it's long been thought that villas like this 265 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:21,320 had been abandoned. 266 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,976 The earliest it could possibly be, in a 95% probability range, 267 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:29,800 was 424AD. 268 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,120 So no-one really wants to believe that. 269 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:38,976 The radiocarbon date didn't seem to make any sense. 270 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:40,816 Martin needed to be sure, 271 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,736 so this year he used a different method to double check the date 272 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:46,120 of the mosaic. 273 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,696 You shouldn't be making mosaics in the mid to late fifth century. 274 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:53,976 You shouldn't be. 275 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,336 This date goes against this established narrative 276 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,176 that the Roman Empire just stopped and everything collapsed. 277 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,800 But they produced this. 278 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:08,496 That looks huge, 279 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:10,080 so we're here to test it. 280 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,096 To take the samples, 281 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:18,176 Martin needs to uncover the mosaic again, 282 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,416 and it's drawing quite a crowd. 283 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:22,776 It's really good to see it again. 284 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,016 It's very exciting. 285 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:25,920 Had quite a crowd for the uncovering. 286 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:32,160 It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the mosaic in all its glory. 287 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,736 You've got Blue Lias, which is this blue stuff here, 288 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,816 Cotswold limestone of different types- 289 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:41,936 there's whiter and yellowy types - 290 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,216 and these are just sawn-up bits of clay roof tile, 291 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,136 these little red ones. So you've got red, white, yellow and blue 292 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,000 forming all these patterns. 293 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,736 The team is taking samples for a dating method called 294 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,456 optically stimulated luminescence. 295 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,096 Martin is hammering a plastic tube into the foundations 296 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:04,560 just beneath the fragile mosaic. 297 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:07,160 It's a delicate thing to do. 298 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,880 Well, that was relatively painless, wasn't it? 299 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,896 So this is a tube of soil from directly under the edge 300 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,816 of this mosaic before it was covered. 301 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:24,536 And therefore, if we date this soil, 302 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,720 it'll say how old this mosaic is. 303 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,576 Martin and the team set about reburying the mosaic 304 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:35,576 to preserve it for future generations. 305 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,976 It's difficult to know when it will be ever seen again. 306 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:40,560 It could be hundreds of years. 307 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,016 Martin has sent the sample to the lab 308 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:54,776 for optically stimulated luminescence dating, 309 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,920 and bioarchaeologist Cat Jarman has come to find out more. 310 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,496 I'm at the University of Gloucestershire, 311 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:04,656 where Martin's samples are being processed. 312 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,896 I'm going to meet Phil Toms to find out exactly 313 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,240 how optically stimulated luminescence dating actually works. 314 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,656 Phil runs the luminescence dating laboratory, 315 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,120 measuring and dating samples from all around the world. 316 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,976 To avoid contaminating the sample, 317 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,840 it needs to be prepared in darkroom conditions. 318 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:38,096 So, Cat, we're now in the measurement lab. 319 00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:41,776 We've extracted fine sand quartz from that sample, 320 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,656 so you end up with a small tube with a little bit of white powder 321 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:47,736 at the bottom of it. And if you just have a look down 322 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,576 your low-powered microscope there... 323 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:53,896 - Yeah. - ..you should be able to see a little one-centimetre disc. 324 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:55,096 Oh, yes. 325 00:18:55,120 --> 00:18:58,096 And it's got a ten by ten grid 326 00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:00,016 of 200 micron holes in there. 327 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:01,056 Tiny little holes. 328 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,696 OK, I've got a funny feeling I'm going to have to put a grain 329 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,776 - of sand in. - Yeah, so you don't have to do it one at a time. 330 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:08,256 OK, brilliant. 331 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,320 And we're just going to tip the sand onto the disc. 332 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:19,496 And now your job, Cat, is to try and grip the disc 333 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,336 at the same time as brushing across it. 334 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:24,056 - OK. - You can't muck it up. 335 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:25,336 - OK. - Well, you can. 336 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:27,600 Well, you say that! I can try. 337 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,496 Each of these tiny grains are quartz crystals found in the sample 338 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,480 from underneath the mosaic. 339 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:41,056 When the Chedworth mosaic was first built, 340 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:44,096 it covered over thousands of these crystals 341 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:45,920 that exist in the surface soil. 342 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:49,816 Once covered by the mosaic, 343 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,816 radiation that occurs naturally passes through the quartz, 344 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,200 trapping electrons inside the crystal. 345 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,600 These electrons steadily build over time. 346 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:08,176 When they are then exposed to light again, 347 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,776 the electrons within the quartz are freed, 348 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:14,760 creating a signal that we can measure called luminescence. 349 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:18,816 The amount of luminescence we detect 350 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,760 tells us how long the quartz has been underground. 351 00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:29,416 Gosh, quite tricky, isn't it? 352 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:30,856 I keep getting new grains over. 353 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,536 You have to have a very steady hand, don't you? 354 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:35,416 You get used to it fairly quickly. 355 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:36,776 Yeah, I can imagine. 356 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,456 But I keep on thinking I'm done and then I see a little grain. 357 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,920 That's looking pretty good to me. 358 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,256 Phil loads the slide into the machine, which fires very precise 359 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,560 lasers at each of the microscopic grains of quartz. 360 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:56,256 So each one of these is one grain, 361 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,896 and these big spikes are what we're looking for. 362 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,496 Absolutely. That big initial spike followed by decay, 363 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,296 that means we've got an optically stimulated luminescence signal 364 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:05,456 in there. 365 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,296 And so how long is this going to take, then, for this to be finished? 