Digging for Britain
Encyclopedia
Digging For Britain is a television series on archaeology
made by 360 Production for the BBC, starting in August 2010. It is presented by Dr Alice Roberts
.
The series focuses on archaeological excavations and research in the UK, both new sites and those already well-known to science, including:
Filming has taken place over many parts of the UK.
The first series consisted of four episodes, initially broadcast on BBC Two
from 19 August to 10 September 2010. A second series is being broadcast.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
made by 360 Production for the BBC, starting in August 2010. It is presented by Dr Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts
Alice May Roberts is an English anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, and author.Best known for her TV appearances in the BBC series Coast, Dr Alice Roberts: Don't Die Young, and The Incredible Human Journey, she has also appeared as an expert osteoarchaeologist on...
.
The series focuses on archaeological excavations and research in the UK, both new sites and those already well-known to science, including:
- preparations for the first sailing of a replica Bronze Age ship
- uncovering new truths about the richest ever find of Anglo-Saxon treasure
- uncovering Shakespeare's first theatre
- exciting new discoveries in Dorset completely changing our understanding of life in Roman Britain
Filming has taken place over many parts of the UK.
The first series consisted of four episodes, initially broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
from 19 August to 10 September 2010. A second series is being broadcast.
Episode 1: The Romans
- Yewden Roman villa site at HambledenHambledenHambleden is a small village and civil parish within Wycombe district in the south of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about four miles west of Marlow, and about three miles north east of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire....
- Late Iron Age and Roman Banjo enclosureBanjo enclosureIn archaeology, Banjo enclosure is the name given to a type of archaeological feature of the British middle Iron Age. They are so named because in plan they consist of a small round area with a long entrance track leading inwards from one direction. This gives them the appearance in plan of frying...
excavation by Bournemouth UniversityBournemouth UniversityBournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
at Bere RegisBere RegisBere Regis is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated north-west of Wareham.The village has one shop, a post office and two pubs, The Royal Oak and The Drax Arms. The parish church is St. John the Baptist Church...
in DorsetDorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974... - The discovery of the Frome HoardFrome HoardThe Frome Hoard is a hoard of 52,503 Roman coins found in April 2010 by metal detectorist Dave Crisp near Frome in Somerset, England. The coins were contained in a ceramic pot in diameter, and date from AD 253 to 305. Most of the coins are made from debased silver or bronze...
, one of the largest hoards of Roman coins found in the UK.
Episode 2: Prehistory
- Happisburgh beachHappisburghHappisburgh is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated off the B1159 coast road from Ingham to Bacton.The civil parish has an area of , although this is declining due to cliff erosion. In the 2001 census, before the creation of Walcott parish, it had a...
- Creswell Crags cave drawingsCreswell CragsCreswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England near the villages of Creswell, Whitwell and Elmton...
- The Links of NoltlandLinks of NoltlandLinks of Noltland is the archaeological site of a Neolithic village near Grobust Bay on the north coast of Westray in Orkney, Scotland.Excavations at the site in the 1980s found a Neolithic building, which is now in the care of Historic Scotland who are funding further excavation...
and the Westray WifeWestray WifeThe Westray Wife is a small Neolithic figurine, in height, carved from sandstone that was discovered during an Historic Scotland dig at the Links of Noltland, on Westray, Orkney, Scotland, in the summer of 2009...
y - Culduthel manTimeline of prehistoric ScotlandThis timeline of prehistoric Scotland is a chronologically ordered list of important archaeological sites in Scotland and of major events affecting Scotland's human inhabitants and culture during the prehistoric period. The period of prehistory prior to occupation by the genus Homo is part of the...
- a Bronze Age shipSalcombe Cannon WreckThe Salcombe Cannon wrecksite is close to two other designated wrecksites in the Erme Estuary which the South West Maritime Archaeological Group was licensed to investigate. In 1992 this group described the Salcombe Cannon site as:...
wrecked off SalcombeSalcombeSalcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, built mostly on the steep west side of the estuary and lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
. - The Forteviot Bronze Age tombForteviot Bronze Age tombForteviot Bronze Age tomb is a Bronze Age burial chamber discovered in 2009 at Forteviot near Perth, Scotland. The Bronze Age tomb is one of a number of archaeological digs at the site that Co-directors of the excavation, Dr Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen, and professor Stephen Driscoll...
- The excavation of the new temple near Skara BraeSkara BraeSkara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE...
Episode 3: The Anglo-Saxons
- Bamburgh CastleBamburgh CastleBamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
- SittingbourneSittingbourneSittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
- Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire
Episodes
| Episode | Episode title | Airdate | Viewers | Director/producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Romans" | 19 August 2010 | 2.75m | John Hayes-Fisher |
| 2 | "Prehistory" | 26 August 2010 | 2.34m | Serena Davies |
| 3 | "The Anglo-Saxons" | 2 September 2010 | 2.45m | Sarah Jobling |
| 4 | "The Tudors" | 10 September 2010 | N/A | James Gray |
External links
- Digging for Britain overview at the 360 Production website
- Digging for Britain at BBC.co.uk