Upper 2 Enjoy a Day of Archaeological Discovery
September 11, 2024
On Wednesday 11 September, Upper Two put their detective hats on and went in search of some clues to reveal the past.
They entered the tent and were met by Memma and Kit, the resident archaeologists. Pupils were excited to share all that they have learnt about primary and secondary sources of evidence and couldn’t wait to get ‘stuck in’ to digging for evidence themselves. There were three ‘trenches’ with evidence buried under either sand or soil. After being taught how to ‘dig with brushes’ and record their findings on a grid, they began to explore the contents of their trench. It felt as though they were on real-life archaeological digs, with each group discovering clues and trying to piece together the evidence to decide what they had found. One group found a replica ‘bog body’ and delighted in coming up with theories about how the body had got there and who it was. The pupils discovered that a Roman, Tacitus, recorded that people were sacrificed and thrown into bogs in ancient Britain – so it’s likely that is what happened! Another group discovered a neolithic butchery site, with marks from someone’s knees imprinted in the ground – like a photograph! Because of this, we know that someone was kneeling down and preparing a mammoth to eat! The third group found a wide range of artefacts, including pottery and sewing materials, that they decided it must have been someone’s house as there was a round area of ground that was darker in colour – the hearth!
The pupils also learned about the process by which archaeologists can reconstruct the facial features of a person when they have found their skull. They worked well in pairs to think about where the muscles would be and what shape the person’s nose would have been. They had a lot of fun seeing the faces take shape.