366 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,536 For Chedworth, we expect the sample to be in for about three days. 367 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,160 Right, OK. So now I just wait. 368 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,336 The original radiocarbon date suggested this mosaic was created 369 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,976 well into the fifth century. 370 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,816 If that's true, it means that wealthy people carried on living 371 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:31,016 a Roman lifestyle in their luxurious villas and 372 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,656 commissioning fabulous decorations long after the Roman period 373 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,320 officially came to an end in Britain. 374 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,616 Now the new test results are in, 375 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,056 and I want to know if they'll back up that fifth century 376 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:47,976 radiocarbon date, 377 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,376 so I've invited Martin Papworth to the windswept and rain-soaked 378 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:54,240 Digging For Britain Tent. 379 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:58,936 So, Martin, you've been reinvestigating 380 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:00,936 one of the most famous Roman villas 381 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,696 in Britain, and you've come up with something 382 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,216 which is actually mind-blowing. 383 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,336 - That's right. - Yeah. - Yes. 384 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:11,896 Once again, nice clear cut result. 385 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:13,896 420AD-560AD. 386 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:15,736 5th-6th century. 387 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:16,976 No, no, no, no. 388 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:18,976 This isn't right for a Roman villa. 389 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,256 Yes. The thinking is, you shouldn't have a mosaics industry surviving 390 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:24,496 into the late fifth century. 391 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:28,976 - Yeah. - Because behind that is an economy with towns, urbanism. 392 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,456 Mm. I mean, this is when we start talking about Anglo-Saxons. 393 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:35,176 - Yes. - You're moving us into what we conceive of as a very different 394 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,696 period in British history. 395 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,136 - There's a huge amount still to talk about in this period. - Mm. 396 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:44,056 This is so exciting, and it's unlikely to be unique. 397 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,976 - Yeah. Why would it be? - It's unlikely that this is the only villa 398 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,736 that carries on into the fifth, maybe the sixth centuries. 399 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,096 We have to go back and look at all the rest. 400 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:56,096 It's one of those times where we can genuinely say, 401 00:22:56,120 --> 00:23:00,056 this is rewriting history. 402 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,400 - You can feel the electricity, can't you? Yeah. - Yeah. 403 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:13,216 ♪ The grass is long in the valley, my love 404 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:18,496 ♪ And there we'll go to lie 405 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:24,096 ♪ When the hawk is high above the house for us 406 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:29,096 ♪ And he guards over the blue sky 407 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:33,656 ♪ Let's gather us up to the heavens above 408 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:41,480 ♪ We can always come back, my love. ♪ 409 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:46,736 Some of the most dramatic archaeological features 410 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:50,576 in our landscape are Iron Age forts like this one, 411 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,616 some of them inland, others right on the edge, 412 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,616 right on the coast, where they're very much 413 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:57,296 threatened by erosion. 414 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:03,376 And our next dig sees a team of archaeologists racing against time 415 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,440 to rescue archaeology before it falls into the sea. 416 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,736 Now we journey to the western edge of Wales, 417 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,856 just a mile to the south of St Davids, 418 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:20,400 to Caerfai Bay. 419 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,800 This headland is the site of an Iron Age coastal promontory fort. 420 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:37,120 Today, this coast is a haven for sea birds, seals, and dolphins. 421 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,536 But it was once home to prehistoric tribes 422 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,080 living on the edge... 423 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:46,280 ...in the Iron Age. 424 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:54,816 Crashing Atlantic waves are continually eroding these cliffs, 425 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,520 and the remains of the fort above are in real danger. 426 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,976 This year, a team of volunteers working with DigVentures 427 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,096 are racing against time to investigate the promontory fort 428 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:11,400 before parts of it disappear forever. 429 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:16,400 The dig is being led by Stephanie Duensing. 430 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,576 There is very little known about these hill forts 431 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,456 and what people were doing inside of them, 432 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,200 and what they were using them for. 433 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,536 The promontory is defended by a series of four 434 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:34,896 formidable banks and ditches. 435 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:38,456 Huge barricades like these would have helped to protect the people 436 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:43,016 inside against any threats from less-than-friendly neighbours. 437 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:47,120 But it's always hard to find any hard evidence of hostilities. 438 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,096 We haven't actually got a lot of evidence to show that 439 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:55,696 there's been a lot of conflict or a lot of warfare going on. 440 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,736 So there are other options that we are trying to consider 441 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,536 about why you would maybe want to put so much work into 442 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:02,960 making these big ramparts. 443 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:07,816 This year, the team are focusing their attention 444 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,176 just inside the ramparts, 445 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,960 on the isthmus that gets narrower every year. 446 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:17,800 Archaeologist Jodie Hannis is supervising the excavation. 447 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,136 People coming together and doing this - and it would have been 448 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:23,856 a monumental effort to do this - 449 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,376 there's got to be some value and some reason to do that. 450 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,136 So much archaeology must already have been lost to erosion, 451 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,976 but remarkably, they've still found something very exciting. 452 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,896 This is trench three, 453 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,096 and, as you can see, we are right at the edge of the cliff here, 454 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:44,976 and we didn't know when we opened up this trench that we were going 455 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:47,456 to find this stonking great big stone roundhouse. 456 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:51,016 It's an absolutely massive stone structure, really obvious. 457 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,096 Big, chunky stone building, 458 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,040 super clear to see, very satisfying. 459 00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:00,776 This roundhouse, with its sturdy stone walls, would have provided 460 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,080 shelter against the strong winds that batter the site. 461 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,720 And the team have even found traces of the hearth inside. 462 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,736 So you can see that we've got that really nice dark charcoal-y band 463 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:19,176 that suggests that there have been fires. 