1 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:11,256 These islands we call home have a rich and varied history 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,760 stretching back thousands of years. 3 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,856 But hidden under the ground and underwater 4 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,776 are some amazing treasures just waiting to be found. 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,536 Wow! 6 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,336 So, each year, all across the country, 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,896 archaeologists dig, dive 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:33,736 and explore their way down... 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:35,136 Oh, this is brilliant. 10 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,816 ...searching for fresh discoveries. 11 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,856 And it is completely intact. 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,096 Revealing traces of ancient cultures... 13 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:48,176 - The shoe is 2,803 years old. - Oh, wow. 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,616 ...and unearthing fascinating artefacts. 15 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,656 Oh, that's a nice thing. What is it? 16 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,016 I've never seen anything quite like it in my career. 17 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,056 Every dig adds new pieces 18 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,896 to the ever-growing archaeological jigsaw... 19 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:02,496 That's so cool, isn't it? 20 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,560 ...That is the epic story of our islands. 21 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,816 This year, I visit digs in some extraordinary locations. 22 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,376 The ceiling just got a bit lower. 23 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,976 And I call on the help of a trio of expert investigators... 24 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,416 It's quite difficult to find any other evidence 25 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,416 of things that just don't leave a mark in the archaeology. 26 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,216 This is a really powerful document 27 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,776 because we're getting to hear the voices that we don't usually hear. 28 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:34,056 ...Who delve deeper to answer the questions raised by the finds. 29 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,696 Is all of this already recorded in books? 30 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,560 There was none of this in a book anywhere. 31 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,696 Finally, the archaeologists bring their most amazing discoveries 32 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:47,176 into our tent... 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:48,896 Astonishing! 34 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:50,816 ...for up-close analysis. 35 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,896 Genuinely rewriting history. 36 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,360 Welcome to Digging For Britain. 37 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,176 In this episode, I'll be exploring the best archaeological digs 38 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:12,880 in southern England. 39 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:17,456 On a building site in Kent, 40 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,376 archaeologists discover one of the oldest finds 41 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,016 we've ever seen on Digging For Britain. 42 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,016 So what's your ballpark figure at the moment? 43 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,256 Our ballpark figure at the moment is probably about 44 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,120 300,000 to 350,000 years old. 45 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,656 On the White Cliffs of Dover, 46 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,216 a top-secret military installation... 47 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,936 It's a constant 12 degrees down here. 48 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:41,936 Feels colder than that. 49 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,576 ...is opened up to archaeologists. 50 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,496 We have done a fingertip search. 51 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,936 Technology was still confidential then, 52 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:54,296 - so all of the equipment was smashed into small pieces down here. - Mm. 53 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,216 And, for the first time, archaeologists unearth 54 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,056 a medieval mud dock, building warships 55 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,056 for one of England's greatest warrior kings... 56 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,616 We're going through the entrance to the dock. 57 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,456 ...With finds popping up everywhere. 58 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,936 We've got tens of thousands of these things 59 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,560 scattered along the whole foreshore for more than a quarter of a mile. 60 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,520 The South of England - gateway to the Continent. 61 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,016 It's been a centre of human activity for thousands of years, 62 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:36,360 providing rich pickings for archaeologists. 63 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,656 But not all evidence of human life is found in trenches. 64 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,040 Sometimes you just need to follow the tides. 65 00:03:55,400 --> 00:04:00,056 Our first discovery was made not on an archaeological dig, 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,040 but on the edge of the Thames Estuary, in the North Kent Marshes. 67 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,856 It's a favourite haunt for archaeologist Steve Tomlinson, 68 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,576 who's also a mud larker. 69 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,880 He looks for finds lying on the surface of the mud of the estuary. 70 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,176 No trowel or spade is needed here, 71 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,816 just a keen eye and the ability to pick out finds 72 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,816 of real archaeological significance. 73 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:32,336 Yeah, just having a look on the mud, 74 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,616 see if there's finds, anything unusual 75 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,200 or any pot sherds of any kind. 76 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:42,256 Just anything that has basically been washed up by the tide. 77 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:44,696 It may seem a bit haphazard, 78 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,840 but mud larking has led Steve to make some intriguing discoveries. 79 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,856 I've been mud larking for roughly about seven years now. 80 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,296 Every day is different. 81 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,896 You can get really good days and really quiet days. 82 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:02,256 You just don't know what's going to turn up. 83 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:05,400 No. Don't care about that one. 84 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,136 It's the thrill of going out there to say, 85 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,240 "What is out there today? What can I get? What can I find?" 86 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:16,136 Quite interesting. 87 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,296 Looks like we've got a piece of Roman pottery here. 88 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,296 Possibly... second century. 89 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:26,736 So we call that a combing design inside, which is quite nice. 90 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,776 That's probably going to be a small storage jar. 91 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,576 Yeah, just washed in on the tides after nearly 2,000 years, 92 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:35,120 so that's very nice. 93 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,056 Some finds are easy to identify. 94 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,096 Others can kick-start a detective trail 95 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,960 involving colleagues, universities and the British Museum. 96 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:51,440 Oh, that's interesting. 97 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,560 Well, looks like some piece of dried skin. 98 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:00,256 So I'm going to take that, 99 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:03,096 because that could turn out to be something good, 100 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:04,616 which would be lovely. 101 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:10,096 In September 2022, Steve found a scrap of hide or leather like this, 102 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,656 and it's turned out to be something extraordinary. 103 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,576 I saw this flat piece of leather, 104 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:18,616 which looked like a shoe sole. 105 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,696 So... Thought it'd be interesting, 106 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,336 so I picked it up, just looked really old 107 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,600 and I think that's what really got my excitement going a bit. 108 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,336 Six months later, Steve found something else 109 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,880 which proved to be part of a leather bag. 110 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:43,696 Both finds have been sent for radiocarbon dating. 111 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,936 And we've also asked archaeological conservator 112 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,216 and Digging For Britain regular Dana Goodburn-Brown 113 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:55,880 to carry out a microscopic examination of these artefacts. 114 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:01,840 Steve's come to the tent to see what she's discovered. 115 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:07,576 Dana, it's lovely to see you again. 116 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,656 - I'm always excited when you turn up with your microscope... - Thank you. 117 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,536 ...And this just looks like the most incredible find. 118 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,496 And, Steve, you found it. 119 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,976 Tell me what we've got here and how you found it. 120 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,296 I found these, both of these, mud larking. 121 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,976 - So you're looking along the foreshore. - Looking on the foreshore 122 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,336 and came across this shoe, which is absolutely incredible. 123 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:28,936 - Can I hold it? - Of course you can. 124 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:30,376 - Is that all right? - Yes, of course. 125 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:31,936 Oh, my goodness. 