Time Team S15-E04 The Romans Recycle, Wickenby, Lincolnshire

Time Team are called to a site that covers several fields and lies between two villages ¿ Wickenby to the west and Lissington to the east.
It lay hidden for centuries until discovered by a local metal detectorist, Keith Kelway. Over the years Keith has recovered more than 300 metal artefacts from the area. Most are Roman, with some Iron-Age and Anglo-Saxon material.
Can the Team identify what the site was used for?

[@BryonLape]

I love it when Phil uses technical terms like "that orangy stuff".

[@pollyb.4648]

And "Let's make a hole!" Phil is the best!!

[@dancingwithnature5303]

When I saw all of the metalwork, I thought, a jeweller. I'm a bench jeweller and recycling, repair and repurposing is an everyday part of the job. Much of the jeweller's techniques have remained the same over the millenia. I love binge watching Time Team

[@VisionaryGardener]

Yes! There have been times watching this show that they've been saying "we don't know why they were here... But there was sure a lot of metal working going on, and look at all these unrelated broaches!..." (Er, you mean, jewelry?!) or, "...but they sure were digging up a lot of clay..." and I just think, "augh! Pottery! Seriously! Pottery!" and by the end of the show they're all excited "we found a kiln!!" by which point I'm aggravated "Well, duh! Pottery! Like I said!" Perhaps it's a strategy to keep us watching? Drives me a bit nuts though!

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

@@VisionaryGardener The problem is that most metalworking refuse cannot be reliably dated while pottery usually can.

[@haplessasshole9615]

@@VisionaryGardener It's spelled *brooches*. And they're a type of jewelry -- a pin. Buttons and buttonholes didn't show up in what's now the UK until something like the early 1300s, so people fastened their clothing with tie-closures or pins. Of course, the richer the wearer, the more ornate the brooches. Wikipedia has a pretty nifty entry about them: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibula_(brooch)

[@Wally-H]

Stuart is such a talented man. He and Phil were easily the most talented people to work on this programme in my opinion.

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

What are they doing now? That's what I want, some catch of the people AND their amazing digs,, C'mon Channel 4 get your belated fingers out

[@MelissaThompson432]

@@Cheeseatingjunglista Ainsworth is at University of Chester, and Harding is still at Wessex Archaeology.

[@gertjannolten4849]

There's a time team channel, they did a number of interviews during lockdown that may well answer your questions :)

[@SkywalkerExpress]

Agree, Stuart is the MVP, he's the one man who always speaks from 'helicopter view'.

[@michaelmccaffery6798]

bold statement when you take into consideration that 98% of the work is done by folks that never make in front of the camera.

[@brianvittachi6869]

Phil starts the dig with " righty ho then, Ian, let's make a hole". Priceless.

[@haplessasshole9615]

Harding's always happy to be mucking around in the dirt, tickled pink when he gets to help blow things up or make loud noises, and downright ecstatic when he's knapping flint.

[@scudleivers2439]

25:30 Phil asks if it is a ''You and I pot''... or a ''High Status Knobs pot''... Brilliant....

[@ian_b]

Just to be picky, that's "nobs" not "knobs" :) "Nob" is an old-fashioned contraction of "noble". :)

[@phoule76]

and a knob is a U.K. pecker

[@Tina06019]

I love that line: "I don't think we'll call the British Museum just yet..."

[@chrisdooley6468]

As someone who studied classical history with an emphasis on Roman history the amount of archaeology these guys find in three days is really mind boggling. Late Iron Age / early Romano-British sites on this scale are not as easily found as one would expect. The collaboration of so many experts really makes all this possible in their time frame. Such a brilliant show

[@virginiajayhudgins8277]

And, oh, how I miss it!

[@caturdaynite7217]

I love this show. I live in Madison, WI USA. In our area we obviously don't have anything Roman. But we have the highest concentration of Indian mounds in the world and some very interesting geology. While, I won't be finding any Roman or Norman artifacts in Wisconsin, it does peak one's curiosity to our local history. Love Phil and I'm sure he would like all the bars and taverns here. Sorry they cancelled this. It's so good.