464 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,816 And within that, where we've been finding chunks of animal bone, 465 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,456 you can just see a little bit poking up here as well, 466 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:27,656 they're cooking here, and they're disposing of their waste. 467 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,856 The roundhouse is full of evidence of domestic life, 468 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:36,520 but nearby, the team are also finding subtle traces of industry. 469 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:41,896 One of the most interesting things that has come out 470 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:44,776 as we've been clearing down through all of this nice rubbly fill 471 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,696 is this lovely, very smooth, very tactile whetstone. 472 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,216 So this is a lovely thing that just fits right in your hand. 473 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,096 Most likely, these things are for sharpening blades and tools, 474 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:58,800 perhaps smoothing leather and things like that. 475 00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:02,176 Clean up my crumbs. 476 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,456 The impressive ramparts grab the attention, 477 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,696 and it's easy to focus on those defences, 478 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:13,136 but the archaeology here is revealing another side to the fort, 479 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,976 with domestic and industrial activity. 480 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,096 I think the romantic view with this stuff is that it's all 481 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:22,496 out-and-out tribal warfare and everyone's always 482 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:24,536 at each other's throats and fighting. 483 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:25,920 We can't say that for sure. 484 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:31,456 And the bigger question is, 485 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,200 why were people living here on this windswept promontory? 486 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:44,096 With the dig coming to a close, 487 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:47,136 I've asked Steph to battle through the wind and rain to join me 488 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,456 in the Digging For Britain Tent and share everything the team 489 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,280 have learned about Iron Age life at Caerfai. 490 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,096 Steph, you're there digging the site because it is under threat, 491 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:05,376 so this really is a chance to get some evidence that is at risk 492 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,536 of disappearing forever. What have you found? 493 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,016 So we've actually found quite a bit of material, 494 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,616 considering the constraints. 495 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:16,056 What you can see here is we've got a post structure roundhouse here. 496 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:17,296 Where are the posts? 497 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,656 - So the post holes are these spots here. - Yes! 498 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,136 - They come all the way around. - Yeah. - Like that. 499 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:24,376 - So they're holding up the roof timbers. - That's right. 500 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,576 And then you've got a stone-built roundhouse? 501 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,176 - Yes, so a lovely stone structure. - This was a bonus! 502 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:32,056 It was completely hidden underneath a mountain of rubble. 503 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:35,096 - Yeah. - It was amazing. We were very pleased to find that, yes. 504 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,096 And inside those roundhouses, you've got some vines. 505 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,576 Yes. This one came from the stone roundhouse, 506 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,976 which shows up a lot more domestic use. 507 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,416 - Yeah. - And we weren't quite sure what it was, to be honest. 508 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:48,816 It looks a bit like wood, but it doesn't quite feel like wood. 509 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,096 It's heavy, isn't it? It's heavier than wood. 510 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:52,536 Heavier than bone. 511 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,536 So that is actually part of a shale bracelet. 512 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:00,176 - Ah, right! OK. - So it's delaminated quite badly on the outer edges, 513 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:01,496 - as you can see there. - Yeah. 514 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:03,456 Which gives it that striated effect 515 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,216 that makes it kind of look like wood. 516 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,696 Yeah, it really does, doesn't it, under here? Yeah. 517 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:10,296 But it's actually just the layers of the shale 518 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,576 - that have started to separate. - That's right. 519 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,296 You're quite lucky to have got to that before it completely 520 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,376 - fell apart in the ground. - Absolutely. 521 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,296 I mean, it looks like it's not going to have survived for much longer. 522 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,856 That's right, yeah, so we were just thrilled. 523 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,736 We've got finds from both of our roundhouses. 524 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,976 The timber structure was clearly the locus of industry. 525 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,416 And what have we got over here? 526 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:35,736 A lovely crucible there, that lovely chunk with copper alloys still... 527 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,296 - Yes, that's right. - Yeah! That lovely green. 528 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:40,536 - It was beautiful. It just jumps right out at you. - Yeah. 529 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:44,016 - On a site like this, with not a lot of colour on the ground... - Yeah. 530 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,336 ...It just peeked out of the soil. It was a fantastic last-day find, 531 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:49,816 of course. You always find the best thing on the last day. 532 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,776 - Yeah, isn't that lovely? - Isn't it beautiful? 533 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,096 So if they were standing together, you've got a domestic house, 534 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,536 the stone structure with a lean-to workshop. 535 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,696 Yes! It is really genuinely what it seems to be. 536 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:04,416 And just to put it in its wider context, 537 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,336 what do we think this promontory fort was about? 538 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,256 Why is it there in such an exposed place? 539 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,216 It IS an exposed place, but I think that the bigger picture 540 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,776 that is starting to emerge here is that this was 541 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,296 a very prominent location for a reason. 542 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,856 The ramparts are kind of backwards in the sense that they are taller 543 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,056 - in the back and get smaller as you go into the interior. - Yeah. 544 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,616 Which I think, more and more, it's looking like they were 545 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,536 trying to announce their whereabouts across the seas. 546 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,256 They wanted to be noticed and they wanted to be a landmark of sorts. 547 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,616 So I think that it was some kind of an industrial trade post, 548 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,416 perhaps. We know that they're processing bronze on the site. 549 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:44,496 - We've got the remnants of it from the metalworking hub. - Mm. 550 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:47,776 - But they're also clearly trading with seafaring individuals. - Yeah. 551 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,816 Other people along the coast or possibly even in Ireland. 552 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:55,736 It means that, actually, it is well defended, but it's not necessarily 553 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,840 about defence all of the time. 554 00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,496 Along the coast, archaeologists may choose to dig sites 555 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,456 that are under threat from erosion. 