Time Team S14-E11 Road to the Relics, Godstone, Surrey

Local metal detectorist David Hunt has been visiting the same field in Godstone in Surrey for the past 15 years, and in that time has discovered a huge collection of Roman finds. Around 600 coins, many of them of high value, have been recovered from the field, as well as a collection of brooches and other, more unusual items, including what looks like a metal sceptre handle.
Local archaeologists believe that the number and value of the finds means that they may have been deliberate offerings, pointing towards a possible Roman temple or religious site. The possible sceptre handle is similar to ones that have been found at another Roman religious site nearby and may have been used by priests.
The site is positioned close to a Roman road connecting London to the south coast and has never been excavated, although English Heritage did commission a geophysics survey. Local archaeologists have been wondering what lies beneath the surface for many years, and called in Time Team to help them find out.
It was a big challenge, in a very big field, and as usual, the Team had just three days to do it in.

[@maxsdad538]

Before Time Team Classics emerged on the scene, Reijer Zaaijer was the main source for high quality Time Team videos. And his channel is responsible for helping keep the Time Team family of viewers and fans entertained and educated. He deserves a HUGE round of applause for all his work.

[@reginaromsey]

He is who I saw years worth of Time Teams. I still catch an occasional one from him I’ve never seen.

[@lindasue8719]

If it wasn't for RZ I would never have known of tTme Team!! It has been a wonderful, life-influencing gift. I've gone on to watching all of the TTs on KZbin again and again; buying DVDs; watching "The Digs"; making donations: buying merch 💖

[@franklubbock8400]

Hear hear

[@twoglcox]

Amen

[@sandrahuibers8081]

I agree. Without him, I would not have discovered TT.

[@voodoochild5440]

Lovely to hear Guy explain how and why gods were created.

[@biologychic7292]

Phil is a national treasure ❤️

[@deborahparham3783]

Make that international treasure. He is loved on both sides of the pond.

[@sgrannie9938]

You know you’ve been binging TT when you keep hearing the theme music playing in your head 24/7 😂

[@user-hy7zb2vl3t]

Or the scraping of the trowels.....

[@tifanimartin9683]

Time team in quarantine. So glad I found this show. Wish we had something like this in America.

[@tygeron3145]

There are a couple of episodes in America of time team.

[@ferdberffle]

IDK if we have enough Archeological history in America to sustain a show like this... but it sure would be nice.

[@jayc1139]

Problem is, due to the massive amounts of natives here that had no 'civilization', in the sense of the Mayans, Incans, and Aztecs...this show would really work in central and south America mostly.

[@dancingwithnature5303]

There were 4 seasons of a Time Team America. They're still under US copyright (current date 28 Aug 2020) so the majority of the episodes are blocked from viewing in the US . PBS sells the series on Shop PBS. I've seen a few episodes & they're interesting, if not as well done or exciting as the original. Many are done in the US southwest. The digs are done very slowly because there's not 2,000 yrs of written history done by conquerors from Rome, etc. There is 10's of thousands of yrs of archeological history of the First Peoples though and, the finds can be tiny. So, the soils of the digs need to be carefully sifted to find animals that were hunted, tools, etc.

[@doncook2054]

@@jayc1139 We have no idea of how the "civilizations" were...only that some were truly huge....just not in stone......

[@ShawnTheSilentLurkerKerr]

I may have been binging too much on Time Team lately as the voices in my head all sound like Phil now. As an American, I am truly loving this! I wish we had Shows like this to dig up the history that we've taken from those before us.

[@TercelRepairManual]

Likewise, Tony's been narrating my thoughts for the past month.

[@haplessasshole9615]

@@TercelRepairManual Yeah, well, better they narrate our lives these days than the US voices we keep hearing lately. Especially the first Trump/Biden debate. I'm still reeling. Nobody won. No-freaking-body. Especially not us.

[@thomaspatton4401]

Me too! You're not going mad, or (round the twist). Count your blessings though, It could be far worse.

[@michaelmccaffery6798]

American archaeologists (or any archaeologists that don't have a tv show) absolutely do not "take" history from anyone or any group. In fact, the goal of archaeologists is to give a face and voice to the cultures that came before us that didn't leave any or very sparse evidence as to who they were and how they lived. Just because we do not have any TV shows detailing our work (sadly TT America had only the one season) here in the States does not mean our work is any less important, substantial, professional then our British compatriots. And to suggest that we are stealing history, culture, or any other sinister motivations you can think of, is ABSOLUTELY moronic.