[@cargilekm]

I just read your comments. I also live in the US. It is such a pity the native people didn't discover metal working before the Europeans arrived. It would make archeology in this country very interesting. Might have made colonialism more difficult, too.

[@Toontex]

Dear sir, Shame there is little pre colonisation stuff that remains intact due to the nature of the artifacts.Surely just going back to the early days of European settlement would give you a great deal of excitement and years of pleasing study.I have recently moved to Grasse in France and even collecting old photos/postcards gives me an insight to the past of this town.Where I live in an apartement block is on the sight of a huge garden estate created by the Rothchildes,even finding the history of that is fascinating.Find Parc de Princesse Pauline in Grasse on google maps to see where. Best wishes

[@Objective-Observer]

@@cargilekm That is the nature of Isolated civilizations; they do not progress technologically. "We do, what we've always done, because that works well enough." Just as there are areas in the Amazon, Africa and islands around the world today, where those cultures have not progressed in hundreds- thousands- of years. We DO have archaeology that is as old as Roman, and much that is older, but due to the primitive nature of the artifacts, most people don't recognize what lies beneath their feet. A spearhead in the USA could be as young as a couple hundreds of years, or thousands of years old, but to most people, it's just a rock. There are 'indian' Mounds in the southern USA that are Mayan or Aztec. We have evidence of Runes being used in the desert southwest from Nordic people coming here in the Dark Ages. More evidence of Copper from a mine in Michigan being found in Bronze objects IN EUROPE, that pre-date the Romans; but in that case, the only archaeology here, is the holes in the earth made from primitive tools, oh, and the missing copper ore. Just because there is no Metal working, does not mean we have no archaeology; but for the lack of 'modern' archaeology [as Phil would say}, we make up with paleontology. As I said, we do have historical artifacts, but not everyone recognizes what is beneath their feet. Colonialism was going on in North and South America throughout history, but at the time, it was considered invasions and conquering amongst the native peoples. The North and South American Indigenous Tribes fought with each other every bit as much as their European counterparts across the ocean; and make no mistake, they were every bit as efficient in war as the Europeans. A couple of Native American Tribes were extinct by 1600AD, not from Europeans, but neighboring indigenous tribes. The Apaches had run most of their competitive tribes out of my home state, Texas. The Apaches were fierce warriors, but the Commanches had run them out of Texas, by the time Washington was crossing the Delaware.

[@metaldetectingengland]

@@Objective-Observer Hello .that was one of the best comments I have ever read on here .so true on every point .well said .greetings from United Kingdom ..from A and S Dorset.

[@Objective-Observer]

@@metaldetectingengland Thank you, for the kind words. History is a passion of mine, any and all history. That's why I enjoyed the Time Team: we learn so much history, by what they find in the gound. I learned more English History from that simple little TV show than I did professors at my University- who were hung up on their one little area of expertise. I also love geology, and the history you can discover from the rocks around us. I have quite a collection of fossils that I've found over the years, just staring at the ground. I've also found Indian artifacts from pristine arrow heads, to those more primitive, much older spear heads and scrapers... just by looking at the ground.

[@artemismoon1083]

Listening while in line at the pharmacy. What a life I lead.

[@mermeridian2041]

Love Time Team and absolutely credit this series - and @ReijerZaaijer - with helping me keep my sanity during Covid 2020. My adoration for every single member of the Team just grows even more with each episode and I dearly loathe that the series was eventually cancelled. But..that's what watching the series all the way through over and over is for, right? Thanks, Time Team, for existing!

[@ggghhjd]

"That's not a pond!" Just great...even I could keep up with that prognosis..i love these guys

[@SandraNelson063]

Sulis Minerva! You can't have a dig without the rain bucketing down. Frances does love a bit of Iron/ Bronze Age ritual.

