Romans of East Yorkshire

This dig will run for three weeks from Saturday 01 to Thursday 20 August 2026.

The Finds Room will open during the third week of the dig from Saturday 15 to Thursday 20 August 2026.

Our dig weeks run from Saturday to Thursday. We don’t dig Fridays (it’s our rest day!)

You can book a short experience of one or two days, or you can book a longer experience of one, two, or three weeks.

You can choose your start date when you make your booking. Exciting!

We’ll share the location of the dig with you once you make your pledge. We’ll send you further details about the exact meeting point closer to the start of the dig.

Please note, there is an approximately 15 minute walk over uneven ground from the meeting point to the trenches.

We’ll provide all of the archaeological tools and instruction. You just need to bring:

• Sturdy boots
• Comfortable, weather-appropriate outdoor clothing that you don’t mind getting a little dirty
• Packed lunch, snacks, and drinks
• Suncream / sunhat / waterproofs as appropriate

We also recommend:

• Smartphone or camera for taking pictures
• BAJR Skills Passport and a notepad/pencil if you’re a student or someone committed to gaining experience you can use on other digs or in your future career!

You can expect to gain real archaeological experience and have fun while you’re at it!

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced digger, joining us for just a day or staying for the whole dig, we’ll make sure you walk away with practical hands-on experience.

It’s important to remember that this is real archaeology and the specifics of what we do change daily, depending on the archaeology that needs to be done at each stage of the dig and the archaeology that emerges.

As a member of our archaeological team, your experience will always be guided by what needs to happen on site, whether that’s searching for new archaeological features, investigating remains, carefully lifting artefacts, or documenting what you find.

Each day starts with an archaeological briefing and ends with a round-up of what we’ve achieved together.

On your first day, you’ll have an in-depth briefing to help you understand the contribution to science and knowledge you’re about to make and to ensure you’ve got the basics under your belt.

As soon as you’ve completed your briefing, you’ll head to the dig site and meet our archaeologists, who will be ready to share their knowledge and guide your search for evidence every step of the way.

We emphasise hands-on learning, encourage questions, and believe great teamwork is fundamental to great archaeology.

The specific skills you gain will depend on how long you’re with us and what’s happening when you join, but will usually include a range of:

• Using different tools to reveal new archaeological layers and features
• Using the principles of stratigraphic excavation to investigate any remains that emerge, such as buildings, pits, post-holes, ditches, or even burials
• Identifying and recovering artefacts and samples
• Recording, photographing, and deciphering what has been found

Each stage of a dig offers something different, with its own highlights and opportunities to develop various skills and techniques. We recommend trying them all if you can!

The first half of the dig tends to emphasise identifying the archaeology, carefully trowelling back higher levels of the stratigraphy to reveal the layout of the site and key archaeological features. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to archaeology, and for people at all levels who want to understand how a dig begins, how archaeologists know where to dig, and how we decide what’s important to dig.

The second half of the dig emphasises investigation, focusing on features to understand how old they are, their relationship to other features, and what evidence they may contain.

It can be great for all levels, especially those who want to broaden their excavation experience.

The very end of the dig tends to emphasise knowledge, understanding each feature in detail, how they all fit together, and documenting our discoveries.

This means you’re more likely to start using more advanced skills, such as taking soil samples, solving any final questions about the site, and documenting the archaeology that we’ve uncovered.

Remember, archaeology isn’t just about digging – it’s also about recording and understanding everything we find and making decisions about what happens next. This vital documentation process is where you’ll really start thinking like a true archaeologist!

In summary…

If you’re brand new to archaeology and eager to learn how to dig, we recommend the beginning or middle of the dig. That way, you can jump into the trenches and master the basics.

If you’ve got some experience or want to progress your skills, we recommend the middle or end of the dig. This is your chance to take your field skills to the next level and learn how to draw, photograph, and carefully record archaeological features as we wrap up the excavation.

No matter what you choose, you’ll have a friendly team of trained archaeologists by your side providing guidance as you go.

Archaeology under cover? With tea, biscuits, and no chance of getting wet?

The Finds Team is a haven for everyone who loves archaeology but is less keen on physical graft. This is the place for those of us who have an eye for detail and love examining things up close.

Our Finds Team plays a crucial role on site, making sure each artefact is handled carefully and properly sorted, conserved, and identified.