[@ShawnTheSilentLurkerKerr]

@@michaelmccaffery6798 Never said the archaeologists were taking anything. The reference was about us as a civilization concurring foreign people and destroying their histories.

[@matthewgauthier7251]

Always amazed by the depth at which things 'become buried' after what's a relatively short time in the span of history.

[@lisasargent2841]

Loved seeing the cute, & curious, doggy digger helping you guys!!!

[@alok26k68]

I've been watching time team for as long as I can remember. It feels like home.

[@Shimmana1]

Thank you Reijer for putting all these wonderful episodes of Time team on You Tube.

[@Marie-or6hz]

An amazing find! Phil's enthusiasm is infectious.

[@karmicpopcorn6440]

He's so excited and flabbergasted

[@russellsage4953]

..ran and played in these fields as a wee lad ❤️

[@lilykatmoon4508]

It always blows my mind when they can hold a tiny piece of pottery and immediately tell what era it’s from and describe the probable shape. Their visualization skills are fantastically magickal!

[@kaarlimakela3413]

The computer generated images are so enjoyable and reliable, just knowing that when a good bit of pottery surfaces, I well get to see the entire item grow from that shard in proportion to the person demonstrating its form etc ... seamlessly done, all the way to the final big picture timeline rundown for the site, so fun! Then again, Victor's art is so lively and historically on-point ... I admire his talent for scale, it all fits in the picture naturally, enlivened by the recognizably charming funny and fallible ancestors of that time ... CGI vs Victor!? Oh don't make me pick just one! Its a tie for which style is my most favorite ... :)

[@londawarren8278]

Af 43:30 I heard my Grandpap's expression - Dear, oh Dear, oh Dear! Have never heard anyone out side of our family use it! How delightful!

[@ellicooper2323]

I am constantly amazed at how careless the Romans were with their coins. Or how inadequate their pockets/pouches were. smile

[@Pauldjreadman]

Roman ego really

[@readmycomment3157]

400 years of millions of coins no surprise really

[@spacelemur7955]

What surprises me is how many people still throw money at preachers, especially the TV evangelicals.

[@kevinmcneill468]

When they were arguing over the road, I thought to myself, where's Stuart when you need him.

[@jilllogan1288]

I have been watching Time Team for a while now and I have to say this is one of my favorites. It's so interesting to piece together how and where people lived and why they choose certain areas. Nice job!

[@saritaschwedes8393]

i love this show and all who work on it! 🌸

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks so much for posting.

[@DriftwoodAndCorpses]

proud of my hometown. seem to remember finding things as a kid--fossils and things from long ago (culturally speaking). i grew up to be an ANTH major and found this fun to watch...

[@csottohal]

I love Niel’s enthusiasm as well.

[@johnbishel1270]

So glad I found time team.

[@mslee4495]

I've seen everyone at least a dozen times and now my daughter (shes 3months) loves their familiar voices only bit of TV that catches her attention !

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Does she laugh when Phil does?

[@mslee4495]

Yeah something about Phil just captivates her

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Ky Lee 🤣😂🤣

[@deborahparham3783]

Obviously a very intelligent child with impeccable taste. Expect great things from that little lady.

[@bethbartlett5692]

John's voice and accent sounds very much like one of my former bosses, a PhD Toxicologist, and at that time Executive VP of our Ccompany, a Laboratory that was the largest in the Insurance Testing and (SAMHSA) Certified Forensic Laboratory for DOT and Workplace Drug Testing. I enjoyed working with him and he is a renowned Toxicologist in the industry and a previous President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. That is "the Gold Standard" of practical scholars and experts in the USA. An Oxford grad and born native of England. He has a great sense of humor and I tested it frequently, bring the good Irish American girl that I am. 😁 🍀🇺🇸🍀

[@a.westenholz4032]

I often find something to enjoy in the comment section as there are many who make interesting or humorous comments. But I find all those personal comments about various people (especially their appearance) absolutely disgusting. Some people need to get over themselves and stop thinking that just because it is the internet that makes it ok to act the complete ass. If you can't be nice or comment on the subject then just don't comment at all. Trust me, no one will miss it.

[@genkatqltr737]

A. Westenholz Absolutely!

[@tonymooney736]

Well said

[@planescaped]

"Just because it's the internet that makes it ok to act like a complete ass" Well... realistically there's no repercussions to anything you say or do unlike in real life due to internet anonymity. One's inhibitions thus tend to drop. It's kinda like being drunk.