556 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,536 In our cities, with their deep layers of history, 557 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:22,520 archaeologists face different challenges. 558 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,336 Our next dig takes us to the capital of Wales - 559 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:28,880 Cardiff. 560 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:36,256 Excavating in the middle of dense modern cities 561 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,456 often means digging down 562 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,960 through centuries of occupation layers. 563 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,576 But this green space in Cardiff 564 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:48,656 has never been built on... 565 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:50,240 ...in living memory. 566 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:56,296 Recent surveys, though, suggest that interesting archaeological remains 567 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:58,720 may underlie this manicured turf. 568 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,096 This is Trelai Park, 569 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:07,296 and it's home this summer to a fantastic community dig, 570 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:11,096 which is very apt because this is a wonderful green space 571 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,576 enjoyed by all the community - 572 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,496 walkers, runners, people playing football and rugby. 573 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:22,296 But over there, they're going down underneath this beautiful turf 574 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,936 and uncovering evidence of what people were doing 575 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,680 in this area 3,500 years ago. 576 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:37,456 Now, as part of a project to involve the community in archaeology, 577 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:42,256 a team of local volunteers and students from Cardiff University 578 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:47,040 are focusing on the remains of a very ancient building. 579 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:53,520 A building that dates all the way back... to the Bronze Age. 580 00:33:56,760 --> 00:34:00,656 The team are excavating the site in a chequerboard pattern, 581 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:04,120 keeping track of the finds emerging from each square. 582 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:12,536 This is a rare opportunity to take a detailed look at how people 583 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:17,120 were living here in the west of Britain 3,000 years ago. 584 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:26,200 I've come to meet lead archaeologist Oliver Davis. 585 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:33,296 It is an absolute hive of activity, and the archaeology is interesting. 586 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,976 I can spot the features, I think. 587 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:38,496 These round pits are significant, are they? 588 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:39,896 They certainly are, Alice. 589 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:45,376 What we've got here is the oldest house yet known in Cardiff. 590 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:46,896 Cardiff's first house. 591 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:50,416 It was made of timber, and obviously the timber, the wood's all rotted 592 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,776 away, and we're left with the holes that people dug 593 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:56,216 to put the timber posts in 594 00:34:56,240 --> 00:34:59,096 to create the walls that kind of define the house. 595 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,176 - So these are all post holes, are they? - Exactly. 596 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:03,576 You can see them in their kind of curving arc here, 597 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:07,536 and they take up the entire trench, and the trench is ten metres wide. 598 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:08,616 So that gives you a sense 599 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:09,816 of the scale of this house. 600 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:11,936 - Yeah. - It's at least ten metres in diameter. 601 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,136 So it's a really vast structure, 602 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,576 enormous amount of resources and effort 603 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:19,216 - had gone into building it. - Yeah. Can we get down into the trench? 604 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:20,480 Go for it. 605 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,536 Within the maze of post holes, 606 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:28,776 the team has found evidence of a burnt area 607 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,440 in the middle of the roundhouse. 608 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,096 So this is the centre of the action. 609 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,256 - This is the hearth. - This is the centre of the house. 610 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:40,376 Exactly right. And we've got the hearth just in front of us here, 611 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:45,056 and then we've got a spread of ceramics, of pottery, 612 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:48,416 - all sorts of decorated and... - What's in there? 613 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,016 ...Undecorated Bronze Age sherds coming up, 614 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,176 presumably for either cooking or serving food. 615 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,736 I want to kind of try and imagine what it looked like 616 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:58,016 in my mind's eye as well. 617 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:01,696 So it's a ten metre diameter house with a conical roof. 618 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:03,136 How tall do you think that roof was? 619 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:05,176 Well, that roof's going to have to be pretty tall. 620 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,696 And you imagine when you walk into it, it's going to be dark. 621 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:10,896 There might be a fire here burning in the centre of the house, 622 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:13,056 it's going to flicker light around the house. 623 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,336 It's going to be smoky, it's going to be smelly. 624 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:18,656 So it's going to be a sort of a blast of the senses, I think. 625 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:20,400 I almost feel like I'm there. 626 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,576 The team are also investigating a bank and ditch enclosure 627 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:29,360 which surrounds the house. 628 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:33,856 And here, archaeologist Anna-Elyse Young 629 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,560 has found a particularly delicate flint artefact. 630 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:41,936 - Anna, hi. - Hi! 631 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:44,536 I know you've had some very beautiful finds coming out. 632 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:46,896 - Yes, we have. - And there was something in particular 633 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,096 - that really piqued my interest. - Yes, yes. 634 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:50,616 From the ditch over here, 635 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,456 we've had this very lovely arrowhead come out. 636 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:56,536 You'd expect it to have two little barbs coming down 637 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:57,576 on either side. 638 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,416 - Yes. - But it hasn't quite worked. - It hasn't quite worked. 639 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,296 We have also found at this site, but from the roundhouse, 640 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:05,096 a complete barb and tang. 641 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:06,736 - Oh, that is... - You can see... 642 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,376 - Isn't that beautiful? - Yes! 643 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:09,576 It's interesting, isn't it? 644 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,816 Because obviously we're talking about the Bronze Age. 645 00:37:11,840 --> 00:37:14,696 We know that people are using metal, but flint is a fantastic material. 646 00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:17,376 You don't ditch that, you just start to use bronze for some things. 647 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,176 Yes. Yeah. And in this area particularly, 648 00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:20,576 flint is quite a rare commodity 649 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,016 because there's no naturally occurring flint in this area, 650 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,176 so it had to have been brought in from somewhere else. 651 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,456 And do you know where it might have been brought in from? 652 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:29,896 The complete arrowhead looks to be chalk-based flint, 653 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:32,696 - so possibly from Wiltshire or somewhere like that. - Yeah. 654 00:37:32,720 --> 00:37:34,936 So we're looking at, you know, raw materials 655 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,176 - moving around the landscape as well. - Yes. Yeah. 656 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,736 You learn so much, don't you, just from looking in detail 657 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,560 - at one small object? - Yeah. - They're wonderful. 