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durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Durotriges Dig
@durotrigesdig.bsky.social
5K followers 2K following 3.3K posts
Investigating the Iron Age and Roman period in SW Britain. Bournemouth University #HillfortsWednesday Posts (mostly) by Miles Russell
Posts Replies Media Videos
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Wasn't me, it was the birds (honest)

Personally I love the little fella 😘
November 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
A rather angry sea gryphon chases a cheeky dolphin across a 2nd century #Roman mosaic

Found at #Cirencester in 1849, the entirety of this decorated floor (featuring hunting dogs) can now be seen in the excellent @coriniummuseum.bsky.social

📷 Aug 2022

Don't play with your food this #MosaicMonday !
Detail from a Roman mosaic floor depicting a sea gryphon with claws outstretched chasing a dolphin
November 10, 2025 at 7:24 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
No Montagues or Capulets
Just banging tunes and sherds of Black Burnished Ware nicely washed and labelled in sets
November 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Some pictures from when Sandi Toksvig and @rakshadigs.bsky.social came to visit our dig in July #Durotriges25

If you missed episode 1 of *Sandi Toksvig's Hidden Wonders*, you can still catch up at Channel 4 On Demand

www.channel4.com

The rest of the series continues on More4 Tues 9pm

Enjoy 😊
Archaeologists Ruby, Sandi and Meg, all smiling in the sun Archaeologists Raksha and Lewis at work Archaeologists Sandi and Bron happy by the site hut Archaeologists Kel and Sandi examine some finds laid out on a table in the sun
November 9, 2025 at 2:03 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Also Britannia, in the Bank of England float, looks brilliantly like Boudica

Wonder if she's planning to torch the City? 😱
Britannia in a cart (with Roman helmet and Union Flag shield) being pulled by two red waist coated men through the city of London She's definitely not Boudica (possibly)
November 8, 2025 at 11:27 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Thanks to the BBC we've just learnt that the effigies of Gog and Magog, appearing in the Lady Mayors Show are:

"representations of 2 giants captured by the Roman general Brutus, first governor of Londinium, back in the day" 🧐

Thank you
Two giant basketwork effigies being carried in a parade with a red London bus behind
November 8, 2025 at 11:16 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Also the one-handed #mattock (in action)
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
If you missed us on TV this week don't forget you catch up at:

Channel 4 On Demand www.channel4.com

For fantastic Iron Age #archaeology and glorious #Dorset with #SandiToksvig @rakshadigs.bsky.social and the students @buarchanth.bsky.social

Trust us, it's an emotional rollercoaster!

ENJOY
November 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
All this talk of Roman infrastructure development gives us Woad Rage
Ancient hairy Iron Age Briton shouting in another example of Woad Rage
November 7, 2025 at 11:03 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
A gorgeous early Iron Age round-based pottery bowl from Howe broch #Orkney

The unusual design and decoration may have been intended to mimic a riveted bronze cauldron 🤩

On display in the wonderful Orkney Museum in #Kirkwall

#FindsFriday #Prehistory #Archaeology #AncientBluesky

📷 Aug 2024
A repaired, round bottomed prehistoric pottery bowl with irregular rim and surface lugs in a museum case
November 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
The Iron Age hillfort of Spettisbury Rings (Crawford Castle / Castle Ring) #Dorset

This mighty 2ha univallate enclosure is today largely hidden behind the old railway and modern village of Spetisbury. Most people driving on the A350 are unaware of it

📷 © Jo and Sue Crane 2016

#HillfortsWednesday
The scrub and partially tree covered ramparts of an oval Iron Age hillfort from the air, its centre covered in green grass and surrounded by ploughed fields with a tree lined railway and a modern road flanked by houses at the bottom of the picture
November 5, 2025 at 6:44 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
⚠️ Durotriges on TV Alert ⚠️

Join #SandiToksvig and @rakshadigs.bsky.social as they explore Iron Age #Dorset in episode 1 of the new #archaeology series #HiddenWonders tonight on #More4 at 9pm

@buarchanth.bsky.social @bournemouthuni.bsky.social

See you there !! 👇
November 4, 2025 at 4:43 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
A brand new UK TV #archaeology series starts TONIGHT Tues 4 November 9pm on More4

