Diary from the Dig

Day 1

by Kira and Imogen

Welcome back to wonderful Wandlebury! This year we have formed a new team of archaeologists, to once again excavate the first millennium BCE Iron Age Hillfort, found in the stunning Cambridgeshire countryside. If you kept up with our 2024 blog, you will remember that last year’s group were situated on the South Field, investigating the presence of a linear feature outside the hillfort’s defensive earthworks - leading to the discovery of a late bronze age ditch!

This year we have returned to excavate around 18 test pits and three trenches, hoping to assess the preservation of the hillfort’s interior, as well as find the possible entrance to the hillfort and continue excavations at the eastern end of Hill Figure Field/South Field, where human remains have once been found. 

We’re hoping that our work this Spring will help us to understand anomalies in our past geophysical surveys and also plan future excavations that will take place over the next 5 years!

Today, in this spectacular sunshine, we have begun deturfing our test pits and clearing the first layer of topsoil using mattocks. This has already turned up Roman pottery, faunal remains, bullet casings, and even some ducklings!

The next two weeks will be even more exciting… and keep your fingers crossed that this incredible weather continues!

Day 2

by Oliver, Sam & Arlo

The work from yesterday continues (along with the exquisite weather!). Across all our test pits, we are working on clearing the rest of the topsoil and getting down into the subsoil, one step closer to the Iron Age.

That said, there’s been a resplendent haul of archaeological material coming out of these shallow layers. Based on the finds, the layers have been dated to the 19th Century. Said finds include porcelain, glazed pottery sherds and jagged shards of glass, not to mention some hefty chucks of metalwork. Inorganic material isn’t all, as animal bones are found alongside it. Needless to say, Wandlebury is already producing a wide range of wonders.

But wait! There’s more! Precious pieces of pottery (Medieval, Roman and Iron Age) have been pulled from the pits, probably emplaced by the landscaping work associated with the stately home that now stands here. There’s also been a hint of Neolithic flint!

New developments in pit 105 revealed a ditch, potentially used to deposit rubbish, which contained large animal bones and worked stone. Across other test pits we also had some cattle bones with possible butchery marks, building materials, and a pit which we cautiously hope may be Iron Age. See our beautiful archaeologists showing off some of today’s finds!

As we can see, Wandlebury is yielding a lot of exciting finds, but we’ve only really scratched the surface (quite literally). With sieves and shovels in hand, we continue down into the past.

Day 3

by Martha and Maisy

It’s a sunny Day 3 here at our Wandlebury training dig! The great efforts of the first two days has brought us to the start of Iron Age levels. Despite working in the heat, it is an encouraging reward to be unearthing some possible features, and perfect timing as today has yielded some expert visitors - our Lecturers. Yes, it’s go-go-go today with Lecturers, BBC radio, Cambridge Past Present and Future, and the wonderful public. 

In test-pit 111, (that of the authors’) we are uncovering what looks to be an Iron Age pit, discernible by its loose brown infill compared to the grey subsoil with chalk inclusions. It is one of several pits which has thus far revealed Iron Age earthwork. Test Pit 111 is the nearest of the seven pits currently being excavated by students to the subcircular ring ditch. The recording of the feature’s dimensions and type has begun, where we have been learning how to fill in context sheets. 

Along this area, today also saw the start of some Geophysical measurements to supplement last year’s surveys.

Beginning the afternoon with a Finds Seminar, we learned the post-excavation differential washing process (don’t wash metal!), and the categories by which to sort finds to be sent to specialists for further work. Later on in the dig, we will set up a washing station to start processing the fruits of our digging. 

Day 4

by Cherry, Helen and Eleanor

Another day in Wandlebury, we are experiencing both the heat and the hype of investigating an Iron Age Hillfort. After digging out around half a metre of deposit from our test pits, today we are making plans for each test pit in order to better investigate the different contexts exposed. This planning process begins by creating a scaled drawing of the test pits and its major features (lots of precise measuring needed!). We will then work to excavate further each context of interest, hoping to discover why the soil or earth may form differently there in relation to human activity. As it stands our deepest pit is now 120cm deep! We have had to step the sides so as to avoid the risk of collapse, but the digging is to continuing.

Outside of drawing, our geophysical efforts continue, with more test pit sites being mapped on a coordinate plane. In addition, a number of finds continue to emerge, including a piece of Iron Age pottery with inclusions.

Due to the gorgeous weather, Wandlebury has been particularly crowded with visitors! Our outreach team have spoken to many enthusiastic guests about archaeology, and a group of school children have toured the test pits & associated finds. We hope to see many of these familiar faces again at our outreach day this Saturday!

Day 5

by Anais, Cara and Alex

As the end of week one in beautiful Wandlebury approaches, we students must face the emotional goodbyes and heart wrenching separation from our first test pits. In test pit 114 (the assigned pit to these authors), we have finally reached what we archaeologists call “the natural”.

This indicates that we have reached an undisturbed layer, and that there is likely no more archaeology to be found in this particular pit. These authors spent the morning performing the most glamorous of tasks, including site planning, section drawing, and leveling.

While plotting points to assess where our site’s height to sea level is, we discovered that these levels are quite different in relation to the other test pits. This could suggest that the area was built up in more modern times, and if archaeology exists below, it will be very well preserved. 

In other areas on site, the work continues as our course mates continue to sieve away and investigate a series of Iron Age pits after finding large amounts of Iron Age pottery fragments.

Most of us have spent at least part of the day plotting points to be used on geophysical surveys which are used to help better understand the topography of the area.

Many of the other pits are also close to being in their “natural” layer, and are also busy with recording and surveying. We can’t wait to see what we will unearth next week as we start to open up new trenches and test pits.

Day 6

by Ivanna, Hebe and Eva

After a pleasant bank holiday weekend, us Cambridge archaeologists were excited to get stuck back into our training dig. This week, we are opening new trenches and test pits, expecting to discover more Iron Age features, and finalising our first test pits. 

Trench 2, freshly opened, appears to contain an edge to the entrance of the Iron Age hillfort. However, this appears to have been disturbed by a Post-Medievel ditch cutting into the edge. Trench 3 has also been opened, finds are still anticipated. 

Another addition to our Wandlebury expedition is a new test pit, located near a Medieval house with a tunnel below, potentially used for escape routes. Different colours within the pit indicate possible features. Lilia stands joyfully with a piece of worked iron!

Pit 111 has earned the name “Pit Central” for its discoveries of multiple Iron Age pits cutting through the base. Martha and co are continuing to unearth animal bones and Iron Age pottery, keep digging guys! 

Pit 105 has defied expectations as we discover instead of a set of pits and ditches, it is a tree bowl, inverting the stratigraphic layers and displacing our archaeological materials. 

Pit 107 wins the award for today’s deepest pit, holding many bricks and a metal pipe sticking out from the side. Our determined archaeologists are continuing to dig until they reach the chalk bed. This chalk has likely been here since the Cretaceous period! 

More information and discoveries to come, keep your eyes peeled for more diary entries!