How To… Make A Mini Iron Age Broch Out Of LEGO

Scientists, archaeologists and engineers are still baffled by how Iron Age people built these ancient stone towers known as brochs. But that hasn’t stopped Dan from Brick to the Past figuring out how YOU…

How To… Build Your Own Roundhouse

  We want one of these for our new shed. We’ve got a bit of a thing for hillforts at the moment. Maybe it’s because we’re about to go dig one near Bristol. Maybe…

How To… Tell What Kind Of Medieval Pot You’ve Got

How To… Deturf Your Trench By Hand Like A Boss

Yes, we’re removing the turf on our trenches by hand. Yes, it’s usually done with a big yellow machine. Yes, we realise it’s going to take a fair amount of time… Or is it?…

How To… Do Photogrammetry For Archaeology (Part 2)

We’re back with our second lesson on how to create 3D models for archaeology. In Part 1, we covered the very basics of photogrammetry, looking at the equipment and methods we use to photograph…

How To… Dig Underwater In The Dark With SHARKS!

 Doing archaeology on dry land is one thing, but digging underwater is quite another. Sara Rich tells us how to excavate a site that now lies on the bottom of the sea floor….

How To… Tell The Difference Between A Hill And A Hillfort

So you’re standing on top of a hill admiring the view. Yes, the view is very beautiful, but are you missing out on something even more spectacular? We asked Carlos Otero (who will be…

How To… Spot An Ancient Relic When You’re Walking On The Thames

When we took a group of Dirty Weekenders hunting for artefacts along the Thames, we came across an array of finds, from clay tobacco pipes and musket balls to a George III coin. This…

How To… Do Photogrammetry For Archaeology (Part 1)

For archaeologists, photogrammetry is a really useful way to turn photos of anything from small finds, to entire landscapes, into 3D models. In fact, it’s so simple, and so powerful, that we reckon it’s…

Recipe: How To Make Your Own Medieval Mead

How To… Celebrate Like An Archaeologist

Archaeologists know a thing or two about celebrating; after all, no dig is complete without an ‘End Of Site Party’. If you think a beer feels good after a hard day’s work, then just…

How To… Pack For An Overseas Excavation

Imagine you’re heading off on an international archaeological adventure. What would you take? More importantly, what would you leave behind? Globe-trotting archaeologist Dr Kate takes a break from her journey to give us her…

How To… Tell What Type of Pot You’ve Got – the Medieval Dig Edition!

From so-called ‘sparkly-ware’ to the early-modern equivalent of ‘ironic’ hipster crockery, here’s how to identify 12 types of pot you’d expect to turn up at a medieval dig. Leiston Abbey is one of Suffolk’s…

How To… Deal With the Post-Dig Blues

Your boots are clean, you feel well-rested, your trowel is sitting happily on the mantelpiece, but something is not quite right… it’s probably the post-dig blues. This morning, you got mildly excited when you…

How To… Tell if You’ve Found an Iron Age Roundhouse

So you’ve found something really big and round in the ground. But is it a roundhouse? Or is it something else? Here’s what you need to look out for. When you find something big…

How To… Make Your Own Stonehenge Pumpkin

The five spookiest archaeological discoveries? That’s been done to death, so this halloween we thought we’d go for something a little bit more original… archaeology-inspired pumpkin-carving! Here’s how to make your very own Pumpkin…

How To… Draw the Perfect Plan

Remember doing dot-to-dots as a kid? It turns out that the secret to drawing the perfect plan of an archaeological feature is surprisingly familiar… So you’ve revealed your first context or feature, but before…

How To… Mark Out The Perfect Trench

So you thought you could forget about Pythagoras and his Theorem? Think again. It turns out that junior school geometry you never thought you’d never need again is key to marking out the perfect…