Time Team S17-E03 Piercebridge

[@unsquishablegnome]

What a wonderful thing it would be to meet the team, sit by a fire and listen to their stories with a pint of ale.

[@PaulMahon-w2b]

Pints I want to listen to them when we have a good buzz on😂

[@tripleransom4349]

Time Teams with Mick Aston are so much better than the ones without him. He has such a breadth of knowledge. RIP Mick!

[@Awitsaduck]

Loved Mick episodes but those headed by Ben Neil and Francis were great too. I particularly liked how "creative" Francis was with his theories.

[@rosievonengel5943]

Loved how he defended the early ways of approaching archaeology before machines with bells n whistles

[@LilieDubh]

Time Team, finding things everywhere, including in rivers. Love love love this show!

[@Books_Anime_92]

Mick using a Blackberry really dates this episode.

[@jehansanzterre3956]

I think I'll only watch one and hours later,it has turned into a Time Team marathon.Lapping these up! Thanks so very much for sharing,once again!

[@kdjohnson1998]

Time Team is saving me from USA politics..thank you!

[@CraigLYoung]

Kd Johnson : You too

[@melialialee5445]

Omg honestly me too

[@sharonramsey1731]

I never took a break from politics when the rest of you did, but I now need a break from the back and forth politics about USA opening up following the COVID-19 shutdown.

[@TheSteveBoyd]

Teamwork, purpose, thirst for knowledge, camaraderie, a sense of purpose and an understanding of history... and being outside! Everything that's missing from America in this foul year of our lord, 2020.

[@karmicpopcorn6440]

Especially with the election coming up. Ancient rotting wood is definitely preferable. Although to be fair, it will always be preferable.

[@mda4209]

I found a Domitian Denarius from the same period in East Anglia. We love you time team. I still watch an episode most days and will continue to do so for the rest of my life 🤟❤️

[@entertainmentweakly6885]

It must be really cool to live in the UK or Europe and have so much archaeology literally everywhere. There’s definitely Native American archaeology, but the cultures were so different and there aren’t like pieces of pottery just lying around in most places.

[@czgator9000]

Again, thanks Reijer, for posting these great episodes.

[@megganking2595]

I have always enjoyed the banter between the team members.

[@markusarrow]

Cannot beat rivers and shallow creeks for finds, found some of my nicest blades, arrowheads, drilled beads etc. great episode...

[@erikasantoshafitness348]

This is my all time favorite time team...I keep coming back to this one. Fascinating.

[@entertainmentweakly6885]

That’s awesome. I agree, this is a great episode. But I think my favorite is the one that’s like a cave/shaft where they argue if it’s ritual or not. And of course the infamous site where it seems almost too good to be true. And the one where Jenni has to live as a nun for a day.

[@jimmyandersen742]

Love Time Team and i wish we have such great program in Denmark. Love Mick, Tony and off course Phil!!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

I'm very grateful to be seeing these from America as well.

[@thecoolchannel6431]

Wishing these people the best lives and luck

[@JumboMills]

I got to around 40mins in, instantly scrolled down and I wasn't disappointed.

[@BlackIjs]

Dr. Ben was a refreshing site coordinator. Much like a younger Mick Aston. He lets archaeologists and geophys do their work without bluster and pretending to be omniscient (thinking of a certain site coordinator thankfully not in this episode).

[@fussel2107]

That time Mick Aston was very much me. There are two kinds of archeologists in Europe. A right one and one that loves Romans. :D

[@Psychlist1972]

What I've learned from this series: 1. Romans littered a lot 2. Romans were super careless with their money 3. You can't dig anywhere in England without hitting some sort of ancient trench, bones, or bits of pottery.

[@alexdibosco]

the Romans lived in magnificent palaces with marble statues heated floors, they had toilets and rooms with hot and cold saunas while the others lived in mud and shit huts kept together with sticks and straw .. it takes a bit of respect when you talk of the cultural heritage of other people .. said by an Italian

[@annk.8750]

@Alex's Family That's like saying 'Medieval Englishmen lived in castles, with embroidered tapestries on the walls and feasts of venison". Let's face it, for everyone in a high status position, there would have been dozens of servants, builders, tradesmen, farmers etc, or legions of freezing Roman soldiers marching mile after mile or moving tons of earth and stone to build the roads and forts. Yes, nice to dream of being the lord of the manor or the commander of the fort in a fine villa, but the odds are pretty slim of actually being on the top in that society.

