Learn more about what lies just below the surface in Exeter

Published: 13 September 2024

Visitors to the city centre this weekend are being offered the chance to dig into Exeter’s rich past and learn more about archaeology.

Volunteers will get the chance to brush up on their excavation skills in one of several giant dig pits built especially for the event. Each pit is littered with artefacts waiting to be unearthed.

From pot sherds and statues to dinner plates, turkey bones and leather boots, everything that archaeologists have dug up over the years helps piece together the mosaic of Exeter’s history.

The event takes place in the Princesshay shopping centre on Saturday 14 September, 11am to 4pm.

Exeter’s archaeology includes everything from the remains of the city’s Roman occupation, Viking invasions and Civil War sieges to the everyday lives of shepherds, Tudor traders and the things Victorians threw away.

Along with the excavation pits, handling tables will be set up to investigate, with puzzles to unravel, information on objects in RAMM’s collection and professional archaeologists on hand to discuss discoveries that constantly add to Exeter’s story.

The event is free and all are welcome.