We look for opportunities to provide fieldwork experience for our members, through our own interventions or by arranging for our members to join excavations and surveys run by other organisations.
Here are the current and recent opportunities, where EDAS members can be or have been involved.
Bournemouth University Durotriges Project: ‘Big Dig’ field school 2025
2nd June – 4th July 2025
EDAS volunteers have been involved once more in the University’s annual (since 2009) summer excavation of the Iron Age Durotrigian settlement site near Winterborne Kingston, with about 18 taking part this year. Bournemouth University’s brief summary of the findings so far is at The Durotriges Project web page.
An article about this year’s excavations is in the Midsummer 2025 newsletter
Valley of the Stones excavation opportunities
16th-27th June 2025
Member Dr Hayley Roberts has announced that bookings are now open for Past Participate’s summer excavation in the Valley of the Stones (not just for EDAS members). There are opportunities to book guided walks and a talk too.
Dates are various from the 16th- 27th June, and a discretionary donation is requested to help with costs (from a very small amount to something which is still less than for many excavations), and to help avoid cancellations.
Booking is at https://www.pastparticipate.co.uk/events
New finds at Keeper’s Lodge
April 2025
A new cesspit was being installed at Keeper’s Lodge on the Kingston Lacy estate when ‘interesting’ pottery sherds started to be found. Following our excavations there in 2019 and 2021 (see Keeper’s Lodge Interim Report 2019 and Keeper’s Lodge Final Report 2021), three experienced EDAS members recovered the material, which will be processed and properly assessed. An article about this is in the April 2025 newsletter.
Wimborne All Hallows update
April 2025
EDAS excavated at All Hallows in 2019 and 2021, near Wimborne St Giles, to look for the site of the demolished church and discover more about its construction – see newsletters from January to April 2022. The final report has been delayed by illness, but an update is in the April 2025 newsletter.
Bournemouth University Durotriges Project: ‘Big Dig’ Field School 2024
6th June – 5th July 2024
EDAS volunteers have again been involved in the University’s annual (since 2009) summer excavation of the Iron Age Durotrigian settlement site near Winterborne Kingston. Bournemouth University’s summary of the findings so far is at The Durotriges Project web page.
An article about this year’s excavations, with a brief history of the site, is in the Midsummer 2024 newsletter, and last year’s work is covered in the September 2023 newsletter.
New Investigations at Druce Farm
13th – 24th May 2024
EDAS excavations from 2012-2018 at Druce Farm, near Puddletown, discovered a Roman villa and a Neolithic site. There was tantalising evidence of a possible Roman bathhouse, although it wasn’t found. With permission from the landowner, Amanda Ridout, exploratory test pitting outside the villa compound looked for further evidence. This was a limited dig by experienced volunteer excavators from the society, based on some ‘interesting’ geophysical results.
A summary of the excavation is in the Midsummer 2024 newsletter, while the full report is on this website here.
Cerne Abbas Giant Survey
4th – 11th December 2023
The survey followed on from Martin Papworth’s 2020 excavations for the National Trust, which discovered that the Giant could be dated to the later Anglo-Saxon period, probably close to the time Cerne Abbey was founded in 987. Led by Paul Cheetham and Mike Allen, it aimed to check if there was originally a belt, whether there had been symbols between the legs and if an item hanging from the outstretched arm actually existed.
The survey work is reported in the January 2024 newsletter and details of the results in the April 2024 edition.
Teffont Archaeology Project
July & August 2023
This project started in 2008 through York University, looking at the archaeology of two south Wiltshire villages – Teffont Evias and Teffont Magna. In 2023, led by Dr David Roberts of Cardiff University, it concentrated on a Roman settlement near Teffont Evias. As well as excavation, our members were able to attend informative courses on Roman pottery and zooarchaeology.
There’s a short item about these events in the September 2023 newsletter.