[@alexdibosco]

@@annk.8750 first of all you have studied little or badly the Roman culture, the public baths were accessible to all even to the poor since the entrance was often free or almost, inside there were toilets with running water, swimming pools and saunas .. often they were built small public baths near the industrial centers so that workers at the end of the day could wash themselves, same thing goes for the gardens, the great monuments, the fountains served by the aqueducts, etc. all public things .. my point does not change, while the neighboring peoples they lived in huts made of mud and shit the Romans had a much higher technological and social level, and to say "the Romans were dirty" is a crap because you have to put them in their time, not compare them to us, and in their time they were ahead of hundreds of years compared to their neighbors .. not to mention that it was a very dynamic society where you could start as a slave and die as a free and rich man .. the poor (registered in Rome, not all) even received grain and money distributions .. the soldiers were certainly not treated as slaves forced to work .. they were divided into companies of 8 self-sufficient people (things were cooked for them 8 for example) and they were given tasks tailor-made, for example, a Roman army could create a palisade built on a rise with a ditch in front of it without effort because in one day each company from 8 built only a small section, while 4 dug the ditch and placed the earth to form a hill in the while 3 others prepared and fixed the wooden poles and the eighth cooked or brought water .. the soldiers were trained and paid well, they were not forced.

[@itsmyparty4637]

@@alexdibosco you know so much. Thank you.

[@alexdibosco]

@@itsmyparty4637 thanks to you, you are very kind. I have always liked history and in part it is normal to know the history of your country .. I have lived in Italy for 30 years and I have studied here, so it is easier for me to know certain things .. even if personal passion certainly has played a fundamental role many things are almost obvious to know, I live in the city of Milan which became Roman in 222 before Christ, Milan was also the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 286 to 402, in the period in which the Christian church became powerful and important, the city of Milan is now the most modern in Italy but nevertheless it still preserves Roman ruins, such as pieces of the ancient Roman walls or churches that now boast more than 1600 years of history .. the city exists since 660 before christ and he has gone through history in an active way, each epoch has left its mark .. from the first celtic era to the roman period, from the medieval era to the renaissance to the industrial period to the fascist era, up to the futuristic skyscrapers of the economic district .. many wars have passed from here and many important men and all have left their mark .. from napoleon, to leonardo da vinci, from attila the hun to federico barbarossa, from noble families to the king to great writers such as alessandro manzoni or giuseppe verdi .. here the story is certainly not lacking and there is something for all tastes .. in italy every city has its own particularities and its history, for example Milan is famous for its Gothic cathedral (Duomo di Milano) one of the 4 largest cathedrals in Europe, for its castle and for the classic style of northern Italy, for the French influences for the Austrian ones, for its wooden trams that still circulating alternating with the latest modern ones, for the buildings and the central station built by the fascists following a typical monumental style where everything had to be large, square and of great visual impact .. and the list continues .. Milano is this a somewhat strange place where the present and the future mix with the past, managing to share and draw a lively, dynamic and rich city. of everything .. think that in 2018 we had 1 million tourists more than Rome .. rome is beautiful, defined the eternal city, but it is much less dynamic and despite having a huge and wonderful cultural heritage it is a bit stuck in Roman times, walking through its center the other eras feel relatively little .. byè! big hug to you, I wish you a happy new year !!

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks so much for posting.

[@dinx556]

What a wonderful site, I'm getting my snorkel on and catching the next bus to Piercebridge!

[@stannousflouride8372]

Google Earth locations: Trenches 1&2 are here: 54°32'15.3"N 1°40'45.9"W Trench 3: 54°32'07.8"N 1°40'29.4"W Trench 4: 54°31'59.7"N 1°40'22.3"W And Phil's trench 5: 54°32'08.5"N 1°40'25.7"W The fields to the south are rife with interesting parch and crop marks. Many are roundhouse-ish in size and shape and others which are rectangular and on line with the main Roman roads.

[@harbourdogNL]

Awesome episode! Those two divers are tow be applauded for decades of work.

[@brianvittachi6869]

When I grow up I want to be Stewart Ainsworth.

[@auntiejen5376]

I like him, too, but I'm fascinated by what he does.

[@lilykatmoon4508]

Phil is my hero!

[@00BillyTorontoBill]

hehe Stewart's making the rest of us look bad...lol. The sh*t he's figured out....wow. smh.

[@efoster9968]

The Google Earth 4/2006 satellite image is good for showing the main roads in the town leading to the middle bridge (with wood planks) and the fort main entrance. Just noting this for those interested.

[@patlong3903]

Thank you so much for taking the time to download this series for You Tube. Love many of the characters (Ahhh Phil, the representative of 'The Common Man'; Mick, a man very wise ... but was always willing to he was wrong ... and to learn. Gotta admit there are times I want some smack Tony ... Or at least to tell him cease on some his "snarky comments" Right now, I want to beat the guy who 'interprets' the tree rings - what a genuine snarky smart ass.

