9th May 2025
A trip to church took Year 3 back in time as they got to experience - and take part in - a real archaeological dig!
As part of their studies, students from UCL have been unearthing items from thousands of years ago on a site near to school that is known to have been inhabited during the Iron Age, by Romans and later, Anglo Saxons.
They showed the children around the dig, explaining how they excavate the soil carefully around the natural habitat and the clues they look for to work out whether they have found an area that might hold interesting items.
The team let everyone try sieving soil they had unearthed - some of the children were thrilled that their samples included some very old pottery! After that, it was time to clean the pottery that had been found using toothbrushes to avoid any damage.
Dr Murray Andrews, Lecturer in British Archaeology at UCL was excited to show Year 3 some of the artefacts that had been dug up that day, including a beautiful, blue bead which dates back 2000 years.
He also showed us a slate which was found in an area away from the main site, where Hanbury School used to stand - it even had writing on it!
“Seeing the dig first hand and actually getting to have a go at some of the processes involved was one of the best history lessons we could ever have,” said Year 3 Teacher, Miss Tonks.
“To think that a child at Hanbury School had used that exact piece of slate to write on, or to be able to hold pottery from Roman times was truly inspirational for us all - not just the children!”
“I’m guessing that we’ve got lots of future archaeologists on our hands after what we’ve enjoyed this morning,” she added. “But for now, we can’t wait to get back to class and learn more about Romans!”
