VISITHelping hands
More than 1 5 0 years ago, the British Red
%TQUU
TUVECNNGFVJG$TKVKUJ0CVKQPCN
5QEKGV[HQT#KFVQVJG5KEMCPF9QWPFGF
KP9CT YCUHQTOGFYKVJKVUXQNWPVGGTU
JGNRKPIVJQUGYJQYGTGKPLWTGFKPVJG
(TCPEQ2TWUUKCP9CTQHs5KPEG
VJGPVJGQTICPKUCVKQPJCUJGNRGFVJG
PCVKQPCPFVJGYQTNFKPVKOGUQHETKUKU
HTQOCUUKUVKPIVJQUGCʘGEVGFD[VJG
OKPKPIFKUCUVGTCV#DGT HCPKPVQ
QTICPKUKPI2TKPEGUU&KCPCoUVTKRVQ#PIQNC
KPYJKEJDTQWIJVYQTNFYKFG
CVVGPVKQPVQVJGFGCFN[NCPFOKPGUVJCV
NKVVGTGFVJGEQWPVT[
+P&GEGODGTVJG$TKVKUJ4GF%TQUU
QRGPGFCPGYOWUGWOCPFGZJKDKVKQP
GPVKVNGF/WUGWOQH-KPFPGUUYJKEJ
UJCTGUVJGJKUVQT[QHVJGQTICPKUCVKQP
VJTQWIJVJGUVQTKGUQHRGQRNGYJQUJCRGF
KVURCUV+VGOUQPFKURNC[KPENWFGCNCOR
DGNKGXGFVQJCXGDGGPWUGFD[(NQTGPEG
0KIJVKPICNGQTQPGQHJGTPWTUGUKPVJG
%TKOGCP9CTs0KIJVKPICNGYCUKPXQNXGF
KPVJG$TKVKUJ4GF%TQUUHTQOKVUKPEGRVKQP
WPVKNJGTFGCVJMuseum of Kindness
British Red Cross Museum, London / Open now /
Booking required / redcross.org.ukWEEKLY TV & RADIO
Visit historyextra.com for
weekly updates on upcoming
television and radio programmes9J[FQGUDigging for Britain so
ECRVWTGXKGYGTUoKOCIKPCVKQPU!
I can’t quite believe I’ve been making
Digging for Britain since 2010. But I do
have a handy reminder of just how long I’ve
been doing this series, as when we set out to
film the first series I brought my tiny baby
along with me – and she’s just started
secondary school! I think archaeology has
enduring appeal because it’s such a fantas-
tic way of engaging with the past – it’s
physical and tangible.
And Digging for Britain captures the
excitement of archaeology. The digs are
real, we see those authentic moments of
discovery, and there’s also a huge range
of different sites and eras.9JCVCTGUQOGQHVJGJKIJNKIJVUKPVJG
PGYUGTKGU!
It’s been a phenomenal year. The discover-
ies at St Mary’s, Stoke Mandeville, for
example, have been mind-blowing. Deep
underneath a Norman church, the archae-
ologists found Roman remains, including
some stunning stone statues.5KUVGTUJQYBritain’s Biggest DigYCU
CTEJCGQNQI[QPCXCUVUECNGDWVCTG
VJGUGDKIFKIUPGEGUUCTKN[CNYC[UVJG
OQUVKORQTVCPV!
With large cemetery excavations, we can
apply osteological and palaeopathologicalexcavations might show us how a widethrough time. But small, targeted excava-*QYKORQTVCPVCTGPGYOGVJQFU
RTQXKPIKPVJGGNF!
What’s really exciting is that there are
always new techniques and methods
coming along. Geophysics is now standard
practice, before an excavation is started.Drones have made aerial photography of
sites much easier, as well as being used to
spot potential new sites. And on big
commercial sites, the whole process of
recording is now digitised, making it much
easier to keep track of evolving discoveries.
Post-excavation techniques are also
always advancing. We’re now at the point
with ancient DNA where entire genomes
can be sequenced, for instance, and a new
development in radiocarbon dating now
allows mortar to be dated.*CUOCMKPIVJGUGTKGUGXGTEJCPIGF
VJGFKTGEVKQPQH[QWTQYPTGUGCTEJ!
I’ve done research on some of the finds
we’ve filmed, notably the infant bones from
Yewden Roman Villa in the first series,
where I noticed cut-marks on the bones
that no one had seen before.&Q[QWJCXGCHCXQWTKVGOQOGPVHTQO
VJGUJQYFQYPVJG[GCTU!
Not just one moment, but the whole first
series, because I did it with my baby
daughter and husband coming along with
me. That was a really special time.Digging for Britain returns to
BBC Two in January“The show captures the excitement
of archaeology – we see those
authentic moments of discovery”
The anatomist and anthropologist ALICE ROBERTS
(left) looks back on more than a decade of presenting the
BBC’s flagship archaeology series Digging For Britain,
and reveals what surprises the latest shows have in storeAL
IC
E^
RO
BE
RT
S/
/D
AN
ST
EV
EN
S
HISTORY ON THE BOX
Alice Roberts in
Digging for Britain.
Finds this season
include Roman
remains in Stoke
MandevilleThese model vehicles were made by children in
Angola, mainly out of food aid tins they had
received from the Red Cross