[@thomasmoeller2961]

Pat Long I agree, after it while it gets very old. Especially when he is mocking Mick !

[@RKHageman]

All part of the act. First, Tony and Mick are *old* friends, and go wayyyy back before TT. Second, Tony’s role in the show is to do exact what he does. It’s scripted, as much as anything on the show can be. Third, Tony isn’t just some yokel- he’s one of the series producers. (Watch the end credits).

[@pwile2002]

yeah, what was that dude's problem? I wonder if he ever worked for them again.

[@janielaurel]

@@pwile2002 to be fair, Mick (the dendrologist) did clarify it at the end of the show and said they simply couldn't date the samples. After-show details were provided by a third try to dendro date from a different sample and gave an accurate date. Mick never did give Tony a "tease" date. He was just being vague because he didn't have answers.

[@ruththinkingoutside.707]

The “tree dude” is literally one of the longest running members of TT.. he’s Mick the Dig from many earlier years, he left to follow dendro dating.. he’s now Mick the Twig in following episodes and he’s still a dendrocronologist, as of last update working in the US .. and Tony and Mick Aston were old friends before the show happened. In series 3 Tony says in a conversation with Mick that they had known each other over 10 years at that point.. it’s a show, it’s structured, don’t take it so seriously. We’re supposed to get frustrated at not getting dates, that’s why they made a big deal out of it.. otherwise it would have been shuffled off and maybe left out all together.. It would be professional masochism to totally screw up on a National program, he did the right thing, no matter how frustrating.. the truth is better than BS for a ‘show narrative’.. the whole point behind TT is that they follow the rules to the letter, that’s why they get to do what they do, if they made anything up, they would never get permission to do anything.

[@boojay111]

haven't seen that dendrochronologist ever since, i wonder why?

[@scottmartin9022]

what a little putz !!!

[@scottcrosby-art5490]

Never worked anyway

[@edadaud]

He used to be Mick the dig when he waa digging in earlier programs.

[@edwhatshisname3562]

I will say that he looked genuinely annoyed with the host when he commented one him covering what he thought were the results with a sheet of paper. Honestly I don't see what the big deal was in the first place. You don't have to be right all the time.

[@geirbalderson9697]

He is a bit of a git, as they say.

[@marcblack1]

People come and people go, I will always give respect to one and all for their part on TIME TEAM, and give thanks for having posted all video's, HOPE BBC will smarten the HELL up and bring back this wonderful show, and perhaps one day come to Canada to find some of Britain's past here.

[@areyouavinalaff]

channel 4

[@fredgrove4220]

Except it wasn't the BBC, it was Channel 4. BBC is funded by the licencing authority and Channel $ is a commercial station.

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

Whilst the programme was made for *Channel4* in the *UK* it was broadcast elsewhere by other broadcasters including the *BBC* in *Australia* and *New Zealand* in particular.

[@sgrannie9938]

TT 2.0 has been broadcasting for about a year (?) IMO they should have left well enough alone.

[@entertainmentweakly6885]

@@sgrannie9938 are you saying you don’t like the new time team? I honestly haven’t watched the new ones yet. I’ve been working my way up from Season 1 in ‘94.

[@silkysays3557]

poor old mick,that sweater is almost archeology.Its not as bright as it once was...I love the old gent.

[@silkysays3557]

i love that program.The introduction of new people will be difficult

[@czgator9000]

silky says I agree with you, the shows he is in are so much better than the ones after he left. It's strange seeing him and Robin Bush, the dapper historian, so full of life and enthusiasm on these episodes and knowing they passed away a few years ago. They probably would be happy to know they left a legacy that is still educating and entertaining people.

[@silkysays3557]

i love that program.i am glad you agee.The ones done in North America seem a bit lame...not as professional.

[@BlueSaphire70]

@@czgator9000 I loved Robin's historic tales. He would narrate them with such gusto!

[@czgator9000]

@@BlueSaphire70 They all (at least the original team members) had such a sense of camaraderie. It really made you want to be on site with them. (Or at least in a cozy pub afterward!)

[@elenabaker1914]

You and me both, chuckle. Thank you, indeed :-).

[@uncannydan]

Highly enjoyable episode~ a member that stands up to Tony's 'thuggery'! 'I ain't tell'n you nothin! Yet~'

[@tracyroweauthor]

Tony's "thuggery"? Uh, no.

[@xanadood1]

Luv the Richard Marx beat that starts when Guy says "earl 80s" LOL Luv this show!