[@ianrutherford878]

@Val's Whitewolf Media I've just scrolled all the comments and can't see any about appearances

[@wonderrob3225]

@@planescaped That's so clearly stated and so obviously the truth. You are good at writing.

[@Zahlenzauberin]

It's really refreshing to watch people working in the rain while it has 37°C outside.

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Zahlen Zauberin 37F? 37C would be very warm.

[@norinenagle6730]

I loved the jar being chucked into the pit - so realistic.

[@vicmclaglen1631]

I'd like to know how many backyards ended up with holes in them due to this entire series, and what interesting things were found.

[@tompahdea9263]

Love thr dog interactions. They really do seem to be very in tune with humans--part of the gang.

[@dodibuell3728]

Phil was definitely a pirate in a previous life!

[@thomaspatton4401]

Phil is definitely a cool guy! I would have a pint or a "wee dram" with him any day. Is it just me or does he sound a lot like Reubeus Hagrid from Harry Potter? Hmmm. No Matter, first round's on me Phil!

[@brandonthomas303]

The history is deep in Europe!! I love it!!

[@polara1se]

Love Phil´s dialect and his oh and ah´s

[@thomasjohnson6665]

Finding out much more than the Roman buildings in the feild and coin’s galore

[@WOLFROY47]

i love it the landowner has a powered auger, and geophys are still doing it the hard way

[@tommyfred6180]

hi the land owner is the boss of a company called Environmental Sampling Ltd. he is a twat and a very tight and unpleasant man. supposedly he made the time teams time on his land hell. he refused to let them look at the earth works in the woods at the top of the hill. or to look at the barn or to investigate the other fields on the farm. he also refused to let them us his workshop loos or to store equipment on site. as well as refusing to let even the primary school kids to come on his land to be shown what was happening. ho and when he found out that they had discovered that his interpretation of the hole in the ground was completely wrong. he stormed off and refused to have anything more to do with the dig. he is a geologist by trade and tried to have that section of the film removed as he said it would negatively affect his professional reputation. why do I know all this. simple I worked for the guy and used to shoot on the next farm over.

[@ohkaygoplay]

@@tommyfred6180 He sounds like a real toddler-y, prideful douchecanoe.

[@MissCarolineGarrett]

Dear friends in the UK would you please allow an adorable American dig a test pit somewhere? I’ve had all my shots and I’m only semi feral

[@mikeburgess944]

You can volunteer for digs in the UK. I worked for a week in Nessington, and I know others are available.

[@user-hy7zb2vl3t]

If you're quite an sneak in at night.....an replace the turf..... You can maybe make a flight back in the morning unnoticed 😊

[@3lullabies]

I'm only 14 minutes in and so far this is my favorite episode yet.

[@adalb137]

I hope I'm not the only one who thought 'oh s#!t" when Mark threw the pot into the ditch at 21:25! For a split second I thought it was real! Fun graphic and it made me chuckle. They should have used this imagery more often!

[@KarmoGaming]

Weird, I live in godstone that's why I searched this up and I never knew this happened

[@BUSTER.BRATAMUS]

how did Romans cook eat or drink? All their pots are always broken!

[@brianvittachi6869]

Trust good old Stewart to find the lost road. What a nice job he has.

[@scottpool4777]

Yes definitely I’m definitely I am booked on that channel awesome.

[@peggyjenkinson4514]

John does well! And they are so happy. A successful day!

[@angelitabecerra]

I wish Time Team would come back. And I also wish they would go to other locations outside of the British Isles.

[@georgedorn1022]

Time Team might just be returning... kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJuVk514gbikmac

[@RKHageman]

All of the archeologists have/had regular jobs at various universities or institutions. They were doing TT digs on selected weekends. And you have your wish! They are indeed back, and doing their thing.

[@stannousflouride8372]

It looks like all signs of the dig were washed away on Day 3 but the site is here: 51°14'24.4"N 0°03'59.8"W

[@kensparker6225]

Thanks for posting these

[@rosemary4033]

I would love to dig and find something great to show everyone!!😀😃

[@MrGoat47]

i found a 300 yr British saber will diving for a lost fishing pole dated 1675 to 17 50 in almost mint shape

[@tasatort9778]

That piece of a scepter looks more like an ancient Roman shotgun shell than anything else.

[@CreatingwithWinglessAngel]

More like a bishop to a chess game.

[@deetsy4jesus]

39:00 Stewart Ainsworth and John Gater actually agree on something? Wow!

[@barnabyaprobert5159]

+Donna Perez That's why it was so cold that day: Hell had frozen over! :-D

[@callmemonkh9020]

john is a miserable man, really.