[@MrKmoconne]

" a dozen manky bits in a seed tray and they think they have Manchester....." "cheeky devil..." lol

[@APIEngineering]

If only Robin Bush could have kept with them, I always liked him, and think he was a Supreme Historian; a tremendous help to them in picturing and imagining what was going on in the area they were studying at the time. With the addition of Guy, they truly took it to another level of greatness, and with the two of them together, I think they rather had a "Dream Team" going on. At least Guy stayed on. God Bless Robin, poor chap... I heard he battled leukemia and that's what took him from us. I hope they keep Time Team going, and try to get it back to the original formula; No one they select to replace the lost team members will be able to "fill the shoes" of those they replace (Mick and Robin), but I'm sure they can come close. Even Carenza (that sweetheart) had a run-in with cancer that was quite tragic. And the series itself has had it's fair share of accidents, such as the guy who was helping them re-enact a medieval jousting, and a splinter from the launce went through the eye-slit of his helm, into his eye socket, and he died in hospital a week later. There have been other accidents as well. May God bless and keep them all, and may they KEEP UP THE FIGHT!!! Time Team shall FIGHT ON!!

[@t.j.payeur739]

Yeah, man..I really liked Robin...

[@aidz1973]

I agree, I thought he was a truly superb historian

[@basstrammel1322]

Someone DIED in a jousting re-enactment?? Jeez, that's horrific :( Guy is my favourite expert, but Robin was a great one too.

[@meemurthelemur4811]

@@basstrammel1322 Paul Allen was a historical reenactor and accomplished horseman. It was a tragic accident, but his family did ask TT to keep elements of the joust in the episode (not the actual accident, obviously). His funeral was simply amazing. Most of the people who were there were in historical costumes from all points in history. Men in Roman soldier dress walking around with ladies in Victorian gowns. A real tribute to the love he had for sharing history with others.

[@ianchandley]

Wow! Such a weird and freakish accident..... we have a saying here in Jamaica: “If you are born to hang, you won’t drown” that perfectly describes this tragic accident - what are the odds....?

[@metaldetectingengland]

The best TV series ever produced ! Always surprised by how it turns out in the end ..TV classic ! We find some amazing things in fields when we go metal detecting ...cheers guys .

[@bigfootisaliar1027]

just read guys book "Roman Britain".. I read it and caught myself reading to myself in guys voice lol

[@Fangs4DaMemories]

Thanks for telling us this! I didn't know about this book and ordered it today! :)

[@haplessasshole9615]

@@Fangs4DaMemories He also has a book, *The First Computers*. The publication date is 2006, so it's necessarily dated already, but that's tech for you. It's a YA book, but that doesn't mean it's less interesting or less well-written than any so-called "adult book."

[@autondafe]

God I love those Roman brooches, gorgeous patinas and lovely forms

[@schradeya]

18:00 in or so... Francis is such a good sport. So is Guy. Actually I adore them both, and that was a fun, and obviously good-natured, little jab-fest.

[@deetsy4jesus]

schradeya Yep! I just stopped it to post on that too! Fabulous bit of TV that didn't seem too scripted.

[@NolaGal2601]

schradeya Most powerful microscope in the world. Lol

[@jeffinkhobar5711]

I like the way the team members have gradually overcome their defensiveness when taunted by Tony and now they all seem to be better sports about jabs from Tony, Phil, Guy, and whomever. This is the natural family/friendship factor that keeps me watching these old episodes in 2022. And yes, I miss Robin, too.

[@ornleifs]

Great episode and it had an unusual amount of humour in it.

[@t.j.payeur739]

"So, we found water in Lincolnshire. Great..." 40:28 - Guy is enthralled by Stewart's work...

[@iChaz]

Significant project, marvelous revelations!

[@MontyCantsin5]

Wow, zero bullshit from Guy in this episode! The exchange starting at 17:20 was very good.

[@BlackIjs]

He's on fire!

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

"That's not a pond!" "Should we go to the pub?" It's not a comedy, but it's funny as hell!

[@laurachapple6795]

I remember when I was a child and thought archaeologists were Very Serious Scientists. Then I grew up, went to college, watched Time Team, and learned that they are just big children.

[@Tmanaz480]

Unlike the very conservative culture in many businesses, scientists and academics are generally very tolerant of diverse personalities.