[@scottcrosby-art5490]

Been there many times, Still impressed by it

[@maryjanefollett8687]

now for something totally different.....in the tv movie the white queen,her mother had her throw in a small stick on a long line out into the water(a river?) and told her to pull it in so many inches a day and what is caught on the stick will be your future. she happened to catch a ring,shaped like a crown. was supposed to represent witch craft as her mother was a direct descendant of melusine. was called witch craft but seems to be more regular roman pagan ritual but in england where the pagans threw things in to their gods the willy romans were just pulling out the gold and metals to melt down. i think i've put a small 2 & 2 together. love time team!

[@gregb6469]

Naomi is very cute, and very smart--what a combination!

[@thomaspatton4401]

I would definitely like to see her and some of the others come back in future programs of the sort. It would be great to see some of the surviving senior team and some of the diggers acting as senior team in a new show. Suddenly Phil Harding and Francis Prior comes to mind.

[@georgedorn1022]

@@thomaspatton4401 It may just be possible: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqjNqoOaetGBd9E

[@mattkaustickomments]

Haha! Tony’s first line sounded like “Here’s Piss Bridge...”

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I really miss new episodes of Time Team

[@emsky333]

Dendro guy should have just said what date he had, whether he believed it wrong or not we wanted to know what the date was, he could have covered himself by explaining that it was likely incorrect. I just rewatched from 39:38 and cannot help but feel suspicious, why blatantly lie? Is this a case of Science does not match my beliefs, so I will ignore it?

[@bigbearfuzzums7027]

No kick the liar in the dick!

[@peanut71968]

So fascinating!

[@MrPlankinton]

At minute 30:44 the dendro man says he "doesn't believe the date myself..." but at minute 39:40 he denies there was a date. What a jerk.

[@emilychb6621]

Easy solution: Have simple program you put in the distances if the tree rings. Will always output 'a' date. But if you look at the rings yourself, the potential dates are all over. So yes, there's a date, but dude knew from the first moment it was just an artifact of the software. Like when 49% of the tree show 1100 and 25% show 200 and 26% show -200 you can just go oh well more than half show an average of 0.

[@entertainmentweakly6885]

⁠@@emilychb6621I’m a little confused what you’re trying to say. Is the software bad/imprecise? Is the nature of dendrochronology imprecise or difficult to empirically verify? Or are you saying that “simple software” averaging dates is actually a better way to go?

[@imbwildrd3693]

I wish the Time Team would have thought to use Google Earth imagery. If you look at July 14, 2006 imagery you can clearly see the road to the bridge they're looking for, as well as the other Roman dwellings within the Piercebridge fort boundary.

[@tonyoliver6797]

I'm no history professional, but couldn't that dendrochronologist by refusing to believe the date of the bridge be refusing a possible fact and changing the course of the investigation? I would have thought he would have checked the date and if it came up again the same he would have just quoted the said date in stead of lying completely because perhaps he himself wasn't happy with the date. This seems damaging to history.

[@cliffcannon]

Remember that those interview scenes are scripted, rehearsed, and frequently shot more than once using different camera angles (that is how they can make close shots of all the people conferring and then cut to a long shot of the group with no camera person in the frame--the continuity is very good but not quite perfect, and you can amuse yourself looking for the little differences if so inclined.) My point simply is that Michael "Mick the Twig" Worthington's reluctance to reveal the date without further checking was no kind of surprise to Tony Robinson, the segment director, or anyone else. Mr. Worthington might even have been _asked_ to behave that way to heighten the "tension among the team" for dramatic effect, and Mr. Robinson (an acclaimed actor) is frequently directed to simulate exasperation with the other team members in addition to being presenter and audience surrogate.

[@tonyoliver6797]

Yes but at the end he could have simply said "The dates were incorrect", in stead of lying about saying there were dates in the first place.

[@gregb6469]

Couldn't he have just said, "The results we are getting back are so varied that we can not draw any accurate conclusions about the date of the bridge's building."? Instead he made a priggish ass of himself.

[@Skyfire_The_Goth]

30:10 Tony tells us Micks phone had been blowing up and when it was checked it said we have a result. 30:33 Mick is asked directly if there was a result and he first says no then says yes but he doesn't believe the date and won't answer what the date is. 30:50 Mick even specifically states he will not tell the date because he wants to check and recheck to make sure the date is right. Between 30:10 and 31:00 Mick said multiple times "the date" meaning he had a date but didn't want to tell it. 39:45 Tony says Micks mate at the lab came up with a date and Micks immediate response was to deny "What date? I didn't say he came up with a date at all." Well then WTF was all that talk the day before about being sure about the date? 39:55 Tony points out he covered the screen and beneath the paper was a date Micks immediate response again was to deny "No beneath that there was a conversation between two dendrocronologists..." Again WTF was all the talk about making sure the date was right before telling it, and why hide it if that's all it was? If I was Tony or any of the other producers I would have told him on camera "You're fired." because he quite clearly said multiple times he had a date he just didn't want to say what the date was.