126 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:33,936 And I suppose being an archaeologist, 127 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:36,576 I kind of had an inkling it was quite good. 128 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:38,336 - Can I turn it over? - Yeah, of course you can. 129 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,816 So I sent it off to a carbon dating unit in Scotland. 130 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,056 Right. 131 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,536 And four weeks later, they came back with a date 132 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,560 of 888 to 781 BC. 133 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,416 - Wow! - Which is 2,803 years old. 134 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,656 It was the oldest shoe ever found within the British Isles. 135 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,016 So this places it late Bronze Age, early Iron Age. 136 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,536 - So it's late Bronze Age, yes, or early Iron Age. - Yeah. 137 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,416 - So, at that point, you found the earliest shoe in Britain. - Yes. 138 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,896 This shoe also went up to the British Museum. 139 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,656 - Yeah. - They got no other record. 140 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,496 This is the smallest Bronze Age shoe ever found in the world. 141 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:14,656 That's amazing. 142 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,176 I'm just imagining this little Bronze Age kid 143 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,656 - running along the banks of the river... - I know. 144 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,896 ...And then they come back and their mum goes, "Where's your other shoe?" 145 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,096 - I know. - And it's gone. 146 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,656 And that's it, until Steve finds it. 147 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:30,416 - Yeah. - I love it. Yeah. 148 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:31,896 Again, it's opened up history. 149 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,056 You know, we make shoes for toddlers and babies, 150 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,376 and we never knew that actually existed in history. 151 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:40,176 - It's lovely, isn't it? - Which is amazing. 152 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,016 Cos we're right back in pre-history, there's nothing written down. 153 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,896 - Their mums were just the same. - They're so cute, those little shoes. 154 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,096 - Yeah. - So... - It's lovely. 155 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,536 Dana, what can you say about this leather, then? 156 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:52,856 - I see you've got your microscope. - I do. 157 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,936 What can you tell by magnifying them? 158 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:57,096 I mean, the first stop for a conservator 159 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,176 is to look at, record what's there. 160 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,656 And one thing about this shoe, it doesn't make sense, really, 161 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:05,696 quite what it is and how it can be used, 162 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:07,656 but most of it is lost edges. 163 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:11,616 So all around the edge here, so it's either worn away or torn. 164 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:12,816 Right. 165 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,816 So that means it is a bit of guesswork to figure out 166 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,896 - exactly what shape it started with. - Yeah. 167 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,296 I took it to X-ray because it looked like it was in two layers 168 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,456 and then it does seem to be, like, two layers. 169 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,576 So it's not two layers of the original leather? 170 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,456 It's actually two pieces of leather which have been applied together? 171 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:32,256 - Yeah, it seems to be. - Stuck together? 172 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:34,520 - And then what about this bit? - Yes. Well, this... 173 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,856 - You can hold this one, too. - It's still really supple, isn't it? 174 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,896 - It is. - Yeah. - We think it's half of a bag. 175 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,896 And so, once again, a mud larking find, 176 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:48,616 - 60 foot away from the late Bronze Age shoe. - Yeah. 177 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,736 And sent it off and it came back with a date 178 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:55,976 of 2578 to 2466 BC. 179 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,576 - Which is the late Neolithic period. - So it's even older. 180 00:09:58,600 --> 00:09:59,936 So it's even older. 181 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:03,216 It's 1,700 years older than the late Bronze Age shoe. 182 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,216 So we now know we've got the oldest piece of leather 183 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,856 found in the British Isles and the second. 184 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,536 - Found by the same person. - By the same person, yes. 185 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:13,296 - Honestly, that is incredible. - Yeah. 186 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:17,936 We don't get organic remains being preserved very often. 187 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,056 And to have ended up finding these pieces of leather 188 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,416 - from the Bronze Age and the Neolithic... - Still in shock. 189 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:25,056 - ...It's just extraordinary. - Yes. 190 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:27,536 And do you think this interpretation of that piece of leather 191 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:30,416 is a potential bag? Does that make sense, looking at it? 192 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,776 Kind of. Again, that's not my speciality. 193 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,696 But the British Museum did think it might be part of a bag. 194 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,696 But I'm fascinated by this residue on the top. 195 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:41,400 Take a look down my screen here. 196 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,696 Looking at the bag found in the salty mud of the estuary, 197 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,960 Dana is drawn to a small waxy deposit. 198 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,256 What is that strange bit of brownish colour? 199 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:56,656 Well, it's so interesting. 200 00:10:56,680 --> 00:10:59,176 And it gets even more intriguing. 201 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,880 I can't wait to show you. 202 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,216 This is what really excites me. 203 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,296 - Oh. - These are little diatoms, 204 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:12,576 - which are little single-celled creatures that live in water. - Yeah. 205 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:16,616 I think these are freshwater diatoms. 206 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,776 This is stuck on the surface of the oily, waxy thing. 207 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:23,776 Are they likely to have come from the mud? 208 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,456 - Well, no, because it was found in the estuary, in a salty area. - Right. 209 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:32,336 - And they're not in the leather. It's only in this deposit. - Right. 210 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,456 So I'm thinking, "Why is it on that?" 211 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,416 Maybe it was carrying fresh water 212 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,896 or while it was still fairly fresh and sticky enough, 213 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,136 it was lost somewhere in freshwater. 214 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,456 So, somewhere along the line, that bag has picked up 215 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,696 these freshwater organisms and it's ended up in an estuary. 216 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,416 - So it can't have come from the estuary. Yeah. - Yeah. 217 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,056 It's just amazing. It's like archaeology an absolutely... 218 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:57,936 - Micro... - ..microscopic scale, yeah. 219 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,896 And there are clearly more secrets to come 220 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:03,016 - from these pieces of leather. - I know. 221 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:04,456 We know how old they are, 222 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,896 we know they're Bronze Age and Neolithic. 223 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:10,400 - But there's still a lot more to find out about them. - Absolutely. 224 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,616 The scientific detective trail hasn't ended yet. 225 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,920 There's clearly more to be revealed. 226 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,456 But there's enough here already to work out 227 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,080 what the shoe might have looked like. 228 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,536 Professional leather worker Jess Connolly 229 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:31,200 has been trying to reconstruct its shape. 230 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:33,856 So when I looked at the leather, 231 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,656 you could see on the leather where the gaps were, 232 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:39,336 where it looked torn, the bit cut off at the back. 233 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,256 And to me, as a leather worker, 234 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,136 that indicated that those are where holes were 235 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,376 - that had been pulled wider or were degrading. - Yeah. 236 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,736 So I used a bit of poetic licence 237 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:54,496 and sort of thought, "Well, these will be holes all around here." 238 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:59,056 And so I started to form the varying sorts. 239 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:00,120 So... 240 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:06,896 - ...we have many different styles of the shoe. - Yeah. 241 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,696 - And what it potentially could be. - Yeah. 242 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,096 I believe they would have used veg-tanned leather, 243 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,536 whereby they would have punched the holes in 244 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:17,416 using what's called a piercer. 