[@Timotei75]

I'm watching too much of this. I walked to the car this morning and saw a stone on the ground. Oo! A tessera! Was my immediate thought. I don't think Stoke-on-Trent was a particular hotbed of Roman activity, sadly.

[@Tripserpentine]

Your argument intrigued me, apparantly the name of Stoke is based on an old word for a place, and that specific place was named that way because it was a place/settlement on a Roman road/crossing one, not a hotbed, but not completely devoid of Roman influence either ;)

[@CreatingwithWinglessAngel]

Its very intersting.

[@motherhenn8850]

Oh, me too. But when I see a stone and think "tessera", I must be delusional. I live in Ohio.

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

"A kiln dated AD 43-69 was discovered in Trent Vale during excavations between 1955 and 1957" Sorry mate, you lot were just TOO good at it, its been built over by the later Pottery Crew....www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-37495715

[@markorollo.]

Going through these videos a memory keeps coming back to me. When I was a kid I was digging around in the soil between flowers in my grandparents back garden and I'm pretty sure I kept picking up bits of pot of the red kind you see on tt sometimes, there was, oddly enough, some Roman activity in my area, around Oldham, even got a Roman road, I keep wondering if those bits of pot in my grans council house garden were Roman lol. Probably just bits of old plant pots!!

[@ne0n1880]

loved this show so much

[@damaged05170]

Phil is the hardest working man in archaeology and then Tony Robinson gets knighted....it's BALDRICK!

[@VCYT]

it was his cunning plan that won it !

[@planthing]

😆

[@kosovir]

so deep down Robinson is nothing more than an ass licking royalist. And Phil is probably a republican.

[@MontyCantsin5]

@@kosovir: Tony Robinson is in no way a royalist.

[@katherinemcdowall4494]

Tony was knighted for his years work on social and political issues. Not because of a TV show.

[@marvan4132]

Just found Time team a few months ago... absolutely love the archeological puzzles of the landscapes. So absolutely sorry to here Micheal ( Mic) Aston left the show in and I'm MAD for him at how this came about. Better show advertisement would have served you well, because the content was intriguing, intelligent and drew you in because of the team of professionals who were real and invested in archeology..not ratings. Considering I just discovered it 7 year after it ended...show promoters dropped the ball. Maryland, USA

[@arrowfodder8653]

Yeah, Guy is in form in this one.

[@mariadam9157]

haha!! - they're so funny in this episode! - love it - cheers from Denmark

[@wildtatz]

At 7:14 I yelled WATCH OUT BEHIND YOU A ZOMBIE !!! LOL.

[@buddrud]

Why didn't anyone ever tell Phil, Frances, and the rest of the Time Team that they have Marking Wands for those spray paint cans? Hurts my back just watching them bend over to mark everything with that orange paint.

[@stanlindert6332]

My mouth was watering for a beer at the pub part.

[@revman417]

+Stan Lindert The White Hart at Lissington..

[@VCYT]

"burppp" - excuse me

[@lupus67remus7]

I miss real pubs (I live in France, now... All they have are "café-tabacs"...)

[@Ptolmees]

Good video!

[@userunavailable3095]

Points to Guy! He gets it that EVERYTHING isn't religious. People have to drink water. Livestock has to drink water. Industry requires water. Settlements are by water because they need to drink, not because they worship water.

[@LeeAnneGuerin]

Thank you. I agree.

[@userunavailable3095]

Elisabeth Carroll That is what is known as "speculation." Yes, they could both be right, but no one alive today will ever know that.

[@schradeya]

userunavailable3095 I love that about Guy. The only historian ever to argue that something might _not_ be "religious" or "ritual" in nature. He looks at the surroundings and his instinct is to say *practical* rather than "ritual"!

[@deetsy4jesus]

schradeya In this case you're right, but I do remember many previous episodes where he started to practically salivate at the prospect of finding a Roman temple, when there was even very little evidence for one possibly being there. I think they all do it. Frances is obsessed with it though. Everything is 'ritual' to him. He is starting to get on my nerves...lol. I used to like seeing him on digs in the earlier episodes, but now I wish they'd have just stuck with Mick Aston for every site! I have no problem with there being religious aspects, but I don't think it's wise to always assume it's there. (I'm a Christian, but it still gets annoying when they always go to ritual for the answer when they have no clue!)