658 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,096 With no natural source of flint in what is now South Wales, 659 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,536 this arrowhead provides evidence of people moving around 660 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:55,296 or trading with other communities. in Bronze Age Britain. 661 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:59,456 25,000 people live in the suburbs surrounding Trelai Park. 662 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,576 It's a green heart for this part of the city, 663 00:38:02,600 --> 00:38:05,816 well used by dog walkers, sports teams, 664 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:07,680 and for leisurely strolls. 665 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,656 The excavation here is proving to be another great way 666 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,800 for the community to come together and learn about their heritage. 667 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:21,736 We've had lots of finds, so it's really interesting 668 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:26,616 and it's just amazing, the history that exists in this park as well. 669 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:27,856 I love history. 670 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,816 I never really got a chance to study history in school. 671 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:35,016 This gave me the opportunity, then, to learn about the Bronze Age. 672 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,200 Some lucky locals are making extraordinary discoveries. 673 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:45,136 Metal detectorist Wes Offer has brought along a couple 674 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:48,336 of small objects he found just 200 metres away 675 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:50,360 from our Bronze Age roundhouse. 676 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,816 - Can I have a look? - Of course you can. - Wow. 677 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:55,456 So these are axe heads? 678 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:57,096 Yeah. 679 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,016 And what was it like when you found them? 680 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:01,336 - How did you feel? - Incredible. 681 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,896 - Yeah! - It was just one of the best feelings. 682 00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:05,376 I mean, I just can't describe. 683 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,896 So this is a bronze axe head. 684 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,896 This is called a flanged axe. 685 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:14,096 - Yeah. - And that probably dates to about the same time 686 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:15,816 as our roundhouse. 687 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:19,056 So if you imagine all the timber that was needed to build 688 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:20,376 - that roundhouse... - Yeah. 689 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,296 ...You would have needed a few of those to help you cut all that down 690 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,416 and shape it. And I wouldn't be surprised - 691 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:29,016 I can't prove it - but I wouldn't be surprised if that axe was used 692 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:30,496 to make one of these houses. 693 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:32,216 - Yeah! - Wouldn't that be a wonderful story? 694 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:33,496 Oh, isn't that beautiful? 695 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,816 But this is the one that you really like, isn't it, Wes? 696 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:37,256 It is, yeah. 697 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:40,016 It's just a monstrous heavy axe head. 698 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:43,056 - That's actually called a Migdale axe. - Right. 699 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,016 And it's a little bit earlier than our house - 700 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,376 - it dates to the early Bronze Age. - Yeah. 701 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,496 So maybe a few hundred years before our house was built, 702 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,176 but it shows that people are in and around this area. 703 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,416 Yeah. And when you first found them, did you know immediately 704 00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:58,976 what they were? Did you know they were ancient? 705 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:01,296 I definitely knew this one was definitely ancient. 706 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:04,816 - Yeah. - This one, I thought when it first came out of the ground 707 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:06,416 that it looked a bit modern. 708 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:08,296 But as soon as I gave it a little wipe, 709 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:10,576 I could see the lovely brown and the green on it... 710 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,176 - Yeah. - ..I knew it was definitely ancient. - Yeah. 711 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:16,336 - So then, I'm part of a club... - Yeah. 712 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:19,616 - ...Which we have a finds liaison officer there. - Yeah. 713 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:22,696 - So I handed them in. They do a report... - Yeah. 714 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,576 ...Obviously for the date, and then return them to me 715 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:28,176 - three months later. - Yeah. That's brilliant. 716 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:30,776 So that's all kind of entered the archive. 717 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:33,176 - Yeah. - We know exactly where they were found, what they are. 718 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:35,816 - Fantastic. - Incredible. - It's part of the story of the Bronze Age. 719 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:38,296 - It is, yeah. - Here. - A find of a lifetime for me, that is. - Is it? 720 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:41,160 - It is, yeah. - Yeah. - Right on my doorstep. - Yeah, yeah. 721 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,896 During the excavation, the team were filming themselves 722 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:52,976 as they discovered the most dramatic find of the dig - 723 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,440 a large Bronze Age pot... 724 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:58,696 So we've got the top of the pot here, 725 00:40:58,720 --> 00:40:59,816 we've got the base here, 726 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,256 and then another bit of the base coming in here. 727 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:07,376 ...Which had lain undiscovered for more than 3,500 years. 728 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:10,056 A lot of mud underneath it, but that's keeping that together. 729 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:11,280 So that's... 730 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:15,776 The fragments of this Bronze Age pot 731 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:18,920 are rushed to the conservators for restoration. 732 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:29,496 To find out the latest from the site and see the reassembled pot, 733 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,936 I've invited Ollie and conservator Leonie McKenzie 734 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:34,680 to the Digging For Britain Tent. 735 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:43,616 Ollie, you just had a couple of days left excavating at Trelai Park 736 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:44,976 after I left you. 737 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:46,336 What else did you find? 738 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,136 And now, having had a bit of time to reflect, 739 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:51,016 how have your ideas changed? 740 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:54,536 Well, it's really what we found out after the dig 741 00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:56,176 that's the really exciting thing. 742 00:41:56,200 --> 00:42:01,336 - Mm. - There was something underneath the roundhouse, a series of pits. 743 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:05,056 But when we plotted out where all those features are, 744 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:07,416 you can see that they're in that beautiful circle. 745 00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:09,936 That just looks like another roundhouse, surely, Ollie! 