Dissecting the dirt

Join our Dissecting the dirt advanced archaeology club for young people aged 16 – 25!

Gain valuable transferable skills including project management and leadership by planning and supporting our Young Archaeologists Club, then get in-depth archaeological training from our community archaeologist, Alexis. These full-day sessions are filled with exciting hands-on opportunities to gain valuable skills for the future!

You’ll start by helping with our Young Archaeologists’ Club and later in the term, you will plan and facilitate the upcoming sessions. In the afternoon you’ll focus on gaining in-depth, practical archaeological training – the skills you’ll learn are useful in the field, but also in many different career paths. The sessions will be informative, interesting and will give you a chance to get creative!

Term schedule

Saturday 24 September – Community archaeology 

An introduction to how archaeology works in the UK from both commercial and community led perspectives. Archaeology is a relatively recent academic subject and has seen significant developments since the 1970’s. This session will explain how it fits into planning law and how it can work within community projects. It will be accompanied with a site tour

Saturday 15 October – The archaeological record

How do you record an archaeological excavation? What are the systems used on site and how do they work? The Single Context Recording system was developed by the Department of Urban Archaeology in the late 1970’s, arriving in published form in 1980. This session will explain how the system represents best practice, and how it can be used to excavate a variety of archaeological sites.

Saturday 20 November – Site formation

What are the processes involved in the formation of an archaeological site and how do archaeologists interpret them? What causes land build up and how are features interpreted? This session looks at the processes which create ‘archaeology’ in the form of both positive and negative impacts.