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In Time Team: Special Edition, the United Kingdom's groundbreaking archaeology series takes viewers on an expedition to Jamestown, Virginia, where a British company's commercial enterprise planted the seeds of the United States. There have been nearly a million finds from the site's trenches, but this anniversary special is far more than just an excavation. The team retrieves piles of perfectly preserved 17th-century pieces, traces the names and life stories of the early American pioneers, and learns why a third of them died within months of arrival. The colonists at Jamestown went looking for gold and silver. Instead, they found fertile soil, tough conditions and the beginnings of the world's most powerful nation.
Then, in part two, Britain's most famous archaeologists discover what secrets lie buried beneath several of the world's most famous English residences. Time Team tears into the Queen's gardens in an unprecedented opportunity to unearth the secrets of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, where the royal finds include the foundation of a 14th-century building where Edward III honored the legendary Arthurian knights.
You can see it on Wednesday, August 19 at 8/7 Central on most PBS stations (please check your local listings).
Watch a Preview:
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The other notable aspect of this episode was it showcased some advanced geophysics technologies that had never been used before on a U.S. archaeological site. Meg explains it all in her Fort James Dig Diary.
Do you have questions or comments about this week's episode? Get the conversation started in the form below.
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Also, be sure to check out our slideshow of images made from the 3D laser scans taken at the site. It includes a very unique group photo.
Do you have questions or comments about this week's episode? Get the conversation started in the form below.
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Do you have questions or comments about this week's episode? Get the conversation started in the form below.
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Now that you've learned more about the research happening at Topper, what do you think? Share your comments and questions here.
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Hope you enjoyed our three-day adventure in search of the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island. 53 Comments | Comment on this entry
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At Time Team America, the most dramatic moments of archaeology often come from the process of excavation: deciding where to dig, working together as a team, trying to beat the clock.
Still, you can't argue with the pure thrill of uncovering a very special find. We asked some Time Team America team members about their most heart-pounding discoveries to date.
Dr. Adrien Hannus The Clovis points and bone tools associated with a mammoth kill/butchering location called the Lange/Ferguson site on a ranch within the White River Badlands of South Dakota.
Eric Deetz In 10 seasons at James Fort, the site of the 1607 English settlement I was lucky enough to dig up truly amazing artifacts such as 15th century armor, Elizabethan coins, not to mention being one of the crew that found the fort itself. But the one find that really sticks in my mind is a jeton or casting counter (jetons were used to keep count much like an abacus) made by Hans Krauwinkle at the end of the 16th century. On one side was the goddess Fortuna and the other was Fama the goddess of fame. Fame and fortune - exactly what the colonists were seeking in 1607 and to a degree what we as archaeologists are seeking as well.
Chelsea Rose I love finding clay pipes. I am not sure why, they are not very rare or fancy, but is always exciting to find one. I think it may be because when you find a pipe, you not only found something someone owned and used, but something they put in their mouth. Now that is the kind of personal connection that makes archaeology so cool -- 200 year old spit.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky I have yet to have my best find. Since moving to the east coast, my dream is to find a wig curler. I am sure it is just a matter of time....I just hope I don't mistake it for a porcelain doll leg.
Dr. Meg Watters A Roman Villa in Vescovio Italy, or no, wait... a Nubian temple in Gebel Barkal, Sudan or was it the shaft tomb on the Giza Plateau??
Editors' note: She's not kidding.
Are you on a parallel wig-curler quest? Do clay pipes get you going, too? Or are you simply seeking more fame and fortune?
Post your favorite find story below or at www.facebook.com/timeteamamerica.
Photo by Meg Gaillard.
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Playing favorites can get you into trouble, but Time Team America's archaeologists tossed caution to the wind to brief us on some of their pet places.
Dr. Meg Watters Let's see... was it the pig farm? No...... must have been either the Vilcabomba Inca burial survey in the Andes, where we flew up to our high-altitude camp in an old Russian helicopter, or looking for the Manilan shipwreck carrying Ming Dynasty porcelain on the Baha Peninsula, Mexico where we putt-putted out to our site, camped on the beach, and almost ran out of food.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky It has to be the Donner Party site in California. It was truly surreal to pick up broken bits of dishes and chopped bone from around their fire hearth, knowing the suffering they endured during the winter of 1846-47.
Dr. Adrien Hannus Certainly the Lange/Ferguson site. My special focus in North American archaeology is the early peopling of the New World. Lange/Ferguson is a Clovis site at which two ice age mammoths were killed and butchered about 12,000 years ago. The site not only yielded several Clovis points, but also provided the best evidence yet recovered in the New World for a bone tool industry associated with the Clovis culture. Flaked bone tools provided the hunters with sharp and easily discarded cutting tools, thus reducing the need for stone tools.