245 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,776 And then what I would do is, I actually pin it into place 246 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,936 so that you're able to form the essence of the shoe. 247 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:27,136 - So we can see now that this is a moccasin. - Yeah. 248 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:32,336 And then I get... I cut a scrap off to form the moccasin. 249 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,136 That's really lovely. 250 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,576 That's really great to get my head around, actually, 251 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,816 what this shoe could have looked like. 252 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:45,736 I did spend an awful lot of time looking through various books 253 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:50,616 to see the styles that are around in that period to give me a clue. 254 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:52,216 - But we haven't got much. - There's not. 255 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,256 I mean, this is the earliest shoe from Britain. 256 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,216 Yeah, the nearest thing is in Denmark, 257 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,096 the name that I can never pronounce, 258 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:03,216 something Torvigo with Margrethe Hald and her works. 259 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,696 So you've had a look at some other prehistoric shoes from Scandinavia 260 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:08,816 and come up with these different ideas? 261 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,176 I think it's very scientific because what you've done is, 262 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,096 rather than plumping for one, you've thought, 263 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,296 - "What are the possibilities here..." - Absolutely. 264 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:16,856 "..With the evidence that we've got? 265 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:18,776 - "How could this shoe have been formed?" - Yeah. 266 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,536 We've got all those, you know, high-tech scientific techniques 267 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:23,056 that we can throw at it, 268 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,376 but also this kind of practical experimentation 269 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:27,816 is absolutely essential. 270 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,680 - It is, it is. And it's good fun. - Yeah. 271 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:46,176 The discovery of Britain's oldest shoe from the Bronze Age 272 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:48,456 is something quite remarkable. 273 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:54,296 A familiar, everyday object from almost 3,000 years ago. 274 00:14:54,320 --> 00:15:00,416 But the prehistory of Britain stretches back much, much further. 275 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:04,976 Archaeology focuses on those physical traces in the landscape 276 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,896 left by people who were here long before we were. 277 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,336 And it can complement written history, 278 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,216 but it can also push back even earlier 279 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,536 than anything was written down, back into pre-history, 280 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,296 where we find evidence that is thousands of years old, 281 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:25,256 even tens of thousands of years old, 282 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,936 and sometimes hundreds of thousands of years old. 283 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,936 Our next dig brings us to the Medway Valley in Kent, 284 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,320 two miles from the centre of Gillingham. 285 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,616 This dig was happening before the construction of a new school - 286 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,800 The Maritime Academy. 287 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,496 The dig was less than 20 miles from Swanscombe, 288 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:54,896 a place famous for the discovery of ancient Stone Age artefacts, 289 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:00,640 but also a 400,000-year-old skull from an archaic species of human. 290 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,776 There's always the possibility of finding more evidence 291 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:13,680 of early humans in these ancient layers of silt and gravel. 292 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,576 I think it's worth going down a bit more. 293 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,936 The excavation at the school site 294 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,600 dug down into gravels dating to 300,000 years ago. 295 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:26,840 Taking us back... 296 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:31,160 ...into the Palaeolithic period. 297 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,176 Watching over the dig and ready to swoop on anything interesting 298 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:40,840 was a team led by geoarchaeologist Letty Ingrey. 299 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:47,376 When we excavate a site like this ahead of a construction project, 300 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,736 it's not possible to hand dig - 301 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,856 it would take years and years, 302 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,176 and there are a lot of kids waiting to start school. 303 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:59,376 So most of the digging we actually did by machine 304 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:01,376 and between each pull of the machine, 305 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,696 we had someone on the side of the trench 306 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:05,736 that would sift through all the deposits 307 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,416 looking for artefacts, 308 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,336 and an archaeologist would also enter the trench between each pull 309 00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:13,656 and have a look at the deposits there 310 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,016 to see if there are any artefacts. 311 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:17,896 Hang on a sec. Just going to have a look. 312 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,656 It requires huge concentration and focus, 313 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,920 as Stone Age artefacts are extremely rare. 314 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,696 Letty had been working here nonstop for two months 315 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:30,976 and had found nothing significant 316 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,416 until, one day, something caught her eye. 317 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,640 Something that made all the hard work worthwhile. 318 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:41,336 I saw the tip first. 319 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,256 The long, kind of pointed tip. 320 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,456 It's something that's unmistakable when you see it. 321 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:51,376 It's so different from the other kind of pebbles and bits of gravel. 322 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,360 So obviously human-made. 323 00:17:55,360 --> 00:18:00,256 It was the first glimpse of something very exciting. 324 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,616 Ancient stone tools known as hand axes, 325 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,600 and some were huge! 326 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,536 I spend a lot of time digging holes, looking for things, 327 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:13,856 and it's very rare to actually find them. 328 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:16,560 It's a big thing. It's what keeps you going. 329 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:25,016 Rare finds like this give archaeologists insights 330 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,120 into ancient technology... 331 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,160 ...from hundreds of thousands of years ago. 332 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,216 I've asked Letty to bring her finds to the tent 333 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,216 so I can get a closer look. 334 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,696 But, first, I also want to find out more about the site 335 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,320 where these remarkable hand axes were found. 336 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,336 - So have you got pictures of the site? - I do. 337 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:55,816 So what I've got, actually, is a photogrammetry model. 338 00:18:55,840 --> 00:19:00,696 So this trench here is about 70 metres long. 339 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,416 - Oh, it's huge! OK. - And about four metres wide. 340 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:05,016 So, yeah, so it's quite big. 341 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,056 I mean, it doesn't look like there's much there. 342 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:09,736 I mean, this is the nature of Palaeolithic archaeology, isn't it, 343 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:11,456 is that very often it looks quite empty. 344 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,496 Yeah, a lot of the time you don't find anything, 345 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:15,576 but when you do it, it is amazing. 346 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,096 Letty, these are absolutely incredible. 347 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:20,576 I mean, this one in particular is massive. 348 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,056 So we think this is the third-biggest hand axe 349 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,336 - ever found in Britain so far. - Really? 350 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,176 Yeah, which is quite incredible. 351 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:33,056 - They're more like large knives as opposed to axes. - Yeah. 352 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:34,736 It's very sharp, it's very strong. 353 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,576 Would have been really good for things like cutting up meat, 354 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:39,776 probably other uses as well. 355 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,136 If I look at this one... 356 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:46,456 - It's, um... I mean, that's a hefty object. - It is. 357 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:48,616 This type of stone tool is fascinating, isn't it? 358 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:51,536 Because it goes way back into prehistory and, you know, 359 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,056 very early types of humans were making stone tools 360 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,256 which were actually quite similar to this. 361 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,096 Yeah, I think about 1.7 million, 1.8 million years ago, 362 00:19:59,120 --> 00:20:02,576 - you get the first kind of hand axes in Africa. - Yeah. 363 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,416 And in Britain, I think about 600,000 years ago. 364 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,456 - Yeah, yeah. - That kind of thing. 