Spend a day, weekend, or full-on week exploring archaeology with professional archaeologists.
It's the perfect present for people who love the past.
Always wanted to try archaeology? Do you know someone who does? Turn someone you love into an archaeologist for a day or more with a DigVentures Gift Certificate, and give them the experience of a lifetime.
Starting with a full archaeological briefing, your experience will begin with an introduction to the site, what we’re looking for, and the basic principles of archaeological fieldwork. You’ll then be given your own set of tools, and step right into the trenches to work alongside our archaeologists as we begin unearthing our site!
You’ll have an experienced and friendly archaeologist at your side, guiding your search for evidence every step of the way. Starting with the basics of how archaeologists identify features in the ground through a process known as ‘cleaning’, through to how to add any discoveries you make to the official record, you’ll begin to understand things like stratigraphic excavation, the processes we use to reveal artefacts, when and how to lift them out of the ground, and most importantly – how archaeologists piece together the evidence to understand what it all means.
The archaeology you do will be real, hands-on, and just a little bit dirty. The discoveries you make will contribute to nationally significant research, and we’ll publish them all in our official Dig Report – with your name in the credits.
You’ll head home having had an experience you’ll never forget, and equipped with new skills that you can use, where archaeology takes you next. In short, it will be an experience you’ll never forget.
Plus, you’ll get one of our famous archaeology team t-shirts to keep forever!
Which digs can we choose from?
Gift Certificates are valid for one year from purchase and can be used to book a place on any of our available crowdfunded digs or other paid archaeological experiences listed under What’s On.
Our dig season usually runs from May – October, and we announce our digs for the upcoming year on 1st December. Dig places book up pretty quickly, so we recommend that the recipient books their experience in as soon as possible.
Will you choose to search for Roman ruins, unearth a medieval mystery, or investigate a prehistoric settlement?
With one of our Gift Certificates, you can buy now, and make that near-impossible decision later!
What our Venturers say
I’ve always been curious about what a dig would be like so my husband and son surprised me with the gift for Christmas. I loved meeting so many like-minded people, even the smallest find was so exciting
Janet G
Phenomenal experience, loved it. Lifting the skeleton is a bucket list item for my life ticked off!
Michelle B
It’s been amazing! I LOVED working on the skeleton - I didn’t think amateurs would be allowed to get so involved. I wish I’d booked on for longer!
Jess C
My 'Dirty Weekend' was a gift that was found for me. I loved all of it! The digging, the chatting, the people, the pub, and the discoveries!
Chris C