[@describer99]

I think the director told him not to tell the date to drag out the tension.

[@robertmills8640]

I thought Mick the Dig was somewhat disrespectful.

[@christosvoskresye]

Also, I'm a bit surprised such valuable offerings were not stolen later. History has made it quite clear that neither religious sentiment, nor superstition, nor even draconian punishments are enough to completely deter robbers. But then, maybe all we are seeing are the bits that robbers overlooked.

[@father3267]

+christosvoskresye Or maybe, because the Roman Empire was largely Christian for the last 50, 60 years of the Roman occupation of Britain, people had forgotten about it.

[@gregb6469]

Also remember that the island the shrine was on was washed away by the river, making getting to the items later rather difficult. Indeed, the fact of the island shrine's existence doubtless faded from memory.

[@lindasue8719]

Awww, are we not calling MW "Mick the Twig" anymore? 🌲🌳🙂

[@PerryTribeMetalBaker]

i think he gradually fell out of favour with the team to be honest

[@ralphgeigner9545]

It would be unique if Time Team could come to the USA and do digs on older USA or in Canada Battle sites.

[@entertainmentweakly6885]

There was a Time Team America series for 2 seasons. I think it’s on Amazon prime, and a few episodes on here. And there was one episode they come to Maryland kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmiUgIObhJiVhcU

[@ellenmurphy2150]

Always interesting.

[@paulmessis1985]

Phil is such a lord... he's the kinda guy who would maim lions, jump out of aeroplanes and even dive into a dirty river all for the sakes of archeology... Channel 4 need to give him his own show.

[@ludovica8221]

I always got the impression he found the "being on TV" part of it was a drag and interfered with digging. He's in his late 60s now so I guess it will be down to younger folks

[@lameesahmad9166]

Yes it is true. Sometimes I see him on the first day and he actually does not look so enthusiastic. But the chemistry between all of them makes them all stars. Each of them working in their own specialist field makes the archaeology real and come to life. I have to admire Phil though; at his age he always is the one old guy who gets down and dirty on the digs. I like to see what Phil's trenches produce, because even if there is next to nothing in his trench he will carry on until it does reveal something; even if it is only a tiny piece of pottery or bone.

[@beckyshock3099]

He must be, the one thing that really bothers me is his long fingernails...... not good on a man.

[@adelechicken6356]

Becky Shock, Possibly you haven't heard that Phil is a very talented guitar picker and needs those nails to pluck the strings. You will notice that they are very clean unless he is working in mud. When the team works in mud, everybody's fingernails are dirty. Why are longer fingernails on a man wrong, if they are clean and tidy?

[@cliffcannon]

At 2:40, meet the Robinson twins - Big Ben and Tiny Tony!

[@markdsm-5157]

Didn't they say earlier in that part of the town collapsed into the river? Wouldn't that partly or at least give an alternative theory to the reason for the 'shrine' items? I mean those would all be things found inside homes.

[@cathjj840]

That wouldn't explain their extreme concentration in one particular spot.

[@wiegop8861]

47:56 Interesting fact, up till maybe the reign of Septimus, Roman soldiers weren't allowed to get married until discharged from the army. He could be meaning the wives of Roman officials, or the common law wives that some soldiers had, or soldiers from later I guess.

[@Songbirdstress]

But they married anyway. Their marriages were recognised officially at demobb. Romans were practical people. They knew soldiers had families over their 20 year service far from home.

[@waskozoids]

Mick Aston RIP

[@elizabethschaeffer9543]

If the river did move so much that the buttresses are in the middle of the field, how come the sacrificial offerings are all in one spot in the middle of the river AS IT IS NOW.

[@thomasmoeller2961]

Elizabeth Schaeffer Very good point ! Wondering if where the river is now also was a offering site than on land in a pond or pit ?

[@VIIStar]

The put offerings in wells - if they dug a well where the river is now it would explain why the finds are where they are.

[@marthareis5873]

And the outlier is the buttresses in the middle of the field; whereas, there are remnants of three other bridges all of which appear to ford the current course of the river, each just downstream from the last. Time Team dated these three bridges (the earliest was 40 BC - 85 AD; the middle one was late 1st century; and the last "possibly 3rd century"). If the sacrificial offerings were deposited in that time span and are still in today's river bed, it doesn't seem like the river course altered much in that section of interest.

[@Skyfire_The_Goth]

Looking at an aerial view it looks like the river used to be much much wider in ancient times, and was constrained at some point giving it the thin meandering form it has now, in ancient times what is now the middle of the river was actually just off the north bank, which means the older bridges were also as long as the roman one we see the remains of, they probably did an island hop kind of thing connecting a couple of small river islands with a couple of bridges, which would be why they are at somewhat odd angles to the approach roads, as it was easier to build to the closest lump of land then build to the opposite bank than it was to try to build one span.

