If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to get involved with an archaeological dig, then watch this film. Get excited. Then get involved.
This isn’t an Indiana Jones style epic, or even a Time Team race against the clock. It’s a subtle, honest portrait of diggers doing what they love, and doing it well. I particularly liked the scenes where the ‘field venturers’, members of the public who join the dig as a reward for helping to crowdfund the project, are getting excited over little things – pennies, teeth.
And then the penny is passed to the veteran academic from Durham University, and he gets excited too. Of course these finds don’t rewrite history, but they are a tangible link to past lives, they provide context and dating evidence for the site and add even more to the rich and complex story of Lindisfarne.
The team are back at the site this year and next. I can’t wait to see what DigVentures unearths.