365 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,176 It's quite extraordinary, isn't it, that you've got a technology 366 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,136 which kind of stays the same pretty much for, as you say, 367 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,736 - 1.7 million, 1.8 million years. - It really works. - Yeah. 368 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,296 I can't stop touching them. 369 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,016 They're so tactile and it's really lovely to see these 370 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,240 - so fresh out of the ground as well. Thank you so much. - No worries. 371 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,296 ♪ Let's gather us up 372 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,776 ♪ To the heavens above 373 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,096 ♪ We can always 374 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:41,296 ♪ Come back, my love... ♪ 375 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:46,016 The South of England is well known for its megalithic architecture, 376 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,936 often built using Sarsen stones - 377 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,280 huge sandstone boulders. 378 00:20:56,120 --> 00:21:00,976 Stonehenge in Wiltshire is a world-famous example. 379 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:06,040 In neighbouring Dorset, there's an equally rich ceremonial landscape. 380 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:14,656 For our next dig, we travelled to the windswept Tenants Hill 381 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,440 near Dorchester in South Dorset. 382 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,736 This collection of Sarsen stones 383 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,296 is called The Grey Mare and her Colts. 384 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,976 It's an odd name, but what we're looking at is a Neolithic tomb. 385 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,416 So this is where some of Britain's earliest farmers 386 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:37,016 would have buried their dead. 387 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:39,296 And the surrounding landscape in Dorset 388 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,200 is littered with ancient monuments like this. 389 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:51,720 This megalithic architecture dates back to the end of the Stone Age. 390 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:54,880 The Neolithic period. 391 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,976 Now, some of these monuments are less obvious than others. 392 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,736 And today I'm here to look at one which is so well hidden 393 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:11,520 it's only just been recognised. 394 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:18,120 A community dig is taking place up on this hill. 395 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,520 It's being led by archaeologist Anne Teather. 396 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:30,136 The team have found what they believe to be a Neolithic tomb, 397 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,936 but there are no huge stones this time, 398 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,680 and only the merest trace of a mound. 399 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,056 - Anne. - Hi. - Hi. - Nice to meet you. - Hello. 400 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,456 Now, you promised me a barrow. 401 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,896 I can't see a barrow. I can see you've got a trench open here. 402 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,656 But how did you find it? It looks so subtle. 403 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,336 So we completed some geophysics, 404 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:54,856 - and so we know that there is something here. - OK. 405 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:59,296 We're looking at what we think is a Neolithic oval barrow, 406 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,496 which is a type of mortuary monument 407 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,496 that was common between about 4000 and 3500 BC. 408 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:07,056 - And that's this whole kind of shape here? - Absolutely. 409 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:10,816 So we think this central area would have been the mortuary chamber. 410 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:16,416 And then we had a flint bank that was coming around the outside 411 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,640 - and both an inner ditch and an outer ditch. - OK. 412 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:26,800 The geophysics provides a rough map, but not much in the way of detail. 413 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:31,256 The team have dug a trench to try to understand 414 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,040 how this burial chamber was constructed. 415 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,936 So if we just start here, we've got a linear feature coming through. 416 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:41,256 Yeah. This edge here. 417 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:44,536 This edge, yes, which is rectangular. 418 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:46,496 We're just trying to see how far that extends. 419 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:48,800 But this may be part of the inner chamber. 420 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,696 The inner chamber would have formed the core of the burial mound. 421 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:59,056 And Anne's colleague, Jim Rylatt, has discovered a series of features 422 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,000 which point towards how this was built. 423 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,936 You've got stones poking out around the edge. 424 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,056 So that's classic post hole. 425 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,496 You dig a big hole, put your post in and then fill the spaces 426 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,096 in around the posts with stones to hold it in place. 427 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:15,496 And that's another one. 428 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,736 We've got another one there and another one over there. 429 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,456 - Is that potentially an another one? - Yeah, I think so, yes. - Yeah. 430 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,136 I want to clean that up. Have you got a spare trowel? 431 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,696 - You can have mine. - And can I? Can I have...? Thank you. 432 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,336 You may. Please help yourself. 433 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:29,616 Have a little look at this. 434 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:32,120 It looks suspiciously like another post hole, doesn't it? 435 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,480 I'm happier excavating skeletons, but, um... 436 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,016 So finding these post holes was really helpful 437 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,536 because it is beginning to give us an indication 438 00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:49,576 - of how the barrow was built. - Yeah. 439 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,336 And that it's got this timber chamber in the centre of it, 440 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:57,216 and then presumably that flint bank's built up against that 441 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,856 - and then covered in earth? - And then covered an earth. 442 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:02,040 Yes. 443 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,096 As well as piecing together how the barrow was constructed, 444 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:12,256 the team are hoping to accurately date it, 445 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,400 and Jim has just uncovered something that could help. 446 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,656 - We've got this large deposit of charcoal. - Yeah. 447 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,336 But at the bottom of it is a big chunk of pottery, 448 00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:25,736 which is good at one level, 449 00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,616 because we should get a date for it from the charcoal. 450 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,776 Oh, amazing. If the charcoal's overlying it, 451 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,616 any date you get on the charcoal, you know the pottery predates that. 452 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,640 - Yep. - Yes. - Yeah. 453 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,896 Radiocarbon dating can only be carried out on organic material. 454 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,256 So finding charcoal is a stroke of luck. 455 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:52,096 But it also gives another clue about how the tomb was used. 456 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:55,576 The amount of charcoal there is really striking. 457 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,976 So it's likely that this was some cooking vessel. 458 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,856 Somebody's passed away, and they're gathering together to remember them. 459 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,960 And then the results of that feast go into the ditch. 460 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,176 As well as this hidden barrow, 461 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:18,016 the team are exploring the wider Neolithic landscape 462 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,136 on and around Tenants Hill, 463 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,696 including a circle of Sarsens 464 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,336 that's just a stone's throw away from the tomb. 465 00:26:28,360 --> 00:26:30,416 This is a lovely stone circle. 466 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,056 So what do you think the relationship is 467 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:35,816 between this and your long barrow? 468 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,296 I mean, they're very close to each other. 469 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,296 They are very close to each other and I think that's quite unusual. 470 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,656 And these stones are just representing the last bit of Sarsen 471 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,256 in this landscape. 472 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,856 So we do wonder if perhaps they were once the facades 473 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,296 - to the long barrow. - Oh, right, yeah. 474 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,136 And had perhaps been moved at some later point 475 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,096 and made into a stone circle here. 476 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:58,496 And what about the stones themselves? Are they...? 477 00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:00,816 Are they naturally occurring up here on the hill 478 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:02,296 or have they come from elsewhere? 479 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,176 They've definitely come from elsewhere. 480 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,256 They're not naturally occurring at this size, in this volume 481 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:08,536 on this landscape. 482 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,816 And there is another location where there are many, many stones, 483 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:14,216 and we think that they've been brought up from there. 484 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,816 - And how far away is it? - It's only about a kilometre that way. - Yeah? 485 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,080 - Shall we go and take a look? - Yeah. - Absolutely. - I'd love to. 486 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,376 Anne thinks these Sarsen stones were recycled, 487 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:38,360 taken from the tomb to create this stone circle. 