[@9087125498172345]

Mick kinda reminds me of a real life John Hammond from Jurassic Park.

[@brettb.7425]

So basically the cheeky tree guy was useless.

[@sultanmulberry6967]

Initial day: "I don't believe the date myself... It's not ridiculous because if I tell you the date..." Next day: "What date?! I never said he came up with a date at all... No, beneath that there was a conversation between two dendrochronologists saying this is an interesting area. You should look at that." ???

[@kcsunshine4008]

Brett B. That drendro guy is MicktheDig who became MicktheTwig .... a TT member for years!!!!!😂😂😂

[@0623kaboom]

@@kcsunshine4008 and still had a hard time dating any trees ... all the quick accurate dates came from other people

[@schoolingdiana9086]

Classic narcissist. Couldn’t admit his buddy was right, so totally gaslighted Tony and claimed he never said any such thing-even though it’s on video. I can’t imagine a narcissist would make it long in archeology.

[@barbmcconnaughey3070]

Soooo...the dendro results were off the charts/inconclusive? Could of just said that...Sorry, need to do more testing.

[@czgator9000]

In answer to the dendrochronology questions, toward the end Tony mentions that after the dig, the local divers got another sample that was dated between 40 BC and 85 AD, making it the oldest bridge. The samples they got before simply were not clear enough to be able to give an accurate dating; you can't blame the guy for not wanting to risk his career having to give an opinion on a show with several million viewers without having a viable sample. Could he have been more graceful about it? Yes, but think about how Phil responds to Tony when he pesters him for an answer when he's not ready to share his findings!

[@Skyfire_The_Goth]

30:10 Tony tells us Micks phone had been blowing up and when it was checked it said we have a result. 30:33 Mick is asked directly if there was a result and he first says no then says yes but he doesn't believe the date and won't answer what the date is. 30:50 Mick even specifically states he will not tell the date because he wants to check and recheck to make sure the date is right. Between 30:10 and 31:00 Mick said multiple times "the date" meaning he had a date but didn't want to tell it. 39:45 Tony says Micks mate at the lab came up with a date and Micks immediate response was to deny "What date? I didn't say he came up with a date at all." Well then WTF was all that talk the day before about being sure about the date? 39:55 Tony points out he covered the screen and beneath the paper was a date Micks immediate response again was to deny "No beneath that there was a conversation between two dendrocronologists..." Again WTF was all the talk about making sure the date was right before telling it, and why hide it if that's all it was? If I was Tony or any of the other producers I would have told him on camera "You're fired." because he quite clearly said multiple times he had a date he just didn't want to say what the date was.

[@Capkirk]

Skyfire The Goth exactly. The show/production company is the one paying for this “dig”. Tony could have stated what the date was showing but that he believed it to be incorrect and would be checking it again and again. Even if it was inconclusive he could have stated that! And not acted like a complete arse

[@saberx08]

@@Skyfire_The_Goth I'm thinking he was saying the word 'datA', and not 'datE' a few of those times. But yeah... he very clearly alluded to having "a result". Then after 39:45, he acted like that conversation had never happened at all. I can understand being cautious with your reputation in the scientific community while on a television show. But I think the way he handled this particular issue did far more damage to his reputation than simply giving out unverified data too early, then manning up and saying it was wrong if so proven. At least in my eyes. I wouldn't hire him for any work - even if he came with the highest recommendations now. Your character in how you deal with various issues is just as important as your expertise in your field. Maybe even more so!

[@marthareis5873]

The problem wasn't simply that Mick didn't want to give a professional opinion, it was that he was shifty about it -- he got a phone message saying there was a result, the next day he denied what we knew to be true. He was caught on camera looking weasley. And Mick fell out of the good graces of Time Team -- which chose to include this footage.

[@mymasmith7848]

It was the oddest exchange, almost squirrely. There are plenty of other times in Time Team episodes where they say "We are quite possibly looking at a date of ___, but really its from only one poor sample so we will have to see" and Tony comes back the next day "Yesterday you were saying ____, now you found something else and are saying ____, what is the story?" (as in every Angle Saxon dig ever) which is a much more useful and educating to the viewers than "Date? What date? I can't give a date.". The way they voiced-over about the better sample on day 3 makes me almost wonder if the producers did some considerations already overnight between day 2 and 3.

[@HowShouldIKnow6543]

Dr. Philippa Walton, the Roman finds expert, has the most cherubic dimples. It’s impossible to focus when Dr Dimples is talking.

