Excavation

Archaeological Excavation at Historic England

We develop and lead archaeological excavations, to improve understanding, protection, and presentation of sites and landscapes.

We work creatively with our science and archaeological archive colleagues to promote innovative approaches, contribute specialist expertise where required, and maintain strategic oversight of archaeological excavation practice in England. Our excavation and sampling programmes are tailored to meet  project objectives, through targeted excavation and analyses of material culture, technology and plant and animal remains.

Past investigations informed heritage protection decisions such as our multi-dsciplinary work at Low Ham, Somerset where, following geophysical survey, targeted excavation of the scheduled Roman villa landscape led to better understanding of the nature, extent and preservation of the site.  This involved training for students and the local community.

We make emergency responses to preserve by record sites at risk from threats outside the planning process, such as threats from erosion processes, as at Birdoswald on Hadrian’s Wall.

We took part in the National Archaeological Identification Survey (NAIS) lowland and upland multi-disciplinary projects, excavating sites to explore and better understand buried archaeological remains known from  air photograph and geophysical surveys.

These investigations inform research, such as at English Heritage properties Chester Roman Amphitheatre, which we excavated in collaboration with Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Universities of Liverpool and Chester, and Whitby Abbey, where we discovered a small early medieval chapel.

We are working on the legacy material from the 1984-1992 excavations of the extensive Iron Age and Romano-British settlement at Stanwick (Northamptonshire), to present the results and create a valuable research archive.

Innovative recording and archiving

We made an early investment in digital recording; using databases from the late 1970s, and developing the Delilah database for on-site recording in the late 1980s.

In the early 1990s we introduced site planning directly into CAD from the survey instruments (using TheoLT), and 3D modelling of excavated features.

Having adopted the Intrasis database and GIS system in 2009, we have developed an innovative template for digital excavation recording to enhance the capabilities and efficiency of our established archaeological recording methods.

This approach allows us to create a comprehensive database of spatial data, photographs and interpretation of archaeology, environment and material culture whilst still trench-side, and to use it throughout the project’s lifecycle. We are collaborating on guidance for digital site recording and archive creation, and our Excavation Recording Manual is freely available.

We archive our project data and finds following national Archaeological Archiving guidance and international standards, with datasets available through the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) and the Historic England Archive. Finds are archived with local museums or with English Heritage's Collections Curators.

Working with our partners

We use our expertise to provide advice and quality assurance to projects commissioned by Historic England, including research into the effectiveness of archaeological techniques and methodologies to support the sector, such as this case study on the effectiveness of trial trenching and evaluation methods in the planning process.

We are proud to work in close collaboration with other Historic England teams, academic and commercial partners, and local communities.  Recent collaborations include our work at Rutland Villa and at the Iron Age and Roman settlement at Willersey, Gloucestershire.

Learn about our research

We publish our results in a variety of ways: through journals and monographs, and our free to download Research Reports.