Highways to the Past

Bringing archaeology to life

Wed, 03 May 2023 11:00:00 +0100

Its already the end of our second series! In this episode, we’re exploring how archaeologists share their discoveries with the public. From Virtual Reality to posting directly from the trench, how can archaeology use new technologies? And what’s been learnt so far on National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements?

Bones, bones, bones

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode, we sit down with two of our resident bone specialists – an osteologist and an archaeozoologist! Maybe not one to listen to over dinner, we chat all about what clues we can learn from human and animal remains. We also hear about unusual discoveries on the proposed National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements, asking why a piece of human skull was found in a roundhouse, and did we really find evidence of a feast?

Roundhouses: Reconstructing the past

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Once again we've hit the road, this time travelling all the way to Butser Ancient Farm. We've talked about the huge roundhouses discovered on our National Highways A428 Black Cat digs before, but in this episode we wanted to talk to the people who try to reconstruct them - Experimental Archaeologists. How were roundhouses built? What were they like to live in? And most mysteriously - why were they round?

Seeing the big picture

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Welcome back to another series following the archaeology on the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements!

In this episode, we're introduced to the next phase of excavation which includes a mysterious isolated settlement. As always, we're joined by archaeologists on the ground as they take us through what we've found so far and what we hope to discover.

Final piece of the puzzle

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 10:00:00 +0100

In our final episode on Field 44, part of the proposed A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements, we look in detail at some of the key finds discovered during the dig. What do they tell us about how people lived here 2,000 years ago? What happens next? And what have we learnt across this series about Field 44?

Going under the microscope

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In our third episode, we venture into the lab and hear from the scientists and archaeologists looking at the tiniest pieces of evidence. From grains of wheat to identifying snail species, we learn how those working on Field 44 use miniscule clues to build a picture of the past.

From the field to the archive

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this second episode, we meet the archaeologists involved who have been digging at Field 44 and dealing with the objects found there as part of the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements. What does their day look like? How do they know what they’re looking at? How do archaeologists do archaeology?

Introducing Field 44

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000

In this first episode, we introduce the intriguing site known as Field 44 and discuss what we know so far. Why is this site being excavated? What have they discovered? And what surprises have they found?