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

The date on a coin only means that coin was dropped at that spot _sometime after_ the coin was minted. Right now I can easily reach in my change jar and pull out a 40 year old coin, possibly one from 60 years ago even. And back then coins may have stayed in circulation much longer, it could have been a keepsake or lucky token, who knows. The same goes for the lumber felling date, although it is perhaps less likely it was sitting around for decades before being used as a bridge. But even today builders will sometimes re-use limber from demolition projects of much older structures.

[@saberx08]

While you're dead on for the coin dating, the idea of lumber just sitting around for very long in those times doesn't really work with the way things were back then. Lumber was cut as it was needed. They didn't really have a Home Depot, or any antique equivalent back then with massive stores of cut timber just waiting to be used. The coins though? Exactly! A coin minted in 79 AD only tells us that it couldn't have been dropped there BEFORE 79 AD. We have no way of knowing if it was dropped there in 80 AD, 280 AD, or 480 AD.

[@wbrewer5352]

@@saberx08 I wonder about this too - but part of their expertise is in detecting WHEN something was deposited, either by layers on top, disturbed dirt etc. There's always going to be an element of speculation but I tend to trust their experience and expertise.

[@bigste5771]

Wood wasnt stockpiled but old buildings still had good timber beams what could be reused so they could be totally out with dating off timber and coin... I totally agree 👍

[@franzkohler8337]

Diving as an alternative to digging ditches.

[@christianpatriot7439]

What are the odds that nearly 2000 years' worth of shifting rivers didn't dislodge any of them Roman timbers?

[@13ECHO20]

The tree ring guy was a butt in my opinion.

[@geraldinesera8915]

Found it quite conflicting that ... 1. The river's power moves boulders BUT... 2. It did NOT move the artifacts shown to us. Can't figure it out????

[@scarletfluerr]

Maybe it did, maybe they washed down from up river and settled there?

[@PerryTribeMetalBaker]

likely because rocks and boulders have a larger surface area for the water to push against whereas the smaller finds tend to fall between sunken stones? Well, that's one possibility anyway haha

[@gertjannolten4849]

It also depends on where you are in the bend of a river. If I'm not mistaken, the water flows quicker on the outside of a bend than on the inside, so artifacts might stay put on the inside. If you look at the bank decay shot at 36 minutes, the part of the bank that collapsed is on the outside of a bend.

[@mercedes523]

That dendro guy was a weirdo. Strange!

[@fedraescuderohaldane6962]

Holy crap, can Mick Aston get any tanner?

[@ritawilson9911]

Fedra Haldane v

[@fedraescuderohaldane6962]

RIta Wilson Pardon? Was there more to your comment than "v"? If not-- Pardon?

[@MrPlankinton]

Uh oh, Michael Worthington, dendrochronologist. .From your own website, in your own words, " I now go back to do their tree-ring dating, most recently at Piercebridge in County Durham where we excavated and dated a Roman bridge." Which was it, Mick? No date or dated?

[@KB4QAA]

He may have developed more reference sources for the area which can now be used to date the wood from the bridge. Dendrocronology depends entirely on having samples of trees from the same area of the same species, which have been positively dated. These references increase with time and change. He did what he could the first time around. He can't manufacture answers from thin air.

[@kestralblue1559]

MrPlankinton so based on wessex archeological report on it, he dated the western concentration of timber as 1st century ad. The eastern one he was unable to date.

[@leslieeaston3383]

The Gods are angry at the theft of their gifts, or the Romans wasted their time and money. Which do you think?

[@charmedquark11]

Thanks

[@jarnonelis1518]

phill almost talks normal with that diving mask :P

[@KellyfromMemphisDD214]

He’s a trained professional scuba diver too, don’t know if that makes any difference lol

[@petenielsen6683]

It's only 3 or 4 chords, but at 22 minutes some of the music sounds like a progression in a song by Journey.

[@annk.8750]

"The river has moved" ... I think that they should have consulted local geology /geography experts before they began many of their digs. I know, it's tempting to look at what the terrain is like in the present day, but that's too big an assumption.

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

They did.

[@annk.8750]

They usually get around to mentioning possible terrain changes on day two or three of the dig. Do we have any reason to assume they knew right from the start?

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

@@annk.8750 There were always surveys done earlier to check the practicalities of the dig, they also checked the largest scale *Ordnance Survey* maps they could get. The fuller investigation was during the dig. When you consider the premise of the programme all this makes sense but I can see how it wouldn't be obvious otherwise

[@kathardman2152]

Crikey! Is there going to be any spot of 'Olde Britain left untouched after the "Wild Team" fnishes trenching? (Snicker)

[@Scotto6977]

Mick🌈sweater ✔️

[@JBreit007]

Those early divers are going to make a killing.