746 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:13,096 So for some reason, they've decided to demolish the house 747 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:15,456 and then completely rebuild it, 748 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:20,216 - but rebuild it in exactly the same location and the same footprint. - Mm. 749 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:23,496 There's various theories about why people might do that in the past. 750 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:29,416 One idea is that houses themselves might be related to the lifespans 751 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:32,016 of important individuals or households, 752 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:35,776 and when that household comes to an end or that person dies, 753 00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:38,416 the house itself almost has to die as well, 754 00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:41,256 and they take it down, they rebuild it, and it's kind of 755 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:43,456 a new household then comes in and lives in it. 756 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:47,016 - That's a dramatic renovation, isn't it? - A dramatic... Yes. - Yeah. 757 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:49,176 Speaking of pottery jigsaws, Leonie, 758 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:50,496 you've been very busy. 759 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:51,536 Yes, very. 760 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:52,776 This is quite incredible. 761 00:42:52,800 --> 00:42:55,536 To start with, how many sherds of pottery are in that? 762 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:57,656 So we found 83 sherds of pottery. 763 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,496 83 sherds of pottery! So how long did it take you to reconstruct it? 764 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:02,856 You've had to do quite a bit of filling in the gaps here, 765 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:07,936 - haven't you? - Yeah. It took me about 120 hours just to clean the sherds. 766 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,256 - Goodness me. - And then about another sort of 50 to 60 hours 767 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:14,616 sticking it together and doing the fills and all the colour matching. 768 00:43:14,640 --> 00:43:17,296 And there's lots of decoration on the side of it here. 769 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:19,856 Yep. So we've got this wonderful horseshoe decoration. 770 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:21,696 Actually, there's three horseshoes. 771 00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:24,336 And then you've also got a pattern just above that, 772 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:27,616 which looks like it's been pressed in. 773 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:29,856 Yes. It's either cordage or a wooden comb, 774 00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:32,776 and it's just a repeated diagonal pattern. 775 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:36,376 And in terms of that pattern, is it something that we see elsewhere? 776 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:38,616 Is this a kind of recognised style? 777 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,976 The impressed chord is very characteristic of a type of 778 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:43,776 pottery called Trevisker Ware. 779 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:47,536 It was very common in the Bronze Age in places like Cornwall and Devon. 780 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:51,936 - Right. - But the horseshoe shape and actually the shape of the vessel 781 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:55,896 is much more akin to a type of pottery called Deverel-Rimbury, 782 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:59,136 which is very common in southern England in the Bronze Age. 783 00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:01,456 - Yeah. - Where we found this, in Cardiff, 784 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:03,696 is kind of the midpoint between these two styles. 785 00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:06,416 So here we've got this kind of merging of ideas 786 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:08,576 or exchange of ideas. 787 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:11,176 I think this is so fascinating, isn't it, when we look at 788 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:14,336 culture of this time, because the only way that styles 789 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:16,776 - are going to move is with people. - Absolutely. 790 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:18,336 It's all going to be face-to-face. 791 00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:19,976 It's all going to be people moving. 792 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,096 They've been in one place. 793 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:22,736 This is the way we do the pots there. 794 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:24,136 They've moved to another place. 795 00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:25,816 They're bringing those ideas with them. 796 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:28,256 And then to see that kind of blending, I think, is fantastic. 797 00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:29,736 - Yeah. - It's incredible, isn't it? 798 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:31,736 I mean, you don't expect this in that park. 799 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:35,240 - Really don't, no. It's a wonderful find. - Yeah. 800 00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:48,136 The west of Britain is home to Salisbury Plain, 801 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:53,560 300 square miles of rolling hills and chalk grasslands. 802 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:58,136 The area is famous for its rich, ancient archaeology 803 00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:01,976 and some of our most iconic landmarks, 804 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:05,560 like the nearly 5,000-year-old Stonehenge. 805 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:10,200 But not all archaeology here is so ancient. 806 00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:15,736 Until recently, many small communities lived throughout 807 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:19,096 Salisbury Plain, and I even have a personal connection 808 00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:20,840 with one of them. 809 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:27,976 Our next story takes us to a restricted location 810 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:30,016 in the middle of Salisbury Plain, 811 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:32,280 20 miles southeast of Bath. 812 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:39,816 This is Imber. 813 00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:42,576 It's a completely deserted village. 814 00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:45,616 It was once home to a bustling, close community. 815 00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:48,056 But the farmers and their families that lived here 816 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,896 in the Second World War were evacuated, 817 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:54,480 and this whole area was commandeered for military training. 818 00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:04,856 In 1943, the residents of Imber, around 150 people, 819 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:09,576 were given just seven weeks' notice before they had to pack their bags 820 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:11,360 and leave their village. 821 00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:18,216 Since then, most of the village's original buildings 822 00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,616 have been demolished, and some replaced 823 00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:26,240 with new breeze block structures to help simulate urban warfare. 824 00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:35,576 The lost village of Imber became part of the largest military 825 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:37,616 training ground in Britain, 826 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:41,960 with troops regularly taking part in live firing exercises. 827 00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:52,296 The story of how Imber came to an end is well-known, well-documented, 828 00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:55,736 but the archaeologists want to go back centuries earlier, 829 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:59,520 to look at the history of the people farming in this area. 830 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:06,216 Imber was mentioned in the Domesday Book, 831 00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:10,240 and its church, St Giles, dates back to the 13th century. 832 00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:19,216 Now the military wants to dig new foxholes and combat trenches 833 00:47:19,240 --> 00:47:22,616 at Imber, so a team of volunteers and ex-soldiers 834 00:47:22,640 --> 00:47:24,656 from Operation Nightingale 835 00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:27,896 have come to investigate what's left of the medieval village 836 00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:29,400 under the ground. 837 00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:35,560 Richard Osgood is leading the dig. 838 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,256 - Hello! - Hello. How are you? - Welcome to Imber, good to see you. 839 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:42,936 So this is a ghost village? 840 00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:46,216 It is a ghost village. This was evacuated in 1943, 841 00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:49,056 and we're trying to find traces of what remains below the turf line. 842 00:47:49,080 --> 00:47:51,256 You obviously think there's something in this field. 843 00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:53,896 Yeah, that's right. Well, we've got the map from the earlier part 844 00:47:53,920 --> 00:47:55,176 of the 20th century. 