
Go digging!
This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from Staffordshire, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Nottinghamshire.

This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from Staffordshire, Stirling, Edinburgh, and Nottinghamshire.

This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from across Scotland, Wales, and England.

This month’s selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects from the Midlands, south-east England, Scotland, and Wales.

With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we will be running a series of pages highlighting excavation opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across East Anglia, the Midlands, and the South-East.

Following on from our special sections in CA 422, 423, and 424,
this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects
in Gloucestershire, the Cotswolds, and Nottinghamshire.

Following on from CA 422, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Aberdeenshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Nottinghamshire.

Following on from our coverage in CA 410 and 411, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in Staffordshire, Wiltshire, and Hampshire.

Following on from CA 410, this selection of summer digging opportunities includes projects in North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Dorset, and Aberdeenshire.

With the summer digging season rapidly approaching, we are planning a series of spreads highlighting archaeological opportunities across Britain and Ireland. This month features projects ranging across East Anglia and East Sussex, Yorkshire and Northumberland, the Midlands, the Cotswolds, and London – please do get in touch if you would like to highlight your excavation to our readers in a future issue.

While many volunteer excavations were mothballed during COVID-19 restrictions, this summer has plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in fieldwork. Carly Hilts and Emilie Clowry have put together some regional highlights of what is on offer for 2022, but see www.archaeology.co.uk/digs for even more options for archaeological experiences.

That's why skeletal remains and mummies are so popular in museum exhibitions - people can relate to them in a way that not everyone can relate to other archaeological finds such as pottery.

When I have gone into schools to speak to children about our digs they are normally convinced that when they get on site they will be like Indiana Jones and uncover lots of treasure.

Archaeology is a subject with endless topics to specialise in, so a degree in archaeology can be useful in a great number of ways.

We have to move past the idea that building in a youth-focussed programme on a dig site is enough to inspire young people to get involved with archaeology.

The most important quality we look for is enthusiasm and a love of all things in the past.

A tough and comfortable pair of boots and clothing for all seasons should be on anyone's list when they go digging in the UK.

Always be willing to ask questions, no one ever gets it right first time and no one minds, we all did our first dig once!

A sense of humour may come in handy for those days when it is wet and windy on site but these are balanced by the days out in the glorious warm weather of the summer.

If there is anything particular you would like to become involved with, then it is best to let the supervisor know at the outset, but don't appear upset if this is not possible.

There isn't really anything you shouldn't say within the course of work, as you shouldn't feel intimidated by any site supervisor.

For students doing an archaeology degree, compulsory field school experience is on the cards. Phoebe Scrivener, archaeology graduate from Sheffield University, tells you what to expect.

Are you heading out on a dig this season? If so, congratulations! Volunteers are an essential part of the excavation season. We’ve put together a short guide, including a checklist, to identify key areas for your preparation. Happy (and safe) digging!