[@babasimana83]

thanks a lot dude!

[@RKHageman]

:-D. They found a spindle whorl!! 26:35

[@lisakilmer2667]

One thing that is very noticeable in this whole season is the increasing touchiness of various people on camera. Many of the digs should have been as delightful as earlier seasons but there are uncomfortable frictions on camera which, to me, hint at serious issues off camera.

[@GrahamCLester]

Since I've been avidly watching Time Team, I've been noticing a lot of signs of Roman occupation here in Kansas.

[@conniepenner4795]

Is this the one where Mick the Dig gets fired for not telling Tony the date?

[@bigste5771]

This is darlington dont think anyone would say county durham since the co,durham boarder is about a mile up the river😕😂

[@ellicooper2323]

If these were offerings to the gods and you take them of the river, will the gods take their blessings back?

[@crazycressy7986]

looks like the silver dinarius has a fresh bit of damage from a pick or spade ,pity they did not let the metal detectorist in there first ,that coin has been sat there for 1700 years and now damaged

[@idetectofficial]

CrazyCressy7 feel your pain bro

[@crazycressy7986]

MoreHarri yep it's a shame as they hate us but I have met Sally Worrle and she is all up for working along side detectorists .she will be working on my hoard .she's a real nice lass and knows her stuff

[@KB4QAA]

CC7: It's the result of the 'drive by archaeology" they are doing. They are working fast and without much care for damage, nor taking care to find and preserve small objects. When they visited colonial St. Mary's City, Maryland, USA they sneered at the deliberate slow speed and extreme meticulousness of the American archeologists.

[@scarletfluerr]

Yeah, so they can put it in their pocket and stroll away.

[@MrMscotth]

The river moved.

[@layedbacklester]

most of rivers in uk are far from where the coursed in roman times , ox bow lakes etc

[@1andonlylynda]

just curious. do they use the man again who was dating the wood? I don't think they would but does anyone know if they do.

[@cliffcannon]

Michael Worthington moved permanently to the United States in 2010; series 17 was originally aired in 2010, produced probably in 2009. He may have appeared in some episodes produced after 2009 (will try to find out) but he had been for many years a well-liked member of the "supporting cast", first as a heavy equipment operator ("Mick the Dig") and later (after training and certification by the University of Oxford) as a tree-ring dating expert ("Mick the Twig").

[@Capkirk]

Cliff Cannon thank you for the update!

[@jsl1952]

how does the team puts up with Robinson's pushiness...suffer him just to listen to phil, stuart, mick aston and the rest of the archeologists.

[@bethbartlett5692]

Dr Robinson is Tall. My word he is a really tall man.

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

Let's see, wooden beams on the river bed and lots of artefacts amongst it. Why couldn't the bridge have collapsed as a cart load of goods crossed it? So many possibilities.

[@kathypogue9644]

I love it when they argue over Roman history. The comments can go either way. K

[@captcold1]

dendrochronologist = worm

[@crazyeyesc.s1143]

I want the retakes .

[@donnal.oglesby4806]

Liked this episode BUT I did NOT appreciate that Tony comes waddling along, and says, And here is Mick, whom was not supposed to be here, he is not in charge on this one" which made my blood run cold. Which makes me Understand more and More what Mick was feeling and what He was not liking in the way the original shows were going and why he walked off and quit, and then a bit later passed. THIS original show was NOTHING without Mick, and all that he brought to the show with his knowledge.

[@megelizabeth9492]

It’s all in good fun. Both he and Mic were very much good friends, and not afraid to engage in some friendly ribbing at each other.

[@DanKetchum007]

I would have slapped that annoying dendro guy silly.

[@harbourdogNL]

2:15 They sound broad Geordie to me, but it's Durham?

[@bigste5771]

Its darlington not durham even the county durham boarder is a mile away but i wudnt say they sound broad geordie but can hear what u mean lol

[@londawarren8278]

Have trowel will travel! Would love to move a little dirt in a trench....

[@BryonLape]

How tall is Dr. Ben?

[@edbadyt]

I want to marry Naomi Sewpaul, she's so cute and pretty.

[@gregb6469]

I'm sure some very lucky bloke has already beaten you to the punch! Maybe she has some sisters?

[@teresadungan6485]

Fire the dendrochronologist❤

[@carolinebarnes6832]

what an annoying dendrocrinologist! I bet they don't use him again!

[@Yellowlabratory]

Intro sounds like Piss bridge lol

[@DanKetchum007]

I don't think so.

[@Simonjose7258]

That dendrochronologist SUCKS!

[@tracyroweauthor]

what's the point of having a dendrochronologist if they can't date anything?

[@Simonjose7258]

Why the sad music half the time?