[@wonderrob3225]

A. Westenholz I am reading your comment 2 years in the future. (amazing huh?) I'm sorry to tell you that so far, no one seems to be taking your excellent advice. (not online or in politics anyway) thank you so much for that comment though, you're exactly right

[@cindydintn]

And I love the dog!!!

[@maeve4686]

Never doubt Phil the soil psychic...some people get it, others use scientific equipment. Making jest of those who are one with their ability...

[@jennl8985]

I love how everything falls into place at the end of day three.

[@cindydintn]

The writers wrote it that way!!!

[@jennl8985]

@@cindydintn I think I was sarcastic, but didn’t want to be disrespectful to the show. I love it, and I rewatch episodes daily, but I sometimes I cringe at how it all comes together, or how necessary it is that they find a “high status” building, or something ceremonial. I also wonder if Phil gets the credit for other diggers finds for the sake of the show. Still, I guess no one would watch if they regularly found nothing important.

[@elizabethschaeffer9543]

No, Tony does not understand. Exactly.

[@chocoangora]

thank you

[@GenericRunner]

Tony Robinson: The Priest of Time Team. I love it!! And I LOVE this show! “Chronology, Status, Function” The key tenets of archeology!

[@haplessasshole9615]

41:14 -- So, what Guy de la Bedoyere is telling us is that this is the Roman equivalent to Huckster's Row at a Dead show?

[@joelnolan7642]

it has a name, Shakedown Street. The dead even had an album named that.

[@uw1955]

The so called "spearhead" is an beneficiarii lance . Great find that is. And that settlement could have been established at one of those benefiziarier stations

[@Pauldjreadman]

Burying the bottle lol

[@1stPCFerret]

Mercury is considered by some to be the god of Communications, and has dominion over electricity, radio, television, the Internet, cell phones, computers, et al.

[@harrybarbour1247]

Time Team and 3 days on site ? Is the way to discover history economically , It is a very good idea.

[@bethbartlett5692]

BTW - Archaeologists do "stretch the stories sometimes" to fit their favorite top 3, and Temple seems to be the subject of favor on this one. I'd go with a popular Trade and Market Center, with Cooking going on.

[@johnhoward8227]

Love Brigid

[@tommyoerding5194]

Love the uploads. Fix the key. It’s so red!

[@sanseji]

31:31 did Tony hold the bottle up saying "here you are!" ? lol

[@sandrahuibers8081]

The word he said is "Io". That's Capital Eye, lowercase Oh, it basically means "Hail (to the god).

[@thomaspatton4401]

Tony Robinson; High Priest of Time Team. GOD I hope that didn't go straight to his head!

[@mephitismephitis6825]

Why no picture? Sound is good.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Definitely a fair - festival - grounds.

[@WashuHakubi4]

Tony Robinson, Priest of the God of Thieves and Vagabonds.

[@pikeywyatt]

would love to know if they where near the mine next to the bypass. (used in WW2 to store workers of art?)

[@cathjj840]

were they comfortable in there, the workers?

[@davidcarmichael8394]

That thing being identified as a piece of a Roman sceptre looks more like a very early model mouthpiece for a trumpet or horn.

[@barnabyaprobert5159]

+David Carmichael I had the same reaction. Surely there were Roman horns unknown to us?

[@davidcarmichael8394]

+Barnaby ap Robert Barnaby, sure as my shadow points earthwards it seems to be a wind instrument mouthpiece.

[@unwindedcom]

i think it is a mirror handle

[@PhillipCowell01]

It probably wasn't hollow.

[@lainecolley1414]

39:35 'oshitte we don't own the silk road'

[@brushbros]

Veneration is not possible without ventilation. Shrines always had windows and "pit-like anomalies" for the sake of clean air.

[@rubenb8653]

'and here i find one of my ancestors, buried with what seems to be a huuuuge turnip'

[@janinealderete2633]

guys catchphrase during the series is it's all to play for lol

[@cindym4357]

I would have like to seen more info on the mine found on the edge of the field They lost me at the horse head.

[@robb2055]

Cindy M nearly every episode leaves me with questions and wanting more information on the site. 3 days is just not enough.

[@tommyfred6180]

mate the landowner refused to let them work in the woods. the mine works extend over about five acers or so

[@jamesrivis620]

I am ‘tearing my hair out’ with frustration at , after all this exciting discovery , that (I assume) everything grinds to a stop forever.Surely the whole site should be opened up just as they do in major sites such as in southern Italy. Is cost the factor that only allows for these three days stints ?