[@Tina06019]

Maybe we worship water because we need it so much. Just a thought. It makes more sense than some of the crazy religious ideas humans all over the world. (I agree that more decisions are practical than religious.)

[@dr.douglaswilde1155]

It took a while but @ 16:20, Francis gets to say 'Ritual'...all will be well...lolol

[@GRACEAK01]

One of my favorite episodes

[@stannousflouride8372]

The field doesn't show much in this satellite image but the dig was here: 53°20'10.4"N 0°21'30.6"W

[@ronaldderooij1774]

It strikes me that the comments below are about the people. As if this series is something like Eastenders.

[@cathjj840]

It's like that on all of these TT YT videos. People who watch are touched, and are usually surprised to do so, by the pleasing humanity it exudes. It makes them feel good, about the people they're watching as well as themselves. And these are real people, not actors (except for Tony who also shows a lot of his real self). A lot of depressed people seemed to be helped by it. In other YT archeology video comment sections I usually find discussion about the subject of the site, often quite knowledgeable, and occasionally giving acknowledgement of the professionals but nothing like here. It's like therapy.

[@bilgeratjim]

it is.

[@JonFrumTheFirst]

Everyone play the Phil Harding drinking game: every time Phil says 'actually,' take a drink!

[@philjohnson1744]

30 min in, at the pub. Johns glass is twice as tall and twice as drunk. Cheers.

[@fredgrove4220]

And, a lot of this new information and aspects are in a large part , due to Time Team.

[@lauriebolles3149]

My ancestry hails from Lincolnshire, Swineshead on my Father's side. It was amazing to visit the Lincolnshire Cathedral.

[@sarahriddel6148]

Lincoln cathedral is a beaut! I wish they would recreate what it would have looked like painted though. That whole upper lincoln area is pretty.

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Crackin’ Episode!

[@roadpanzir]

and in the bog there was a turnip,,,

[@stevenbergom3415]

I used the Time Team website to look for Roman roads where I live but apparently there aren't any in Arizona. Bummer.

[@elizabeth8804]

😂

[@AwokenClouds]

One of the members of time team is my history teacher

[@evetssnibbor]

Who?

[@schradeya]

AwokenClouds What?? Who?? Tell us _everything_, please???

[@CompetitiveAudio]

+AwokenClouds The Time Team members are ALL my history teacher(s) :-)

[@kevmoore1070]

I like Helen Geake,more savvy,than Guy Up My Own Bumiare

[@sarahriddel6148]

I hope it was Tony Robinson

[@barnabyaprobert5159]

Aww... Brigid in a white smock instead of one of her famous *tiny* shirts?

[@corneliawissing7950]

Mr Guy doesn't seem to quite 'get' the team's way to banter. He tries, bit he's rather heavy-handed.

[@grannypantsification]

Love this one! I theorize that it was a place where pickpockets, grave robbers and scavengers brought things to be changed into less recognizable other things or melted down or recycled. They were probably paid a penny a pound for a hundred dollar broach, right? It probably served to stock a less than reputable market on the main road where noble born but cash poor ladies could maintain appearances and own things they couldn’t otherwise afford, or a gentleman could get a bargain on an “family heirloom” for his mistress. Sort of like today’s pawn shops, notorious for fencing stolen merchandise. That explains all the broaches. And the scales. There were surely masons who wouldn’t mind passing off a finely worked secondhand stone as his own labor after he chipped the plaster off! 🤪

[@brownoutdoors3224]

nice

[@bonjourbrecht7000]

I love Phil's Dutch army sweater

[@amel6206]

The debate about why so many small items like brooches! Of course any larger metal items are long gone.

[@SigEpBlue]

17:58 This is such a great exchange. XD

[@matthewgauthier7251]

There must be a freakish amount of coin buried all over the planet . From right up to yesterday.

[@taffythegreat1986]

It amazes me how they get so excited over a tiny piece of pottery. I would get excited if I found treasure.