Once you’ve had your morning briefing, visited the trenches, and completed the basic training, you’ll get hands-on with our discoveries. Depending on what’s been uncovered by the time you arrive, this could be:

• Cleaning and examining artefacts, such as bone, metal, pottery, and wood
• Learning how to handle different artefacts and give them the appropriate care
• Learning how to identify different materials and estimate their age
• Helping to sort and categorise artefacts
• Researching artefacts
• Recording, photographing or interpreting the artefacts

You’ll have an experienced and friendly member of the Finds Team at your side, and before long, you’ll be learning the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes in the Finds Room.

The specifics of what we do will change daily depending on what needs to be done, but we will always have a mid-morning tea break and lunch.

Please remember that archaeology isn’t just about digging – it’s also about recording and understanding everything we find. This is a vital part of the process, and it’s where you really get to start thinking like an archaeologist

You need need to be aged 17 or above to join the main Dig Team, but we also run days specifically for families with children! 

Each day on site will be a little different, depending on the goals of the day and if the weather cooperates.

In most cases, our days will look like:

Food, transport, and accommodation is not included.

That means you’re free to make arrangements which suit your own diet, travel plans, and budget. But here’s what we can tell you:

Food:
Meals are not included. You’ll need to bring your own packed lunch, snacks, and drinks each day. You’ll be hungry!

Transport:
We do not include transport. With people traveling from so many different places, and on such different schedules, it’s not feasible for our team to organise.

Accommodation:
People have different budgets and preferences, so we think it’s better for individuals to be able to book whichever options suit them best.

Whether you’re a happy camper or prefer a little bit more luxury, you’ll make your own arrangement according to what best suits your needs and budget.

There’s plenty to choose from in the local area!

• It’s near Driffield, in East Yorkshire
• There are plenty of places to stay nearby – we recommend looking for places in towns like Bridlington, Garton-on-the-Wolds, and Beverley, but there are plenty of other places nearby too
• There is a good campsite at Garton-on-the-Wolds

100% of your crowdfunding contribution goes directly into making the dig happen and disseminating the results.

Archaeology is a scientific process with established methods and standards, and it is important to remember that fieldwork is only the middle of the process.

Before a dig happens, there are months of research, planning, and organisation.

After a dig ends, everything we find needs to be properly recorded, conserved, and analysed by specialists.

We’ll then produce an official report with the combined results of our fieldwork and specialist analysis, which will be made widely available through articles, media, videos, and events.

Your crowdfunding contribution helps us to:

• Plan the dig. There are some complicated logistics involved!
• Run the excavation. We need enough tools, facilities, and archaeologists on site to ensure that the dig can be carried out to the highest professional standards
• Organise our Venturers. We put a lot of careful thought and organisation into making sure that our Venturers have the best possible archaeological experience with us on site (and online)
• Provide top-quality tuition. Our digs are run by experienced, full-time, professional archaeologists who ensure that everyone who joins us on site has plenty of expert support, tuition, and guidance
• Analyse all the finds and samples. We need specialists to analyse and interpret everything we find, including any burials, animal remains, ceramics, metal artefacts and environmental samples
• Carry out additional scientific analysis. In many cases, we also need a laboratory or specialist to do things like radiocarbon dating, isotope analysis, OSL dating, geophysics, and more
• Pay for all the ‘aftercare’. We’ll need specialists to conserve and take care of all the artefacts we find – from human remains to delicate objects made of glass or metal
• Write the official excavation report. We synthesise all the analyses done by specialists and make our evidence and interpretations of the site available in a traditional format
• Ensure all our data, discoveries, and interpretations are freely accessible online. We believe that the results of publicly funded research should be open and easily accessible. We upload all our findings online so others can explore and review them
• Share our progress and discoveries more widely. It doesn’t start and end with excavation. We’ll be publishing videos, livestreams, virtual artefacts, and blogs so that you can follow the whole process from start to finish
• Host special events and experiences. From daily tours to online experiences, our team of archaeologists create fun and exciting ways for people across the country and around the world to engage and learn from the dig, details of which we’ll publish on our Calendar
• Include opportunities for local communities to take part and host free events alongside the dig. Our digs are open to everyone, and we always try to make sure that people who live locally can be involved, whether it’s dig experience days for local teenagers or other events tailored to the specific needs or interests of the local community.
• Share the history you’re helping us uncover with as many people as possible. Ultimately, our goal is to create new knowledge about the past and make ground-breaking discoveries that everyone can be part of, learn from, share, and enjoy. Our team of archaeologists are always pushing the boundaries and looking for new ways that we can do this.

Unfortunately, crowdfunding pledges are non-refundable. 

Crowdfunding isn’t the only way you can help. Even just sharing our campaign on social media could introduce us to someone else who wants to support the dig!