Five ways to get involved in archaeology

Nothing beats the excitement of making a discovery that helps unravel the mysteries of the past, and with the new digging season almost upon us, there’s no time to lose!

With five days to go, our dig is 96% funded – we just need YOU to make it happen!

Whether you’re looking for a chance to get practical experience, put practice into theory, or simply for an inspiring way to pass the time, here’s our guide on how you can get involved in archaeology this summer:

1. Get Online

Archaeologist’s love studying ancient technology, but that doesn’t mean they’re behind the times. More and more archaeology is being done online and ‘citizen archaeologists’ are an increasingly important part of the team, whether it’s crowdfunding, crowdsourcing or making all the finds available online for people to explore.

Maybe you don’t have the opportunity to do archaeology in your area, but still fancy giving it a go? Join the #SaintsandSecrets #DigitalDigTeam for live updates, access to all the finds and data online and a say in all the preliminary interpretations. In fact, over 50% of the people on our team are supporting us this way – it’s a great way to  get behind-the-scenes and discover your inner archaeologist, without leaving the sofa.

2. Go Digging! 7th – 20th July

Nothing beats the excitement of hands-on archaeology! That first tantalising glimpse of bronze, a medieval pot, or the sense that you’ve stumbled upon something no one’s seen for centuries… Archaeologists love sharing that experience, and none more so than Time Team’s Raksha Dave. And guess what? She’ll be digging in Suffolk this summer. So if you want brush up on your field technique with one of the very best, then pick up a trowel and jump in the trench!

3. Try a Masterclass – 17th & 18th July

So you want to learn more about archaeology, and you want some hands-on experience, but you’re not quite ready for a dig? Or maybe you have an interest in something related, like photography or pottery?

There are some great workshops you can try, like Paul Blinkhorn’s Medieval Ceramics Masterclass, or Adam Stanford’s Archaeological Photography Masterclass.

4. Bring the Kids!

Looking for something to do with the kids this summer? There are Family weekends on 12-13th July and 19-20th July, or checkout the list of VIP archaeologists lined up in this series of free public lectures, covering everything from medieval graffiti, the history of archaeology on TV to an Easter Island Safari.

5. End of Site Party!


Every good archaeological dig has a party to celebrate the end of the project, and the #SaintsandSecrets end of site party on 20th July at Leiston Abbey is open to all – it’s a great way to mingle with the some of the best archaeologists and specialists in the UK and find out about the dig from all the people who have taken part. There will be activities all day plus an evening do within the grounds of the abbey. Free entry from 7pm (cash bar).

So your inner archaeologist is bursting at the seams?

Click here to support the #Saintsand Secrets dig and get involved!