845 00:47:55,200 --> 00:47:58,136 Now, the maps show us that a load of buildings were once here. 846 00:47:58,160 --> 00:47:59,976 Where are we standing, then, with this map? 847 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,216 We're standing pretty much around this point here. 848 00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:04,816 - OK, so there should be buildings all around us. - There should be! 849 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:07,256 Ah, so you've only had the trenches open for a couple of days? 850 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:09,736 Yeah, it's really, really early stages, and it's small holes 851 00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:11,616 - to start with. - There's something in that one. 852 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:13,016 Yeah, there's a nice wall in that. 853 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:15,336 That's certainly going to bear further investigation. 854 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:17,536 Judging from the maps, we're on the location of a place 855 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:19,776 - called Brown's Farm. There is no physical trace. - Mm. 856 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:21,816 So that's why archaeology is so important, 857 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:24,200 that we will find what lies still in the ground. 858 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:29,360 Dig diaries capture every moment of discovery... 859 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:33,840 ...as the team uncover evidence of the lost village. 860 00:48:35,200 --> 00:48:37,536 This is the pond that was here, 861 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:41,616 and it's been back filled full of lots of rubbish. 862 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:43,656 This we've just a few seconds ago pulled out. 863 00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:45,896 It doesn't look like any of the cottages of then, 864 00:48:45,920 --> 00:48:48,976 - but that's really ornate, and that's a surprise. - Yeah. 865 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,856 - Digging away here, just found a key, which is fantastic. - A key! 866 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:55,936 - Absolutely brilliant. Maybe a cupboard key? - Cupboard key. 867 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:58,176 Yeah. We're hoping it's a jewellery box, 868 00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:00,440 but I won't tell you if I find it. 869 00:49:07,040 --> 00:49:11,176 Veterans Elaine and Cecily are excavating what they believe 870 00:49:11,200 --> 00:49:13,160 to be part of Brown's Farm. 871 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:16,856 Hello, Elaine and Cecily. 872 00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:19,816 - How are you doing? - Fancy seeing you here! 873 00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:23,416 And they're starting to find evidence of life here 874 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:27,496 in recent centuries before the village was abandoned. 875 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:29,896 You have found something. What is it? 876 00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:31,736 Well, hopefully it's part of Brown's Farm. 877 00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:34,256 - This bit here seems to be solid stone so... - Does it? 878 00:49:34,280 --> 00:49:36,296 - ...We don't know if it's a door lintel or... - Yeah. 879 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:38,616 And in terms of finds, what have you got coming out? 880 00:49:38,640 --> 00:49:39,656 Bits of pottery. 881 00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:42,776 - A few bits of pottery. A quarry tile. - A tile. 882 00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:45,656 - Some nice nails. - Oh, yeah. 883 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:48,456 Now, what I want to know is whether there's anything earlier. 884 00:49:48,480 --> 00:49:51,296 We did have a little bit of clay pipe. 885 00:49:51,320 --> 00:49:53,696 - Ooh, yeah. - That's from the person who lived here. 886 00:49:53,720 --> 00:49:56,376 Which I think we claim is the first pipe found in sit... 887 00:49:56,400 --> 00:49:58,736 Do you? Because there was a bit of clay pipe 888 00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:01,736 found in trench one as well. But do you think this one was found first? 889 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:04,496 - I think so. - Well, we've announced it first, so we'll claim it. - OK. 890 00:50:04,520 --> 00:50:06,816 We'd had it for a while before we declared we had it, so... 891 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:08,216 I like this healthy competition. 892 00:50:08,240 --> 00:50:10,496 I think you've got to beat them by finding the first bit 893 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:13,296 of definitely medieval archaeology on site. 894 00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:15,336 I'll let you know what we find. 895 00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:17,560 - Good luck. - Thanks very much. - Thank you. 896 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,976 The dig has only just got started, so I'm going to leave the team 897 00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:26,600 to hunt for clues of medieval life here. 898 00:50:28,560 --> 00:50:31,856 But before I go, I'm going to take this rare opportunity 899 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:34,800 to explore what's left of Imber village. 900 00:50:38,040 --> 00:50:42,456 Rather strangely, there's a bit of a connection here for me as well, 901 00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:45,416 in that a close friend of my family, 902 00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:48,840 well, HER family used to live here in Imber. 903 00:50:55,120 --> 00:50:57,776 This photograph, taken in 1912, 904 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:01,576 shows the Dean family standing outside Seagram's Farm, 905 00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:04,480 the building they called home for generations. 906 00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:11,336 So this building here is what remains of Seagram's Farm. 907 00:51:11,360 --> 00:51:13,136 I've seen old photographs of it, 908 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:17,816 and it seems to be a much longer building with a second storey, 909 00:51:17,840 --> 00:51:19,720 so I need to have a bit of a closer look. 910 00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:23,256 Ah, now, this is looking familiar. 911 00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:26,616 These stone window surrounds - mullions - 912 00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:29,816 are there in the old black and white photo. 913 00:51:29,840 --> 00:51:32,736 But then it's been extensively remodel led. 914 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:34,896 You can see a bit of the chimney sticking out there, 915 00:51:34,920 --> 00:51:38,696 so it's been brought down to just a single storey. 916 00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:40,536 So this is really new. 917 00:51:40,560 --> 00:51:44,616 This is breeze block, but this is old brick down here, 918 00:51:44,640 --> 00:51:47,936 and this stone is going down to the floor. 919 00:51:47,960 --> 00:51:50,320 So I think what we've got here is the front door. 920 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:53,136 And if I stamp that down... 921 00:51:53,160 --> 00:51:54,856 Yes, look at that. 922 00:51:54,880 --> 00:51:57,440 That's what remains of the hinge. 923 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:03,336 So 80 years ago, I would have been standing in the front door 924 00:52:03,360 --> 00:52:05,136 of the farmhouse. 925 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:08,136 So it's changed a lot over the decades, 926 00:52:08,160 --> 00:52:10,600 but it's still recognisably the same building. 927 00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:19,800 After my visit, the dig carries on for another week... 928 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,936 ...and the team eventually begin to uncover traces 929 00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:28,960 of medieval Imber. 930 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:34,336 We're beginning to get some medieval data. 931 00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:37,616 We're getting pottery, roof slabs, and some carved stone, 932 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:40,736 so hopefully we'll get an earlier origin for this part 933 00:52:40,760 --> 00:52:42,576 of the village of Imber. 934 00:52:42,600 --> 00:52:45,216 Just found these two pieces of pottery. 935 00:52:45,240 --> 00:52:48,176 Probably it's medieval, but it could even be a bit earlier. 936 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:49,696 Ooh. 937 00:52:49,720 --> 00:52:52,376 So we're definitely getting some diagnostic stuff out here, 938 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:53,616 aren't we, for dating this? 939 00:52:53,640 --> 00:52:56,896 Ooh, that IS nice, isn't it? That's medieval. 940 00:52:56,920 --> 00:52:59,256 Yeah, it came out just... quite deep, that was. 941 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:01,456 - That's all right, isn't it? - Have you just found that? 942 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:03,776 - Yeah, quite deep. - Yeah. - Quite busy here. 943 00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:05,816 - Absolutely. - That's exciting. 944 00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:07,120 Yeah. 945 00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:14,216 I've invited Richard Osgood to the Digging For Britain Tent 946 00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:16,840 to share all his latest finds. 947 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:24,616 So the big question is, did you find medieval Imber? 948 00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:25,896 Yes, eventually. 949 00:53:25,920 --> 00:53:28,856 So one of the buildings did eventually get down to some 950 00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:30,376 post holes that were medieval. 951 00:53:30,400 --> 00:53:32,976 And we know that from the pottery that we were finding within it, 952 00:53:33,000 --> 00:53:34,256 and it's quite tightly dated. 