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Pippa pig* Ah, but pottery is easier to date so it _is_ treasure to archæologists. 🙃

[@taffythegreat1986]

Phil Potter I’m not knocking them. They do a great job in piecing together our past

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

@@taffythegreat1986 I honestly didn't think you were!

[@taffythegreat1986]

Phil Potter I know you weren’t knocking me, thinking I was knocking them 👍

[@taffythegreat1986]

Phil Potter at one time I worked for an Archaeology group. I was on the reconstruction of the village they unearthed. They use to get all excited as well when they use to find pottery. I use to say “that’s exciting”. But it did help to paint a picture of what life was like back then and what period. . Parts of the site did date back to the Roman period. But the main village dated back to the 13th century.

[@ThePegasus101]

all suppin real ale an all..good lads

[@slhughes1267]

Have to wonder: if that used to be bog terrain, was there clay/marl there that could have been potting manufactury.

[@user-hy7zb2vl3t]

Interesting to read you all

[@Psychlist1972]

17:35 mad props to the audio team and boom.

[@barbaradyson6951]

Why oh why did they cancel time team? Luv the programme

[@SimonSozzi7258]

I'm just saying, if this show were produced in America, they would have had a wardrobe/stylist department.

[@elishevanesher8580]

simon sozzi one of the many reasons I like this show is precisely because they don't have a wardrobe/stylist department.Just saying

[@RandomPlaceHolderName]

@alanrtment porter Yeah, Robin, Carenza and eventually mick left. Im frankly surprised Mick lasted as long as he did. Although Im not surprised he was furious with them when he did leave, must be infuriating to see what you love being dumbed down and americanised to make more money and get more views.

[@markorollo.]

9:15, time to get the boxing gloves out.....

[@hansdampf1975]

18:54 I'm not familiar with English or American sayings, but there is an episode from the American sitcom FRASIER where Frasier says nearly the same: "At Cornell University, they have an incredible piece of scientific equipment, known as the 'Tunneling Electron Microscope'. Now, this microscope is so powerfull, that by fireing electrons, you can actually see images of the atom. The infinitesimally minute building block of our universe. If I were using that microscope right now I still wouldn't be able to locate my interest in your problem." (S01E09 Selling Out - 1993)

[@HO-bndk]

Tony "geofizz" Robinson would probably have told Howard Carter he'd found a manky old box and a busted cart.

[@amel6206]

I guess the producers liked it or else they'd have had him stop.

[@timothypeacock4197]

It looks like to me a trading post was there back during the Roman era and I'm not talking about like a market I'm talking about supplies for travelers

[@SkywalkerExpress]

its like the rural people processing/recycling things collected from Roman trash can in bigger city for re-use or re-selling.

[@kikufutaba1194]

Every time I view these episodes I much wish Rowan Atkinson would come and put Baldrick in his place.

[@ladymaiden2308]

He stole that microscope joke.

[@sunsettersix6993]

30:03 - The look on Tony's face, "These guys are daft!"

[@rocksandoil2241]

Has it ever went three days without rain during one of these episodes?

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Crackin’

[@MDC2020]

How come they only work on sites for 3 days?

[@cameleonfleuri]

It seems like it ALWAYS RAIN in England! 🙄

[@mikeradford5630]

@36:35 I have to slightly disagree with her idea of the bowl having two points from which it may have been suspended.. we all know that weighing bowls etc have three pints of suspension to keep the bowl stabalised much the same a s a three legged stool or similar?

[@cathjj840]

After showing the two spots where she surmised attachments points, they turned the bowl to where we could clearly see a third hole that had not been degraded so no need to guess about it. Also, the infographic showed the 3 chains.

[@mikeradford5630]

@@cathjj840 Still not disagreeing with your answer @ 36:47 she states TWO points where the bowl could be suspended. Maybe that was an early observation which should have been revised to three points to make the bowl stable.

