With field activities almost impossible, Barnard Castle-based
DigVentures remodelled itself and took its work online where it reached thousands of people across the world. Today, its Archaeology at Home initiative was recognised with one of Europe’s top honours for contributions to the field of cultural heritage – The Europa Nostra/ European Heritage Awards.More than 11,000 people from 90 countries took part in the project by the not-for-profit social business. Its annual DigNation Festival, held as an online conference, brought the latest discoveries from more than 20 countries – including Albania, Bulgaria, India, Jordan, Mali, and the UK – directly into people’s homes. Meanwhile, thousands of people connected through Virtual Fieldschool, helping each other to research their local history, carry out test excavations in their own gardens, and make their own heritage discoveries.
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A large settlement, a Roman villa and many household objects are among the discoveries at an ancient site in Oxfordshire
An iron age roundhouse revealed by archaeologists at the site near Wittenham Clumps. Photograph: DigVentures
An iron age roundhouse revealed by archaeologists at the site near Wittenham Clumps. Photograph: DigVentures
Sun 14 Feb 2021 05.00 EST
When archaeologists began excavating land near the iron age hillfort at Wittenham Clumps, a famous Oxfordshire landmark, they were hopeful of unearthing something of interest because the area has been occupied for more than 3,000 years. But nothing prepared them for the excitement of discovering an extended iron age settlement, with the remains of more than a dozen roundhouses dating from 400BC to 100BC â as well as an enormous Roman villa built in the late third to early fourth century.
Archaeological excavations close to Wittenham Clumps’ Iron Age hill-fort have exceeded expectations (Image: DigVentures)
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“That, to me, is the most exciting thing. It’s very evocative.
“We had some idea that there would’ve been quite a lot of settlement there, but honestly it is astonishing that so much evidence has come up of people’s actual daily lives.
“It’s been one of those digs where you feel you can almost reach out and touch them.”
Each of the iron age roundhouses is approximately 35ft (10m) across, and once housed farmers living off the land.
Archaeology news: Experts have long known the area surrounding the Oxfordshire landmark has been occupied for more than 3,000 years (Image: Google Earth)