953 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:36,176 It's this sort of material here. 954 00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:39,776 Green-glazed ceramic you get in the sort of 13th, 14th centuries. 955 00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:41,616 - Yeah. - Really quite diagnostic. 956 00:53:41,640 --> 00:53:44,056 So it's not huge amounts of evidence, but it's all we needed. 957 00:53:44,080 --> 00:53:46,616 - But it's definitely there. - Definitely medieval. - Fantastic. 958 00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:48,256 And then what about these objects here? 959 00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:49,976 - This looks like roof tiles. - Yeah, it does. 960 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:51,856 And you've got two phases here of the roofing. 961 00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:54,456 We've got quite a few of these, and these are at the lower levels, 962 00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:56,496 in and amongst the pottery and this sort of thing. 963 00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:59,256 - So this is a stone roof tile. - Yeah. - You can see the hole for the nail. 964 00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:02,736 So this is more your medieval, and this is a bit more modern. 965 00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:04,496 - Yeah. - The clay roof ridge tile. 966 00:54:04,520 --> 00:54:07,960 - So again, you can see the house has been rebuilt. - Yeah. 967 00:54:08,960 --> 00:54:13,536 Along with these clues to Imber's medieval past, the team have found 968 00:54:13,560 --> 00:54:16,760 some artefacts dating to the very end of its occupation. 969 00:54:18,360 --> 00:54:21,136 We're looking at it being your less fancier Pompeii, 970 00:54:21,160 --> 00:54:23,016 where you've got an exact date 971 00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:24,456 for the ending of a settlement. 972 00:54:24,480 --> 00:54:26,616 - Yeah. - And that's a rare experience in archaeology, 973 00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:29,936 - to see where a village just stops. - And a really abrupt end as well. 974 00:54:29,960 --> 00:54:31,096 Very much so. 975 00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:33,816 Most of the pottery we were finding is fairly kind of rudimentary, 976 00:54:33,840 --> 00:54:35,176 and this is the fanciest thing. 977 00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:37,696 - Believe it or not, that's what's left of a teapot. - Oh, is it? 978 00:54:37,720 --> 00:54:40,376 We're postulating whether that might have been a wedding present 979 00:54:40,400 --> 00:54:43,176 left behind in one of the houses, or maybe got broken and then binned, 980 00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:45,776 because it's fancier than all the other pottery we're finding, 981 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:47,256 which is very utilitarian. 982 00:54:47,280 --> 00:54:49,456 And then you've got a bit of a bullet here. 983 00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:52,456 That is a bullet case, and you've even got the stamping on it. 984 00:54:52,480 --> 00:54:55,056 It's got a couple of letters. "SL" and "43" on it. 985 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:56,480 So you've got a date on it. 986 00:54:57,520 --> 00:55:01,616 1943, and SL is Saint Louis. Saint Louis, Missouri. 987 00:55:01,640 --> 00:55:04,416 So that's an American case, and that represents the American 988 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:08,616 - training taking place in Imber, and that's why it was evacuated. - Yeah. 989 00:55:08,640 --> 00:55:13,336 So that is from the year that it ceased being a lived-in village. 990 00:55:13,360 --> 00:55:16,296 That's right. So that really does mark the sort of ash and pumice 991 00:55:16,320 --> 00:55:18,416 layer you get at Pompeii, that tells you the dates 992 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:21,336 - of the evacuation of Imber. - Yeah, and that was it. 993 00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:22,616 That WAS it. 994 00:55:22,640 --> 00:55:24,936 Yeah. I mean, it's quite a curious story, isn't it? 995 00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:27,496 It's a sad story. For the people that were tenants at the time, 996 00:55:27,520 --> 00:55:28,776 it must have been horrible, 997 00:55:28,800 --> 00:55:31,776 I guess the argument being if it saved one life on D-Day, 998 00:55:31,800 --> 00:55:34,256 then maybe it was worth it. But it must have been really tough 999 00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:35,576 - for those villagers. - Mm. 1000 00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:38,576 You think about the soldiers making sacrifices 1001 00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:41,136 and the families of soldiers during the Second World War, 1002 00:55:41,160 --> 00:55:43,176 but all of those people living in that village 1003 00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:44,496 made a significant sacrifice. 1004 00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:47,136 Completely. That's their contribution to the war effort. 1005 00:55:47,160 --> 00:55:50,536 So this is definitely representative of that total warfare 1006 00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:53,776 - that takes place in the Second World War. - Yeah. Yeah. 1007 00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:56,976 We also found one more thing which marks, again, a full stop, 1008 00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,296 and that was actually a discovery made in the archives. 1009 00:55:59,320 --> 00:56:02,096 We found an image of the site in 1943. 1010 00:56:02,120 --> 00:56:04,016 - Oh, fantastic. - Just before it was evacuated. 1011 00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:06,096 - And you didn't know you had it? - No. - No! 1012 00:56:06,120 --> 00:56:07,656 Brilliant! 1013 00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:09,896 - So there you go. This is... - An aerial photograph. 1014 00:56:09,920 --> 00:56:12,696 - This is dated in March 1943. - Yeah. 1015 00:56:12,720 --> 00:56:15,656 So this is literally a few months before the village is evacuated. 1016 00:56:15,680 --> 00:56:18,536 The Second World War is at its height at this point. 1017 00:56:18,560 --> 00:56:20,736 - That's extraordinary, isn't it? - Completely. 1018 00:56:20,760 --> 00:56:23,896 At this point, there were still functioning pubs like The Nag's Head 1019 00:56:23,920 --> 00:56:27,216 - over here... - Yeah. - ..or The Bell over at this point. 1020 00:56:27,240 --> 00:56:29,936 It's really quite a powerful image, I think. 1021 00:56:29,960 --> 00:56:33,456 It's a real snapshot of the end of life as those people knew it. 1022 00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:35,176 Yeah, that's wonderful. 1023 00:56:35,200 --> 00:56:37,816 And that would be great for all of the families, 1024 00:56:37,840 --> 00:56:41,080 - the people whose ancestors lived there. - Yeah, I think so. - Yeah, yeah. 1025 00:56:49,040 --> 00:56:51,176 What are you finding in here? 1026 00:56:51,200 --> 00:56:52,416 Apart from rocks. 1027 00:56:52,440 --> 00:56:54,376 Absolutely mind-blowing. 1028 00:56:54,400 --> 00:56:56,136 It is a bit, yeah. 1029 00:56:56,160 --> 00:57:00,280 ♪ We dig for the gods that leave no bones... ♪ 1030 00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:04,856 What a year of archaeological adventure it's been. 1031 00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:09,456 Archaeologists have been able to peel back time 1032 00:57:09,480 --> 00:57:11,536 and reveal a Neolithic tomb... 1033 00:57:11,560 --> 00:57:13,416 ...Medieval monasteries... 1034 00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:16,856 ...and the first archaeological evidence of a mud dock. 1035 00:57:16,880 --> 00:57:18,856 We've crisscrossed our islands, 1036 00:57:18,880 --> 00:57:22,176 uncovering more traces of people who once lived here. 1037 00:57:22,200 --> 00:57:25,136 An astonishing archaeological discovery just here. 1038 00:57:25,160 --> 00:57:26,536 Magnificent. 1039 00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:29,296 Wherever we went, new stories were waiting. 1040 00:57:29,320 --> 00:57:31,776 I do love an archaeological mystery. 1041 00:57:31,800 --> 00:57:33,136 Look at that colour! 1042 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:34,656 What is it? 1043 00:57:34,680 --> 00:57:36,736 I want to clean that up. Have you got a spare trowel? 1044 00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:38,016 Absolutely. 1045 00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:39,536 Who built that castle? 1046 00:57:39,560 --> 00:57:40,976 This is the big question! 1047 00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:44,056 We've got brutal and violent British history... 1048 00:57:44,080 --> 00:57:45,416 ...disease... 1049 00:57:45,440 --> 00:57:46,816 ...climate change... 1050 00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:48,576 ...and the end of civilisation. 1051 00:57:48,600 --> 00:57:50,536 That makes it quite exciting, doesn't it? 1052 00:57:50,560 --> 00:57:52,096 Well, that's part of the challenge. 1053 00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:54,056 If it was simple, we'd have finished years ago. 1054 00:57:54,080 --> 00:57:56,216 - That's tiny! - This is our special find. 1055 00:57:56,240 --> 00:57:57,800 I mean, it's outrageous! 1056 00:57:59,360 --> 00:58:02,336 I'm already wondering what archaeological discoveries 1057 00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:04,920 are lying in wait for us next year. 1058 00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:07,616 ♪ Coins for the eyes 1059 00:58:07,640 --> 00:58:09,536 ♪ And keys for the door 1060 00:58:09,560 --> 00:58:14,056 ♪ Fortress, grave goods, chambered tomb 1061 00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:18,096 ♪ Abandoned villages, rumours of war 1062 00:58:18,120 --> 00:58:22,200 ♪ We dig for pattern, read the rune 1063 00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:29,696 ♪ And so a clue to who we are 1064 00:58:29,720 --> 00:58:33,136 ♪ And where we were and why we will 1065 00:58:33,160 --> 00:58:38,176 ♪ Inheritors of knowledge now 1066 00:58:38,200 --> 00:58:42,216 ♪ And ancestors to those who still might 1067 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:45,896 ♪ Dig for us as we have done 1068 00:58:45,920 --> 00:58:50,240 ♪ To lay us dead out in the sun. ♪