488 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,216 But I want to see where they came from originally, 489 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,296 down in the Valley. 490 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,200 And there's some extraordinary archaeology here. 491 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:54,440 It's wonderful. It is like a river of Sarsen stones. 492 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,256 They have all fallen naturally in this space. 493 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,240 They would have been on top of the hill. 494 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,056 So out of all the stones here, this one's really special. 495 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:15,336 - What makes it special? - So this is a Neolithic polishing stone - 496 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:17,376 a polissoir. 497 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,936 And is that what we're looking at here, this smooth bit? 498 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,296 - Absolutely, yes. - Yeah. How has that happened? 499 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,216 - Somebody's been polishing something on there? - Yes. 500 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:28,736 So polished stone axes are really characteristic 501 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,776 - of the early Neolithic. - Yeah. 502 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:34,056 And they make hundreds, thousands of them 503 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:38,816 - and then polish them to a high lustre and surface. - Yeah. 504 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,376 That's incredible. So it's never been seen before? 505 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,216 - It's never been noted before? - It's never been noted before. 506 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:49,456 And there's only one other find in England that's similar near Avebury. 507 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:50,896 - Really? - Yeah. 508 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:52,696 So you know what was happening here, 509 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,136 that people were polishing these stone axes, 510 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,216 and Neolithic people were probably sitting 511 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:02,680 - just where we are, doing this? - Doing this. - Yeah. It's brilliant. 512 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,040 Song With No Name by Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane 513 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,536 ♪ Sadness for the ones 514 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:25,560 ♪ Who've walked before me... ♪ 515 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:31,976 Some of the earliest traces of communities living in the south 516 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,280 lie hidden beneath our rolling hills and fields. 517 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,656 Others, though, are locked beneath the many layers 518 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:45,496 of archaeology under our modern, thriving cities. 519 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,800 Origin stories just waiting to be discovered. 520 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,936 There are dozens of beautiful historic cathedrals across the UK. 521 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:04,776 Most cities have one, some have two or even more, 522 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:09,296 and the earliest of them go back 1,000 years into the Middle Ages. 523 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:12,856 But we suspect that many of them are built on the site 524 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:16,096 of even earlier churches or other buildings. 525 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,096 But, of course, it's very rare 526 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,000 that archaeologists get a chance to test that out. 527 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,816 But they are getting that opportunity at our next dig, 528 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:35,120 in the grounds of Exeter Cathedral in South Devon. 529 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:42,576 There are plans to build a new cloister gallery here 530 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,720 to help tell the story of the cathedral's 12th Century origins. 531 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:52,496 Before construction can start, archaeologists are digging down 532 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:56,936 into medieval layers right next to the cathedral. 533 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:00,896 And, in fact, the archaeology being uncovered here 534 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:06,296 goes even deeper, right back to the foundation of the city 535 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,480 as Isca Dumnoniorum... 536 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:13,736 ...in the Roman period. 537 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,896 The dig is being led by the cathedral's resident archaeologist, 538 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:19,080 John Allan. 539 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:25,056 We're standing on a very important archaeological site. 540 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:29,456 The centre of Exeter has buried Roman remains, 541 00:31:29,480 --> 00:31:32,576 the earliest of which go back to the 1st Century, 542 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,856 to the foundation of Exeter as a legionary fortress 543 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:37,976 of the 1st Century AD. 544 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,480 And parts of the fortress are under our feet. 545 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:51,296 It's a significant find because occasions to get down so deeply 546 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:56,136 into the archaeology of the city arise fairly infrequently. 547 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,520 It's years since we've seen this kind of evidence emerge. 548 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:08,216 The fortress was originally the base for the Second Augustan Legion, 549 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,160 who arrived as part of the invading Roman army. 550 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,216 Project manager Simon Hughes has uncovered the very point 551 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,200 when Roman Exeter began. 552 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:23,616 What we're looking at here is the geology, 553 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,936 which is river terrace gravels. 554 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:27,976 This is prehistoric soil. 555 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,616 We know that because overlying it 556 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:34,496 is this thick band of reddish clay. 557 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:39,256 Now, this is important because this was the land surface 558 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,336 at the time when, in about 55 AD, 559 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,576 that the Roman Legionary Army arrived. And we know that 560 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,896 because this orange clay, this is what they laid down 561 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:51,496 as a levelling and through which they would have constructed 562 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:53,000 their barrack buildings. 563 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,936 During the height of the fortress, 564 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:59,960 you'd have had approximately 6,000 soldiers here. 565 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,856 Now, this horizon here between the two deposits 566 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,496 is a lovely point in time, because this was the layer 567 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,696 on which the soldiers would have walked about 568 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,400 when they first arrived in Exeter and set up their fortress. 569 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,536 The dig takes us back to the origins of the fortress. 570 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,416 But the archaeologists are also uncovering finds 571 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:26,896 that give us a glimpse into the Roman legionaries' lives. 572 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,536 What we have here is fragments from a Roman bowl. 573 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:36,016 This is what's called Samian ware and it dates from mid 1st Century. 574 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:39,216 It's got a nice motif of a bird on this one. 575 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:43,336 And this date is about sort of 40 to 85 AD, 576 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,856 so perhaps was brought over with the troops. 577 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:51,376 With this, we've got this lovely glass counter. 578 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,576 These would have been like your equivalent to your checkers today, 579 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:58,416 that sort of thing. So this is part of a gaming set. 580 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,280 So a nice little group of finds. 581 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,496 We know that the Second Augustan Legion was based here 582 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,376 for around 20 years before they moved to South Wales. 583 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:20,080 And the fortress at Exeter evolved into a civilian town. 584 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,016 Remarkably, Simon has found an intact corner 585 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,336 of a Roman civilian townhouse. 586 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:31,376 You can see Roman block work here. 587 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:36,736 And what's interesting is, elsewhere, Roman masonry 588 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,656 had been completely robbed out and reused for medieval buildings. 589 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:42,376 But this bit they've left in, 590 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:46,000 which is an absolutely fantastic piece of architecture. 591 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:51,720 This section here, we're looking at a Roman townhouse floor surface. 592 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:55,936 We've got the preparation layer, 593 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:58,776 which is this quite bright red clay, 594 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:04,360 and sat on top of it this lovely smooth surface here. 595 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:08,496 So we can really picture what the floor would have been like 596 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:12,256 within these buildings that the Roman inhabitants of Exeter 597 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:13,640 would have walked on. 598 00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:22,736 Thanks to this rare opportunity to dig deep under Exeter's cathedral, 599 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,576 archaeologists have discovered new, tangible evidence 600 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,800 of life in the city during the Roman period. 