Holyrood Archaeology Day 11
The park was closed due to the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, so the students had a short break from excavation at Dunsapie Fort. We returned to site today and students were excited to continue the excavation of their trenches. We now only have 4 days left of digging, so have lots of work to do!
Holyrood Archaeology – Day 9
Today was a cold day on site, and we had to take shelter in the site cabin at several points to hide from the rain. Despite this, the students worked hard in the wet conditions, and were still able to make great progress in each of their trenches.
Holyrood Archaeology Day 8
Today we had an exciting day at site, when we were joined by the crew from Digging For Britain! The students enjoyed talking to the crew and presenter Alice Roberts, and gained valuable insights into archaeology in the media!
Holyrood Archaeology Day 7
The students experienced the worst of the Scottish weather up Dunsapie Hillfort, when heavy rain hit site in the afternoon. Despite this, they had a productive morning, and recovered some exciting artefacts!
Holyrood Archaeology Day 6
Our students (with AOC Archaeology) have returned for another week of excavation at Dunsapie Hillfort. By the end of our first week, we had opened 5 trenches, and recovered almost 100 finds! The students were excited to continue excavation of their trenches and help to answer some of our research questions about the site of Dunsapie Hillfort.
Holyrood Archaeology Day 5
The first week of the Holyrood Archaeology field school drew to a close this Friday, and students were able to reflect on many of the techniques and skills that they been practicing. For many of our students, this is their first experience excavating, and the site of Dunsapie Hillfort has provided them with an exciting opportunity to develop their archaeological skill set.
Holyrood Archaeology Day 4
We had a beautiful day on Dunsapie Hill, with the sun shining throughout. This gave us incredible views across the city and Holyrood Park, which allowed us to reflect on the position of Dunsapie Hillfort in its landscape. Trench 4 had an exciting day, with lots of finds – especially animal remains which students were able to identify. Additionally, we opened a new trench. Read on for the student’s experiences!
Holyrood Archaeology Day 3
Our third day of excavations at Dunsapie Hillfort have started to reveal more information on the ramparts of the Hillfort. Students have opened another trench, which has already had some exciting finds! Another group of students worked with Gemma to learn about surveying, and were able to survey in the finds from each trench.
Day 2 – Our First Finds and Surveying
The excavations of Dunsapie Hillfort continued, and students made progress on the two open trenches. A small group were given an introduction to surveying by Gemma from AOC Archaeology. Read about their experiences here!
Day 1 – Site Tour and De-Turfing
The Holyrood 2022 Field School has begun, with students from The University of Edinburgh, and support from AOC Archaeology. Each day, students will share their experiences on this blog as well as any updates from the excavations! Gabby’s Experience Today was my first day of…