[@cathjj840]

I'd noticed that but assumed I'd heard wrong or she simply misspoke. I do wonder how your three pints could help stabilize anything ;)

[@Philrc]

@@cathjj840 " _I do wonder how your three pints could help stabilize anything_ " ALL hanging bowls for weighing or hanging baskets etc need 3 points to be stable and not turn over. I presumed everyone knew that , try hanging a bowl on just two chains and you'll soon learn.:)

[@cathjj840]

Khasab - Even habitual drinkers will show some impairment after 3 pints. Maybe they shouldn't attempt to hang bowls in those circumstances;)

[@mattkaustickomments]

I’m with Guy. The most interesting archaeological period of Britain is Roman BY FAR!!! So exotic, so well made, so advanced, so beautiful, and so relatable to our modern experience.

[@Wotdermatter]

The bowl could, of course, have just been suspended by placing it into something that was used to support it while it was being used to weigh something. Of course, that would be too obvious.

[@laurie4275]

Everytime I hear Phil say "Sherds" I think turds instead of shards.😂

[@a.azazagoth5413]

Francis thinks that everything has to do with some religious gathering site or a worship center. He even often calls water wells a place where mystical worship happens. It seems he often pushes his desire for always finding a higher meaning in places where, as in a spring or well, people need to drink, cook, and bathe. But I do like his enthusiasm.

[@amel6206]

"Do you know, if I had access to the most powerful microscope in the world, I would STILL be unable to locate my interest in that iron age round house." Whoa! Guy was fed up with Francis' obsession

[@Pauldjreadman]

6.31s hilarious.

[@hoosierhiver]

Couldn't they just once, take like two weeks instead of a couple of days?

[@allenhonaker4107]

If nothing else they are finally showing some respect for the metal detector hobbyists who find these places. The archeology community seems to have an attitude of we would rather it rot in the the ground unfound than have an amateur did it

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Allen Honaker* Here, in the *UK,* a minority of _metal detectorists_ known as *_nighthawks_* have pillaged archæological sites and sold their finds, often criminally. This tends to give honest detectorists (what a _horrible_ word) an undeserved reputation as thieves. *TT,* under *Mick Aston,* started with this attitude but he learnt better quite quickly shortly after *TT* started. Detectorists are a boon on archæological digs and still deserve more credit than they get but it is slowly improving.

[@georgedorn1022]

The majority of responsible, law-abiding detectorists contribute enormously to our knowledge of the past when they work alongside archaeologists, adequately document and report their finds etc. Many unknown sites have been discovered by these dedicated hobbyists, and many have a huge wealth of knowledge about artefacts that would put most archaeologists to shame. Sadly a small minority of greedy thieves armed with metal detectors have historically done a great deal of harm and robbed us all of our collective history. Those who appreciate the monetary value of finds over the knowledge that they can provide in their archaeological context are the problem.

[@clarebebbington9984]

I’ve always wondered how the farmers feel about their fields being dug.

[@georgedorn1022]

They have to give consent so presumably they are happy enough about it. If crops are damaged they get compensated.

[@mikeradford5630]

Phil is the only one who has ever kept his feet firmly in the soil.. literally! While he maintains one stone equals a stone, two stones equals a wall, three stones equals a building.. our dear Francis has a different analogy, one stone equals a chapel, two stones equals a church, three stones equals a cathedral!! I love him for his charm and never ending exuberance but sometimes he needs dowsing in cold water! Water as we know is the most important thing in life, it's needed to drink or cook, to water animals, to water crops and to use in industry... why does he always go the.. it's a place for prayer or any other religious activity?

[@wbrewer5352]

Just like sunlight, rain, wind etc, water bubbling out of the ground was probably considered a bit magical. Francis' assumptions sometimes seem like guesswork but they are based on his vast knowledge of ancient cultures.

[@meemurthelemur4811]

We look at these sights with modern eyes, knowledge, and understanding. Ancient peoples had no concept of weather patterns, bacteria causing disease, etc. Everything they did was with the belief that the gods or spirits controlled what happened to them. Spirituality and religion governed every aspect of their lives. So while we say "of course they settled around water, it was necessary for daily life" what they would have said is "the gods are smiling on us, they gave us a spring. This land must be blessed." Same need, different interpretation of context.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@meemurthelemur4811 I think we often make the mistake of assuming that people in the past separated the secular and religious as we do today. The further back in time you go, the more these two aspects were intertwined and indivisible, most likely. Many people take issue with Francis' quickness to assume ritual activity but I presume this comes from his belief/recognition that activities we regard now as entirely secular, would have been imbued with ritual/religious significance.

