New season begins

 

The 2026 excavation has started. The investigation of this Dorset Deserted Medieval Village will continue to uncover the life of this settlement. We opened up a second 10m square and more features became apparent, so we will pick up our trowels once more every Wednesday and Sunday. 

This year we will publish our day-to-day Dig Diary along with photos of features dug and artefacts found. 

Here is the first interesting find:

This would have been used to mend two parts of a broken ceramic vessel. This has a long history, as ceramics were not just thrown away if they could be mended. The Romans did it too. In fact, there is still a very small fragment of pot under the flanges. 

 

Stone me!

 In 2023 Past Participate CIC announced the discovery of a rare earth-fast polissoir. This sarsen stone was used during the Neolithic period for polishing stone tools and today is located in the Valley of Stones, Little Bredy. 

In this illustrated talk Dr Hayley Roberts will not only discuss the polissoir but also lead us through the complex prehistoric landscape within which it sits, considering the nearby monuments, their purposes and connections. Hayley is a Co-Director of Past Participate and will also highlight the work that Past Participate do to connect local people with archaeology and the important contribution this makes to their research. 

Come along to Stratton village hall, near Dorchester, Dorset on the 28th of April at 2pm. Non-members £5, members free. 

Neolithic News!

For those readers who are Dorset residents, or a nearby county, this is the next monthly talk and get-together. 

Dorset Archaeology: a once a month talk on the deep past of the county.

Brought to you by Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group. Sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

April 11^th 2pm at Stratton village hall. Talks last about 45 minutes.  

This month it is the Neolithic: farming, pottery, monuments and religion.  

Was the Neolithic a new way of life? What exactly is a cursus monument? What were bank barrows used for? Which Dorchester c.5,000-year-old monument is still used today?

These questions will be looked at by the speaker for general discussion, with tea/coffee and cake/biscuits as well! Come along to meet other archaeology enthusiasts, have a chat and exchange ideas.   

Dig 2026

The 2026 season will begin on 1st March, with the topsoil stripping. 8th March will be the first excavation day. Lets hope that this continual rain will stop by then! 

 

Pot luck!

 

We have received the pottery report and the results are very interesting. Not only have we dated the large north-south ditches to the 12th-13th century and 13th-14th century but we have a Roman date for the east-west ditches! The DMV has ancient roots. 

'Love the Past' talk

DORSET DIGGERS 'LOVE THE PAST' TALK

Come along to Stratton Village Hall to meet Nessie Fairhair, who will give a talk on the Anglo-Saxons on the 7th of February at 3pm. Tea/coffee & snacks will be available. Members free/non-members £5.  

 

Happy New (Digging) Year!

 

We are all looking forward to the 2026 digging season here at Dorset Diggers. Our next trench will be over one of the house platforms that we believe to be constructed of stone and we also hope that other features will turn up. Last season our small 2m x 4m trench, as well as metal detecting, brought up metal and pottery by the tray load! 

We are also looking forward to the reports on the age and fabric of our 2025 pottery samples, as well as the soil samples we bagged up, which will allow us to reconstruct the immediate environment of the DMV several hundred years ago.  

Keep looking in to find out how much more archaeology we can uncover in 2026.