Eric Deetz Hands down Jamestown. I spent a fifth of my life there, I met my wife there, and had the best mentor you could ask for in Bill Kelso. The archaeology was mind blowing and the crew became like family. In some cases it was family.
Chelsea Rose I have to say my favorite site ever was the Time Team dig at the Fort James site in South Dakota. It was beautiful, the archaeology was interesting, and I was constantly surrounded by giggling hoards of Hutterite children. They let me practice my German, and I taught them archaeology -- it was a wonderful arrangement!
Have you been to a site that is forever burned into your memory (for better or worse)?
Share your stories below!
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Every trade has its extra-super-duper-top-secret-weapon. A photographer we know gets amazing lens effects with pantyhose. One makeup artist won't leave the house without a supply of toilet seat covers for blotting shiny spots.
You get the idea.
So we asked some Time Team America members about their extra-super-duper-top-secret-dig kit weapon. Here's what they said:
Chelsea Rose, Digging Team Leader: A little "leaf trowel" from Scotland. If a pointy trowel and a square trowel had a baby, it would be a leaf trowel.
Julie Schablitsky, Archaeologist : A bamboo chopstick lifted from my favorite Thai restaurant and sharpened in a pencil sharpener. Bamboo won't scratch bone or other easily damaged artifacts.
Joe Watkins, Archaeologist: A trusty 4-inch rectangular trowel to create square corners, slice through deposits, and flick centipedes out of dig units.
Meg Watters, Geophysicist: Duct tape and my soldering iron.
Eric Deetz, Excavation Strategist: Atomic fire balls. Nothing raises the crew's moral on cold days more than handing out these little hot jawbreakers. (Hey Eric--FYI it works for TV crews, too!)
Do you have a secret tool of the trade? Inquiring minds want to know!
photo credit Thomas Hawk / flickr / Creative Commons
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It's no problem when you have a master operator like Time Team America's Ian Barclay. With his steady hands at the controls, he can quickly remove layers of topsoil while preserving the delicate archaeology underneath -- saving the team countless hours of digging.
To show off his skills, Ian performed a number of backhoe tricks for the crew at the Fort Raleigh site, including this fancy maneuver with a banana.
If you like this video, checkout The Great Trowel Debate. There is also more to explore at our Facebook page.
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When transitioning from citizen to archaeologist, there is a right
of passage that we each must go through: fieldschool. Here we learn how
to most effectively wield a trowel, how to use fancy words like
dendrochronology and microblade in casual conversation, and most
importantly how to excavate. - Reading: A lot of work goes into all stages of a project, but most archaeologists would agree that the better prepared you are before you step foot on the site, the better you will be able to get the most out of your time in the field. So read up and do your research!
- Recording: Trust me, you will not remember where that bit of clay pipe came from next week, or even by the end of a long day. Write down everything, make lots of sketches, and artifact doodles are good too.
- wRiting: An important part of the archaeologists job is writing reports, articles, or books on their research. An archaeological project is not truly done until the results are written up and available for other researchers or interested parties to read.
Almost more important than the artifact itself is its context, or is where an artifact is located in space and time. Context can be established by recording the 3-dimensional placement, or provenience, of the artifact (usually depth, and horizontal measurements), and how it is associated with the other archaeological finds in the deposit. By establishing the context of archaeological material, you can figure out events or activities that led to the placement of the artifact in the archaeological record. So when your trowel hits upon that amazing projectile point, take a deep breath, grab your tape, and measure that darn thing before you pull it out!
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As a group of fairly educated public television viewers, the Time Team America production crew had certainly heard of the Lost Colony at Roanoke Island. Some of us even knew enough to whisper "Croatoan" ala Citizen Kane when we heard our first shoot was at Fort Raleigh. But after spending a few days steeped in the mystery of Roanoke, we learned about a few new pieces of the puzzle:
- Metallurgy. Excavations at Fort Raleigh in 1991 unearthed the remains of a science center. Archaeologists believe the first colonists were testing various metal ores at the site. (However, that dig still didn't turn up any domestic artifacts that would point to the location of the colonists' homes.)
- The sign. The Roanoke colonists sent their leader, John White, back to England for supplies. Before White left, the settlers had agreed to leave a sign if they decided to move their camp. Further, they would use the mark of a cross if they were in danger. When White returned to the deserted colony he found the word Croatoan carved onto a post, but no cross.
- The techniques of discovery. Archaeology isn't just about finding artifacts. Subtle differences in the color and texture of the soil can provide a great deal of information, such as the location of decayed wooden support posts from centuries-old structures.
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This summer I am excavating two 18th-20th century archaeological sites in Bladensburg, Maryland. Bladensburg played a pivotal role in the War of 1812 and, as part of the upcoming bicentennial celebration, the Maryland State Highway Administration is studying the historic buildings, archaeological sites, history of transportation, and the Bladensburg battlefield located along our highway right of way.Right now we are in the middle of an archaeological excavation at the Magruder House. This home allegedly served as a hospital after the Battle of Bladensburg so we are trying to find evidence of American and British troops such as munitions, uniform accouterments and buttons.
