Young Archaeologists’ Day

Yesterday we took part in A Day of Archaeology: a celebration of archaeology and archaeologists all over the world….read our entry here:http://www.dayofarchaeology.com/life-in-a-day-the-silchester-town-life-project/

and find out what archaeologists REALLY do!

Today we welcomed 3 winners! Alfie, Susannah and Aidan. All 3 are winners of a Young Archaeologists’ Club competition…and the prize was: a day at Silchester! I really enjoyed meeting them all, and Ross and Joe and the visitors’ team took them to their hearts and showed them the inner workings of a Big Dig! Their morning was spent learning the archaeological processes: finds, science and the art of digging. And in the afternoon all 3 were given the opportunity to work on the excavation of an Iron Age pit in Sarah Lucas’ area,under the watchful eye of Rhiannon. I have to say I was most impressed by these 3 young people – and if the future of archaeology is in their hands, it is in a very safe place.

Rhiannon and Sarah meet the Young Archaeologists and parents; Kevin plus camera looks on

Left to right: Alfie, Susannah and Aidan

Young Archaeologists at work

Today we were also filmed by BBC South Today- a fantastically positive experience, and great fun gathering students and participants willing to speak to camera. Those who did were wonderful – articulate and enthusiastic. Most memorable was Edoardo…’if Silchester were a woman I would have married her instantly’. Pure gold! Apparently this was aired last night – both at 6pm and 10pm – and I missed them both! Trying to get hold of a CD or a link….