[@meemurthelemur4811]

@@georgedorn1022 exactly. Too many people today criticize the mention of religious and spiritual influences on ancient life without understanding that we have to look at it in historical context. We simply can't just apply modern opinions to ancient cultures and rewrite history as we see fit. The best example of how erroneous this trend can be is to look at how the Victorians romanticized discoveries in archeology. We know now that many things they recorded as fact were just flat out wrong because of this. All the more reason for us to resist the push to remove religion and spirituality from our understanding of the ancient world.

[@wanttopreach]

There has to be something in North Devon, England besides my Mayne family leaving in 1622!

[@JamesKlukas-lu7xd]

Those clunky , heavy broaches make one wonder that the wearers would have injured themselves occasionally . Imagine those chunky , heavy things banging the chest with every stride ....could it be that broaches were eventually made much lighter , more delicately ? The old weighty ones were eventually discarded and subsequently recycled...

[@MelissaThompson432]

Guy's really punching the public school rivalry with Francis, seems to me....

[@cmpe43]

3 weeks is a better business model especially for BBC

[@georgedorn1022]

Time Team is totally unrelated to the BBC...

[@Jigger2361]

...oh my, Helen is getting feisty at 9:35

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

Yeah, interesting as she leans back. She’s not amused.

[@Libbathegreat]

You mean deliberately misunderstanding what Guy said?

[@tehbonehead]

Why no metal detector(ists) checking the spoil heaps?

[@meemurthelemur4811]

They're there. Just not on film

[@Ubique2927]

Could it be the site of a marching camp which was then used by the locals?

[@bugradio]

I heard them say "detectorist" in the last ep. I watched and I thought I misheard it. Nope - TIL: people w/metal detectors are Detecotrists!

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

Sadly _detectorist_ is the usual word. Even more sadly it's an ugly word - not the hobby or the people, just the word.

[@judeirwin2222]

What happened to the syncing of the sound and vision around 11:30? So distracting when someone's jaws are working and no sound emerges until about a minute later. I'm off...

[@kirkjohnson9353]

They keep referring to a "geophys" pictorial but I don't know exactly what it is. Is it some kind of aerial photo? It certainly showed the under lying terrain quite accurately.

[@supervillain3213]

Pretty sure it's a combination of things, probably including underground radar.

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Kirk Johnson* It can be a survey of magnetic resonance underground, electrical resistance underground or radar penetration.

[@georgedorn1022]

Geophysical surveys are conducted using ground-based instruments but the resulting 'plot' usually shows the site in plan so it looks like an aerial photo. LiDAR (Light Dectection And Ranging) is a type of laser survey that reveals often subtle and otherwise undetected earthworks (for example it can 'see through' vegetation) - this is carried out from the air.

[@MichaelBrown-eg8dx]

I think that where they found jewelry was a market place.

[@markdenison9568]

What happens to the site when time team has gone?

[@richardsanchez9190]

They fill it back up

[@chubbyroyston3880]

Can't work out why it has to be only 3 days?

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

Can't you? It's actually simple. All the archæologists are professionals with full--time jobs in archæology who did the show in their otherwise free time for no more than peanuts - even *Mick Aston* wasn't paid much. The rest of the production was expensive by TV standards and when profits started to dip - after at least 17 years - they tried to revive it but to no avail.

[@BadChizzle]

I Love England.

[@lisakilmer2667]

I just rewatched this episode and found the artificial arguments annoying. TT knew good and well that 1) Roman sites required water, AND 2) often the Romans put a little shrine at the head of their spring. Mick Aston (around minute 18) would have said, 'mmm, maybe we have an intersection of the Iron Age and Roman worlds heah, and that would be very exciting, mmm?' At minute 31 they start to say exactly that. And of course they wait till 39:33 to have Stewart clear everything up. I call foul - they could have just been straightforward without fake arguments and it would have been just as interesting.