[@johnbull1986]

Don't forget that all the archaeologists and geophysisists etc are all professionals and have 'day jobs' as it were. The programes were made over 3 days for that reason. The sites and finds were all properly recorded/written up so they can be reopened at another time. Also most of the sites are privately owned arable/pasture and archaeology is all around you in the UK so it isn't feasible to go around scheduling everything you can get your hands on.

[@scarletfluerr]

And to the methods archaeology have come a long way in the last 50 years, and when they reopen it in the future who knows what new techniques could be used.

[@minimaker5600]

@@johnbull1986 I had chance to see that done in York. The TT opened up a trench on the old hospital grounds some time in the 1990s and said it was an air raid shelter during WW2. When I was there some time around 2005 or 06, they had larger trenches open and doing work; they were quite friendly and said again that it was an air raid shelters site. What else did they find, I wonder. In Britain there seem to be layers and layers of history.

[@1101millie97]

So this was the Roman version of a farmers' market?

[@cherilj1]

When did they start building with wood?

[@martinh1437]

So what was at the bottom of the pit?

[@imbwildrd3693]

I found the building using Google Earth....I wish they had this tool back then. They're digging everywhere BUT where the building is. Why wouldn't they dig near the road I wonder?? If it were a market place, I'd would think it would be closer to the roadside, just like the location of the parch mark in Google Earth. I can't be the only person who has noticed this.

[@ohkaygoplay]

I cannot believe they found the real roman road! O_O

[@claudiosaltara7003]

What amazes me is how anything Roman was wiped out above ground whereas monuments in ruin remained above ground in the continent even though the Goths overrun the continent (Roman empire area) and destroyed the empire.

[@user-hy7zb2vl3t]

The goths left what didn't glitter or was food.....

[@Kaffeeteria]

Priest Tony FTW

[@lainecolley1414]

27:50 believe it or not, that used to mean hospitality

[@BryonLape]

Sprinkle some water sacred to Mercury...gee...that sounds familiar...

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

@20:13 Tony, Tony, sometimes words have two meanings.

[@dr.douglaswilde1155]

Most used adverb - 'Actually'. Most used phrase - 'It's all to play for'.

[@ianrutherford878]

on the money and early days are strong phrase contenders

[@gregparker3255]

Love Sam

[@Strothy2]

its was just pot pot pot... i know that feeling

[@imbwildrd3693]

If you look at this field in Google Earth and go to 12/1999 historical view, do you see a rectangular shape in the southeast sector of the field area like I do??

[@tphvictims5101]

How do these places get covered with all that organic matter?

[@robb2055]

TPHVICTIMS 100's of years of erosion, farming, plowing and think of all the rain they have affecting the land. They show in some episodes how much the land scape has changed over the years. Rivers disappear and change their paths, land that was swamp or marsh is now farmland, & the coast lines are often unrecognizable.

[@nhansen197]

I'm so frustrated. They discover a major find and have to quit after 3 days. Why is it they never extend any of these digs?

[@amymorin2700]

I read that others come in and continue the digs. They just start them

[@ohkaygoplay]

I heard they made it 3 days, because many of the archaeologists have weekday jobs, so they're able to take a day off to have a 3 day weekend project. I wish they had more time, though - like 5 or 7 days at least. Imagine what they could find!

[@nhansen197]

I've since learned the reason for the three day dig is yes, they have day jobs. Some of the digs get extended, some get revisited, most don't. A good deal of the digs just aren't worth the extra time, which in a way shows the value of the three day digs. A quick three day survey is typically enough time to determine how much may be found at any given location. It's just that on the sites that had the most to tell it can be very difficult to follow any future discoveries and there is often little continuity between presenters.

[@jerryd521]

an early Roman flea market?

[@parrotraiser6541]

The Romans get a lot more credit than they probably deserve for road construction. In many cases, their roads are laid on tracks that had been in use for thousands of years already. They just metalled them.

[@tracyroweauthor]

is it me or did Tony look a little bit like Baldrick with that hat and scepter?

[@evelynbyrd4961]

Tony, have you ever owned a Mercury car?

[@bilgeratjim]

Sam has beautiful hair. ( @15:00 )

[@chriswarren1618]

Its good that';modern man has enough power to control the weather, earthquakes, sunamis, volcanic eruptions etc etc?. I did it my way..... The 'foreboding' afternoon sky you showed and mentioned, looked like great convection cumulus and to me, was perfect.

[@Rowzedd]

You never seen Henry Chapman and Eden Hazard in the same room

[@MrGoat47]

who are they