With #SandiToksvig @rakshadigs.bsky.social and the students of @bournemouthuni.bsky.social @buarchanth.bsky.social

HUZZAH !! 🥳

Available for download after on Channel 4 #4OD 👇
November 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
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Other places to find skeletons are available
November 3, 2025 at 3:10 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Fragment of 4th century mosaic from the #Roman bathhouse of Lydney #Gloucestershire

Beautifully captured in watercolour by the great archaeologist, Tessa Verney Wheeler in 1929 🤩

Original painting held by @antiquaries.bsky.social

#MosaicMonday
Detail of a Roman mosaic floor with blue-grey, cream and red tesserae arranged in geometric designs
November 3, 2025 at 7:50 AM
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Indeed 😅
November 1, 2025 at 12:44 PM
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Kicking off the *Maiden Castle 40 years on* dayschool, hosted by the Dorchester Association and the @prehistoricsociety.bsky.social is the legendary archaeologist Niall Sharples

Can it really be 4 decades since the last dig at this iconic hillfort? 😲
Programne for the Maiden Castle dayschool resting on the leg of a seated archaeologist whilst, in the distance, another archaeologist stands at a lectern in front of a stage and screen showing slides
November 1, 2025 at 11:39 AM
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Two examples of a distinctively Romano-British artefact: the sinuously gorgeous dragonesque brooch for #FindsFriday 😍

These particular copper alloy beauties, inlaid with red and blue enamel, were found in Faversham #Kent c 1895

© Trustees of the British Museum

#Roman #Archaeology
Two copper alloy brooches with double-headed, long-eared, hare-like ends, inlaid with red and blue enamel decoration, both stained green after centuries in the soil
October 31, 2025 at 6:25 AM
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We think they're having too much fun in the post ex laboratory

#Archaeology #Whatsup #Durotreegezinthelab

@megsdigs.bsky.social @derekpitman.bsky.social @buarchanth.bsky.social

👇👇👇

www.instagram.com/reel/DQcOPLy...
What's going on? Seriously, what is going on?? Two archaeologists, both in lab coats, one in a hood with their back to the camera, lip sync as if their lives depended on it Two archaeologists, both in lab coats, having too much fun in a serious laboratory
October 30, 2025 at 11:16 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Excellent (if a tad *retina hurty*😵‍💫) For some reason it makes me think of
October 29, 2025 at 10:29 AM
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Requiem for a hillfort

Until the 1960s, the outline of Madmarston Iron Age hillfort #Oxfordshire was defined by fieldbanks and hedgerows

📷 © 1962 CUCAP AFQ74 @camdiglib.bsky.social

Since then it has been sadly obliterated by agriculture ☹️

📷 © 2022 HE Archive 27618_002

#HillfortsWednesday
Black and white aerial photograph showing a cloud shadow covered agricultural landscape divided by hedge rows and trees, the outline of an Iron Age hillfort appearing centre left The slight traces of an Iron Age hillfort ditch appear as dark lines in an agricultural landscape photographed from the air
October 29, 2025 at 7:04 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Just spotted our dig on a More4 trailer for the Hidden Wonders TV series next week (Tues 4 Nov 9pm)

May we add SQUEEEEEEEE !!!!! 🤩🤩

#SandiToksvig
@rakshadigs.bsky.social #IronAge #Archaeology @buarchanth.bsky.social @bournemouthuni.bsky.social
Presenters Raksha Dave and Sandi Toksvig enthuse about archaeology whilst lying on chalk Archaeologists Assemble around an important feature in the summer sun Aerial view of an archaeological site with a white marquee, green fields and hedgerows in the distance
October 28, 2025 at 11:01 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Over on Instagram you can see what happened on the #Durotriges25 dig when #Stratmates Meg and Jon tried out two new personal assistants

👇👇👇

www.instagram.com/reel/DQUgph2...
Two archaeologists in hi viz vests chat to two new assistants (not in hi viz vests)
October 28, 2025 at 6:31 AM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
October 27, 2025 at 9:44 PM
durotrigesdig.bsky.social
Very cool 😎

And who's to say we didn't include you in the list of *very special visitors* to the dig 😁👍

No one is quite a proficient in pointing, after all 👇👆👉
Archaeological pointing as demonstrated by a seasoned professional in hi viz vest
October 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM