Digging for Britain

Archaeologists unearth a Viking camp and find groundbreaking evidence that the Avebury stone circle isn’t just a sacred site but also a place where ancient people lived and worked-a discovery that impacts the interpretation of neighboring Stonehenge. In Staffordshire, the oldest Iron Age gold in Britain is unearthed: a set of beautiful torcs, mysteriously abandoned 2,500 years ago.

Britain’s biggest collection of Roman writing tablets gives insight into what Roman London was really like. Off the coast of Kent in the English Channel, a marine excavation reveals an 18th-century East India company ship, packed with silver. Also in Kent, archaeologists search for the very first evidence of Julius Caesar’s invasion of Britain: an ancient fort scattered with skulls and weapons.

At the Roman fort of Vindolanda, well-preserved writing tablets, swords, and domestic items reveal life during a time of British rebellion. On the Scottish island of Iona are traces of a long-lost monastery and pilgrimage site that was originally built by the legendary saint Columba. In the east of Scotland, a weapons hoard that belonged to a wealthy Bronze Age warrior is unearthed.

Professor Alice Roberts reveals the forgotten story of the Roman army’s secret weapon in Britain: their cavalry, who were key to defending Hadrian’s Wall. Alice sets off across the fortification to investigate any evidence the cavalry left behind, while a team of archaeologists and historical reenactors attempt to restage a Roman cavalry tournament, a spectacle unseen for 1,600 years.