601 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:40,256 Lost and Found by Johnny Flynn 602 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:42,376 ♪ Just a lonely radio 603 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,856 ♪ Just a makeshift show and tell 604 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:48,760 ♪ Playing out the lives of the lost and found... ♪ 605 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:54,616 For centuries, the coastline of the South of England 606 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,240 was where the bulk of our famous Navy was based and built. 607 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:06,456 By the mid-18th century, Britain had evolved into a naval superpower. 608 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:10,656 But the origins of the shipbuilding industry here in the South 609 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:13,696 go back a few hundred years before that. 610 00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:18,360 ♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah... ♪ 611 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:22,056 There are plenty of shipyards in the UK 612 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:26,536 where the tradition of shipbuilding goes back for centuries, 613 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:28,576 but redevelopment over the years 614 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:32,416 has obscured earlier phases of their history. 615 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,416 But our next site was abandoned, 616 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:39,616 so archaeologists have been able to peel back time 617 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:43,720 and reveal an intact medieval shipyard. 618 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:50,856 The abandoned shipyard is in Smallhythe in Kent. 619 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:54,760 Somewhat strangely, it's more than ten miles from the sea. 620 00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:02,696 Archaeologists are trying to trace the first physical evidence 621 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,040 of the historic shipyard here. 622 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,736 - Oh! - Oh! Nice. - That's kind of lovely. 623 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:10,336 Oh, that is lovely. 624 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:12,120 It's really, really nice. 625 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:21,120 Smallhythe's shipbuilding story goes back to the 15th century... 626 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:26,240 ...at the end of the Medieval period. 627 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:31,216 Henry V reigned for just nine years. 628 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:33,856 But his military victories against France, 629 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:36,296 including the Battle of Agincourt, 630 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,920 made him a celebrated warrior king, immortalised by Shakespeare. 631 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:50,336 There are written accounts telling us 632 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:54,696 that some of Henry V's ships were built here at Smallhythe, 633 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,536 but there's been very little physical trace 634 00:37:57,560 --> 00:37:59,920 of that industry until now. 635 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:08,136 Where we once potentially had great big ships here, 636 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:12,080 certainly the lower parts of them, is now just fields. 637 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,976 - That's the inside. Again, something that's... - Yeah. 638 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:19,656 Nathalie Cohen from the National Trust 639 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,880 is in charge of investigating this 200 acre site. 640 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,136 So this is our site plan. 641 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:34,296 So we wanted to know more detail about how you would construct a ship 642 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:38,696 in a landscape that is so, so different to what we see now. 643 00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:40,176 So where is the foreshore? 644 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,296 Where is the deep enough water to launch your vessels into? 645 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:44,736 So it's all those kind of details 646 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,920 that we wanted to pick up as part of this project. 647 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,416 Over the last two decades, 648 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,096 archaeologists have been trying to establish 649 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,720 the scale of the shipbuilding industry here. 650 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,856 They know that Smallhythe wasn't always 651 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:12,080 as cut-off from the coast as it looks today. 652 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:22,656 In 1332, the Knelle Dam was built across the River Rother, 653 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:26,080 which still flows through East Sussex and Kent. 654 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:30,976 The dam was built primarily as a flood defence, 655 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:34,536 but it changed the course of the river, creating a link 656 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:38,576 between Smallhythe and Winchelsea Beach, 657 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,720 on the coast ten miles away. 658 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:46,576 Smallhythe suddenly became the perfect place 659 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:50,376 to build seagoing vessels in large mud docks 660 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:53,816 dug into the earth on the banks of the river. 661 00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:58,056 So I'm trying to peel back to where I think the real edge is. 662 00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:02,336 Maritime archaeologist Elliott Wragg is trying to track down 663 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:04,200 those elusive mud docks. 664 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:09,056 In the medieval period, right now I'd be standing on the river bank 665 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:12,336 running probably almost along the line of those people in red, 666 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:16,536 all the way along there and running over across to the east as well. 667 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:18,336 This would have been a tidal environment. 668 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:20,416 So if it was low tide, I might be dry. 669 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:21,936 If it was high tide, I'd be wet. 670 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,496 And we're now walking up onto the river bank 671 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:28,456 and now we are into the shipbuilding dock proper 672 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:30,520 here behind the river bank. 673 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:36,976 The excavation has revealed how the mud docks at Smallhythe 674 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:40,920 were dug adjacent to the river bank below water level. 675 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:47,536 Ships were built inside the dock and, when they were ready, 676 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,496 the bank was removed, the dock flooded 677 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:53,736 and the ships could sail out into the river 678 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:55,480 and all the way to the sea. 679 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:02,056 This is dug as a hole. It's not built, it's dug. 680 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:05,456 And we've got a dark horizon here. 681 00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:06,976 Lots of charcoal. 682 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:11,696 And this seems to be a horizon before the dock was dug. 683 00:41:11,720 --> 00:41:16,816 And you can see here in the section running up here, 684 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,256 a series of up-cast deposits. 685 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:23,216 And this is the stuff they're digging out the dock. 686 00:41:23,240 --> 00:41:25,936 They're chucking it up on the side just up here. 687 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:29,776 So we've had a couple of good bits of pottery just out of here 688 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:33,536 between this, which is before the dock was dug, 689 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:37,856 and this, which is the spoil coming out of the dock excavation. 690 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:41,776 So if we can date this by pottery, 691 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,960 then that will tell us when they start digging the dock. 692 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:50,976 The pottery is crucial evidence for the archaeologists 693 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:54,976 trying to understand the medieval origins of shipbuilding 694 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:56,920 here at Smallhythe. 695 00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:03,000 But the size of the dock is also striking. 696 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:08,896 It's quite extraordinary, really, 697 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:10,776 because it's not ship-shaped at all. 698 00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,376 The dock is 24 metres long and 22 metres wide. 699 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:17,576 So what it looks like is that this dock has been dug 700 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:19,240 for the construction of one ship. 701 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,736 History tells us that royal warships were built at Smallhythe 702 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:29,256 and it seems the archaeologists have now located the shipyard. 703 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:34,096 And they're also finding plenty of iron nails and roves, or rivets, 704 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:37,656 which would have been used to hold the ship's timbers together. 705 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:40,176 - What is it? - That's a rove. 706 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:43,600 They found thousands of them all over the site. 707 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:51,216 The excavations, together with surveys, 708 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:55,176 are providing evidence for extensive shipbuilding here 709 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,600 with several separate mud docks. 710 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,056 Even though there's a gale blowing outside the tent, 711 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:12,896 I can't wait to get a closer look at what Elliott and Nathalie have found 712 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:16,056 and what it tells us about the abandoned shipyard 713 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:20,600 that once built vessels for one of England's most famous warrior kings. 714 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:27,456 What we have here is a selection of roves, these diamond-shaped washers. 715 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:30,936 - Yeah. - Medieval shipbuilding is clinker-built. 716 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:33,896 - It's shell-built, so it's overlapping planks. - Yeah. 717 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:36,936 You drive a big nail through it, like this. 718 00:43:36,960 --> 00:43:39,416 - This is a particularly huge example. - That's massive. - Yeah. 719 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:40,896 So this is from a big ship. 720 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:43,736 You drive that through the two planks, 721 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:45,976 you put one of them on the other side 722 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:48,536 and then you bend the nail back over 723 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:50,896 and that forces... forces your planks together. 724 00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:52,176 So it's like a rivet. 725 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:54,496 - It's effectively a medieval rivet, yeah. - Yeah. 726 00:43:54,520 --> 00:43:57,176 And so here we've got the whole range of roves. 727 00:43:57,200 --> 00:44:00,536 They're initially built in strips here and you break them off. 728 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,816 - Oh. - And just use them in strips. - You'd have a strip of them. 729 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:07,016 I just love all this evidence of shipbuilding. That's fantastic. 730 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:10,056 - I mean, it must have been busy. - Really busy. - Really busy. 731 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:12,256 I think you've got to imagine something like a sort of 732 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:15,816 - mad shanty town with sort of 200 or 300 people. - Yeah. 733 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,056 - Basically living in shacks, kind of Wild West. - Mm. 734 00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:20,776 And what about this coin? 735 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:23,376 The top of the dock, running behind it, parallel to the shore, 736 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:25,136 was a gravel road. 737 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:28,016 The earliest documentation of it is 1474. 738 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:30,776 And then the road itself seems to have fallen out of use 739 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:32,856 and collapsed across the top of the dock. 740 00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:36,776 And this coin, which, I think, dates to the 1580s, 741 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:38,736 was in amongst that road collapse. 742 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:42,736 So that gives us sort of a nice sort of end point for the shipbuilding. 743 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:47,176 - So it's Elizabeth I half penny, I think it is. - I think so, yeah. 744 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:49,136 I can see a cross on that side. 745 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:52,176 There's a little crescent on it, which apparently helps to date 746 00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:55,256 the penny within Elizabeth's period, which is nice as well, 747 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:58,256 because we have a 1594 map of the area 748 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:00,216 which shows the east-west road. 749 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,376 So it's quite a nice marrying up of documentary references, 750 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,136 cartographic references and a little bit of archaeology as well. 751 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:08,336 - Yeah, that's lovely, isn't it? - Very satisfying. 752 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:12,096 - Have a bit of absolute dating. - Yeah. - Yeah. - Nice. Yeah. 753 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:16,136 How many other mud docks have been archaeologically excavated 754 00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:19,176 - in this way? - None. - So this... - To my knowledge. 755 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:21,776 - So this is a unique site? - I think so, yeah. 756 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:24,736 Whereas other places we know they're building medieval ships, 757 00:45:24,760 --> 00:45:27,656 London, Portsmouth, Southampton, whatever, 758 00:45:27,680 --> 00:45:30,456 - they keep building ships there. - The shipyard would have developed. 759 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:31,976 The docks get bigger. 760 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:34,656 All the early evidence just gets wiped out. 761 00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:37,336 It's another one of these stories where, you know, the demise 762 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:41,216 of something ends up being an opportunity for the archaeologist. 763 00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:43,456 - Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah. 764 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,776 - I mean, this is the biggest collection of roves... - By far. 765 00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:49,816 - ...Anywhere. - Certainly in the UK, yeah. - Yeah. 766 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:51,336 - Yeah. - Oh, there you go. 767 00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:53,656 The first archaeological evidence of a mud dock. 768 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:55,160 Yeah. Not bad! 769 00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:17,416 Throughout history, the south coast of England has often acted 770 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:21,040 as a front line of defence against would-be invaders. 771 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:27,280 Our next dig takes us to Dover in Kent. 772 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:39,216 The majestic White Cliffs form a stunning backdrop 773 00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:43,840 to the Dover Strait, the narrowest part of the English Channel. 774 00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:50,160 And this place played an active role in Britain's defences... 775 00:46:51,240 --> 00:46:52,920 ...during World War II. 776 00:47:00,080 --> 00:47:04,896 On a beautiful day like this, the coast of France is so clear 777 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:09,056 and there's a constant stream of ferries taking people on holiday. 778 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:12,936 Of course, in the Second World War, it was a completely different story. 779 00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:15,136 That was German-occupied territory 780 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:19,600 and the entire coastline was bristling with firepower. 781 00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:25,256 German forces invaded France in May 1940, 782 00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:29,040 and the British mainland was then within their sights. 783 00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:34,976 The answer to that threat was to build new gun emplacements 784 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:37,456 all along the White Cliffs of Dover. 785 00:47:37,480 --> 00:47:41,416 But they've been invisible in the landscape until now, 786 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,416 when archaeologists are getting the chance 787 00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:45,240 to excavate and reveal them. 788 00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:52,816 In 2017, the National Trust acquired a huge stretch of land 789 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:54,656 along the top of the cliffs, 790 00:47:54,680 --> 00:47:58,000 including some unique wartime defences. 791 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:04,376 The guns from the emplacements were removed in the 1950s 792 00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:07,400 and these sites were demolished and covered over. 793 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:12,896 But now, for the first time, 794 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,056 archaeologists have been given the chance to investigate 795 00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:19,480 these once-classified military installations. 796 00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:26,240 Jon Barker from the National Trust is leading the investigation. 797 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:33,776 So what are we looking at here, then? Where are we? 798 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:37,616 So we're at a Fan Bay Battery on the White Cliffs, 799 00:48:37,640 --> 00:48:40,176 and we've been carrying out an excavation 800 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:42,176 on Emplacement Three over here. 801 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:45,416 So when you started work here, could you see any of this above ground? 802 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:47,096 You couldn't see anything. 803 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:51,536 - Our aim's to understand how much of the emplacement survives. - Yeah. 804 00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:54,416 And how it works in conjunction with a structure called 805 00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:57,120 the Plotting Room, which is located further inland. 806 00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:04,456 There were 38 artillery sites in and around Dover, 807 00:49:04,480 --> 00:49:06,456 but most were mobile. 808 00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:09,016 The only permanent sites were the defences 809 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:10,680 on top of the cliffs. 810 00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:16,456 The stars of the show were two huge guns, 811 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:19,576 known as Clem and Jane. 812 00:49:19,600 --> 00:49:22,696 With barrels weighing over 100 tonnes, 813 00:49:22,720 --> 00:49:25,896 they were the largest and longest-range weapons 814 00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:28,520 ever installed on the UK mainland. 815 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:34,296 This is one of the first gun batteries that you see anywhere 816 00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:37,016 where it's not about defending the port. 817 00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:40,096 - It's actually an offensive gun, it's for attacking shipping. - Right. 818 00:49:40,120 --> 00:49:43,056 Yeah. Can we get down in there and have a look? 819 00:49:43,080 --> 00:49:45,040 Yeah. Let's go. 820 00:49:54,600 --> 00:49:57,296 Oh, yes, I can see paint on the wall here. 821 00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:00,096 There are numbers which must be degrees. 822 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:01,736 That's right. Compass bearings. 823 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:04,976 This is all very flaky and delicate, isn't it? 824 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:07,296 So it's been a bit of a race against time, actually, 825 00:50:07,320 --> 00:50:10,496 to record it properly before we lose some of it. 826 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:12,936 Gosh, it's been preserved all these years. 827 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:16,000 But now because it's been uncovered, it's vulnerable, isn't it? 828 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:23,656 Precisely how the guns were operated from an underground bunker 829 00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:26,936 was top secret, and the records are patchy. 830 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:31,656 But the archaeologists are hoping to find clues to fill in the gaps. 831 00:50:31,680 --> 00:50:33,880 - So can I open this door? - Go for it. 832 00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:40,416 Although the emplacements were said to have been completely demolished, 833 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:43,960 it turns out there's plenty to see below ground. 834 00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:48,616 Even including these tunnels, and the magazine 835 00:50:48,640 --> 00:50:51,240 where the ammunition for the guns was stored. 836 00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:57,376 Oh, how deep does this go? 837 00:50:57,400 --> 00:51:00,336 So this is a 40-metre-long tunnel 838 00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:04,856 with a spark-proof floor that leads to the magazines. 839 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:07,816 Oh, the temperature really drops, doesn't it, as you walk in here? 840 00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:10,296 It's a constant 12 degrees down here. 841 00:51:10,320 --> 00:51:13,176 Feels colder than that. 842 00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:14,816 40 metres long. 843 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:18,976 And presumably that is just to keep it away from the gun? 844 00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:21,640 - To protect from blast, that's right. - Yeah. 845 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:26,056 So this is the shell store, 846 00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:30,336 where the shells have actually been kept safe, dry and protected. 847 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,936 Well, you say dry, but it looks very damp in here. 848 00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:35,456 I mean, the ceiling is covered with drips. 849 00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:36,976 It is now. 850 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,136 Before the site was demolished and covered over, 851 00:51:39,160 --> 00:51:41,336 there would have been numerous ventilation shafts 852 00:51:41,360 --> 00:51:42,496 going up to the surface. 853 00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:44,896 - And that's these here, is it? - That's right. 854 00:51:44,920 --> 00:51:46,360 Now home to a spider. 855 00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:49,280 There's lots of spiders down here. 856 00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:53,456 The emplacement, its tunnels and magazines 857 00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:56,896 have lain here untouched for almost 80 years. 858 00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,736 But now we can begin to understand what it was like 859 00:51:59,760 --> 00:52:01,600 for the gun crew working here. 860 00:52:03,240 --> 00:52:06,816 What are all these rectangular pieces of iron? 861 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:10,776 So these are ladder rungs which are from the emergency shaft. 862 00:52:10,800 --> 00:52:14,616 And we actually found some original pieces of the winch 863 00:52:14,640 --> 00:52:17,056 within the material at the bottom of the shaft. 864 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:20,256 So this is how the shells are delivered down into the magazine? 865 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:21,896 - That's right. - Yeah. 866 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:24,496 How many people would have been working here 867 00:52:24,520 --> 00:52:26,576 on this gun emplacement? 868 00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:28,536 Probably seven to ten. 869 00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:30,856 - You had seven to a gun crew. - Yeah. 870 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:33,496 - And presumably it was manned 24/7. - That's right. 871 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:35,856 It had to be manned 24 hours a day. 872 00:52:35,880 --> 00:52:39,080 The gun always had to be in a state of readiness to be fired if needed. 873 00:52:41,040 --> 00:52:43,736 The gun crew was in charge of maintenance 874 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:46,256 and loading shells when needed, 875 00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:50,096 but they weren't in control of aiming at targets. 876 00:52:50,120 --> 00:52:53,336 That was all done remotely from the Plotting Room, 877 00:52:53,360 --> 00:52:56,440 in a bunker half a mile inland. 878 00:52:57,440 --> 00:52:59,576 Which is down here, I presume? OK. 879 00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:02,096 - It is. We've got to go down this ladder. - All right, after you. 880 00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:03,480 - Shall I go first? - Yeah. 881 00:53:05,480 --> 00:53:09,336 The Plotting Room is part of a wider network of underground chambers 882 00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:13,600 and bombproof tunnels, all dug into the chalk cliffs. 883 00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:19,120 Oh, this is brilliant. 884 00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:23,880 So this is it. This is the nerve centre. 885 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,376 Ah. "Unauthorised persons are forbidden 886 00:53:27,400 --> 00:53:29,496 "to interfere with equipment." 887 00:53:29,520 --> 00:53:31,336 So there was something right there. 888 00:53:31,360 --> 00:53:35,936 And this is where admiralty fire control table was actually located. 889 00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:38,856 So that was where they're actually controlling the guns from? 890 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:40,256 That's right. 891 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:45,096 So it was unique, originally designed to work on battleships. 892 00:53:45,120 --> 00:53:49,016 - Yeah. - But this one had been retrofitted to work on land. 893 00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:52,696 - Everything is hard-wired to here. - Yeah. 894 00:53:52,720 --> 00:53:54,896 And you've got a whole host of different services 895 00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:57,736 that are coming into this Plotting Room as well. 896 00:53:57,760 --> 00:54:01,336 You've got range-finding location, battery observation posts, 897 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:05,016 spotter planes and, most importantly, radar. 898 00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:08,456 And so that's all coming here to be considered 899 00:54:08,480 --> 00:54:13,016 - before that information is sent out to the guns. - Yeah. 900 00:54:13,040 --> 00:54:14,880 Well, this is incredible, isn't it? 901 00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:20,336 The technology here remained classified 902 00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:22,896 for many years after the war. 903 00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:27,120 With so few records, every archaeological find is precious. 904 00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:30,536 We have done a fingertip search. 905 00:54:30,560 --> 00:54:33,376 These are some of the artefacts that we've discovered. 906 00:54:33,400 --> 00:54:36,856 In the early 1950s, when the site was decommissioned, 907 00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:40,056 actually, the technology was still confidential then, 908 00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:44,896 so all of the equipment was smashed into small pieces down here. 909 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:48,200 Mm. Certainly looks as though it has been smashed up, doesn't it? 910 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:57,040 I've spotted somewhere else I'd like to explore. 911 00:54:59,840 --> 00:55:03,296 - So what's through here? - There's this intriguing little feature here, 912 00:55:03,320 --> 00:55:06,936 - the service tunnel that runs around the whole structure. - OK. 913 00:55:06,960 --> 00:55:10,936 It's for drainage and it's for power and services and communication. 914 00:55:10,960 --> 00:55:13,696 It's also got some really interesting graffiti, 915 00:55:13,720 --> 00:55:16,016 - but it is an adventure. - Oh, OK. 916 00:55:16,040 --> 00:55:19,696 - How deep is the graffiti in there? - It's quite a long way. - OK. 917 00:55:19,720 --> 00:55:21,336 All right, I'm game. 918 00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:22,760 Thank you. 919 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:30,016 The service tunnel is far too narrow for the camera crew, 920 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:32,120 so I've had to film by myself. 921 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,200 The ceiling just got a bit lower. 922 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:40,936 But the tunnel hides a very special connection 923 00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:43,736 to the people who worked here during the war. 924 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:45,576 What have we got along here? 925 00:55:45,600 --> 00:55:47,976 - Oh, wow. - So here... - OK. 926 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:51,096 So it says, "Heros of Fan Hole. 927 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:53,976 - "W Dodd" or "Dodds". - Yeah. 928 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:55,616 - And "Pettit." - Oh, yeah. 929 00:55:55,640 --> 00:55:59,096 - Do you think that those go back to the war? - Almost certainly. 930 00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:01,256 The reference to Fan Hole is interesting 931 00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:04,816 because it was only called Fan Hole up until about 1942. 932 00:56:04,840 --> 00:56:08,776 After that, it became known as Fan Bay Battery. So it's an early bit. 933 00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:11,400 Look at that, "The heros of Fan Hole." 934 00:56:12,400 --> 00:56:14,280 - Quite a long way back. - It is. 935 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:19,776 It's not often on Digging For Britain 936 00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:22,536 that I get to be the one making the discoveries. 937 00:56:22,560 --> 00:56:24,056 But, on the way back, 938 00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:27,120 I spot something that the archaeologists have missed. 939 00:56:28,920 --> 00:56:31,720 Oh, my goodness. I think I've got "Henry Ford... 940 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:36,056 "..1941" here. 941 00:56:36,080 --> 00:56:39,256 - Oh, OK. I haven't seen that one before. - Is that when it was built? 942 00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:43,376 So the Plotting Room was finished in the April of '41. 943 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:46,136 So that could have been somebody that was actually building it. 944 00:56:46,160 --> 00:56:48,256 That's incredible. 945 00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:50,080 Right, time to go out. 946 00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:57,776 Among the paraphernalia of war shrouded in secrecy, 947 00:56:57,800 --> 00:57:01,000 it's an astonishing link to an individual. 948 00:57:02,680 --> 00:57:05,216 I found a new bit of graffiti down there, 949 00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:07,160 going all the way back to 1941. 950 00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:11,056 And we're not out yet. 951 00:57:11,080 --> 00:57:14,360 - No, we've still got a bit further to go. - We're still underground. 952 00:57:16,240 --> 00:57:19,936 There's so much more here than the archaeologists had hoped for. 953 00:57:19,960 --> 00:57:24,920 Most of the underground architecture of these defences has survived. 954 00:57:27,800 --> 00:57:31,816 And we can also make that connection to the Fan Hole "heros" 955 00:57:31,840 --> 00:57:34,376 whose names are missing from the records 956 00:57:34,400 --> 00:57:39,600 but who played such a vital part in Britain's World War II defences. 957 00:57:43,520 --> 00:57:47,720 Back out into the 21st Century. 958 00:57:56,600 --> 00:57:58,976 Next time on Digging For Britain, 959 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:00,656 an ancient Welsh home... 960 00:58:00,680 --> 00:58:02,976 The oldest house in Cardiff. 961 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:05,376 ...Throws up a treasure trove of finds. 962 00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:09,456 - Find of a lifetime for me, that is. Right on my doorstep. - Yeah, yeah. 963 00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,680 A forgotten fortress gives up its secrets. 964 00:58:13,880 --> 00:58:18,816 Big chunky stone building. Super clear to see. Very satisfying. 965 00:58:18,840 --> 00:58:21,776 And the surprising date of an uncovered mosaic... 966 00:58:21,800 --> 00:58:24,296 - 5th to 6th century. - No, no, no, no, no. 967 00:58:24,320 --> 00:58:26,216 ...redefines Britain's past. 968 00:58:26,240 --> 00:58:29,976 - This isn't right for a Roman villa. - Feel the electricity, can't you? 969 00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:33,536 ♪ Come and search for we who search 970 00:58:33,560 --> 00:58:37,576 ♪ And looking for a scarred land 971 00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:41,976 ♪ And dig for those whose stories lie 972 00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:45,776 ♪ With buried pasts and futures won 973 00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:50,176 ♪ And dig for us as we have done 974 00:58:50,200 --> 00:58:54,376 ♪ To lay the dead out in the sun 975 00:58:54,400 --> 00:58:56,920 ♪ To lay us dead out in the sun. ♪