Like the excavations I worked on for Time Team America last summer, our team here at Bladensburg has a limited time to investigate the site. We are half-way through our two week excavation and have only one week of digging left to confirm that the house played a role in the battle. The good news is that we have found a late 18th century British Coin. It is not the smoking gun we were looking for, but it's a start!
Next month we begin a dig at the Market Master's House. This is the home that sat on the edge of the town's market square where enslaved people of African descent were bought and sold. Here we will gather archaeological information that will enable us to reconstruct the lives of the people who lived in this house since the 1760s.
As part of our public outreach efforts for the project, the field staff is publishing a Bladensburg blog. You can visit the web site to read more about the excavation and see what we find new each day.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky is a lead archaeologists for Time Team America. As an archaeologist with the University of Oregon and Maryland State Highway Administration, Dr. Schablitsky conducts research and publishes on historic-period archaeology sites in both the United States and the UK.
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Time Team America takes a group of archeologists and scientists and puts them in a tough situation: they have just 72 hours to investigate a site and report back on their findings. Archaeology is both time and labor intensive. Some sites can take months or even years to excavate properly. With only three days to work with, Time Team brings on specialists and experts in order to hone in on key aspects of a site that we can focus a lot of attention on in little time. This allows us to get results without sacrificing the science.2 Comments | Comment on this entry
It seemed trivial at first, but as we spent more time in the field, it became clear that this is the archeological equivalent of Mac vs. PC.
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While filming our first season, Time Team America visited sites that ranged from 13,000 year old chert quarries to a late 19th century U.S. Army fortress. Good thing we had team that could handle any challenge. 
Colin Campbell
The Team's only non-archaeologist, host Colin Campbell is also the team artist. Putting pen to paper, he helps us imagine the past. When Colin isn't traveling with Time Team America, he works as an environmental artist at video game studio Big Huge Games outside of Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Adrien Hannus
Our Chief Investigator, Dr. Hannus guides the team's on-site research. He has devoted his talents to working in the Great Plains region for almost 30 years. Fascinated by the theory of migration into the Americas across the Bering Strait, Adrien has researched and written extensively about Early Man in the New World.
Eric Deetz
With thirty years experience in the field, Eric can decipher the past like few others. Known as an adept teacher and excavation director, Eric believes public involvement in archaeology is paramount, and his innovative approach to speaking about history wins audiences over.
Dr. Julie Schablitsky
Dr. Schablitsky is an archaeologist with the University of Oregon. She also works as head of the Cultural Resources Section for the Maryland State Highway Administration. Her current research focuses on the Donner Party of California, 18th and 19th century sites in Maryland, and John Paul Jones' birthplace in Scotland.
Dr. Joe WatkinsDr. Watkins has a passion for preserving sacred sites of the American West. He's an expert in Native American archaeology and a member of the Choctaw tribe. Joe also has a keen interest in experimental archaeology, which uses replica tools to discover how people of the past went about the activities of daily life.
Dr. Meg Watters
Our geophysics expert, Dr. Watters helps the team see what lies underground before the shovels even hit the dirt. Her technical expertise has taken her to archaeological sites around the world including Native American, Inca and historic sites in North and South America to Nubian settlements in Sudan and Roman, Greek, and Islamic sites throughout the Mediterranean.
Chelsea Rose
As head of Time Team's excavation crews, Chelsea directs the troweling and shoveling. Born and raised in Northern California, Chelsea's passion is researching the California Gold Rush of the 1850's, including nineteenth century Chinatowns and multi-ethnic mining camps.
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Episode 1: Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island, NC (July 8)
Episode 2: Topper, SC (July 15)Deep in the swamps of South Carolina: North America's first human inhabitants from 13,000, or maybe even 50,000 years ago
Episode 3: New Philadelphia, IL (July 22)
Episode 4: Range Creek, UT (July 29)
Episode 5: Fort James, South Dakota (August 5)So start looking for all of the archaeology around you. And plan to come with us Wednesdays starting this summer.
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By now you may have checked out some of our first episode. As someone who spent years excavating at Jamestown and who has studied this period since I was a kid, it was awesome to spend our first Time Team dig at Fort Raleigh with the folks from the First Colony Foundation. It was also fitting that Time Team America's first show was about one of American history's greatest puzzles.More than twenty years before the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, adventurous English colonists built Fort Raleigh at the northern end of Roanoke Island. You've heard the story - when Governor John White returned from his supply mission in 1590, the colonists were gone.
Scholars have been studying the same records for more than a hundred years and have not been able to fill in a complete picture of the first colony. But archaeology can uncover new information about where and how the colonists lived and maybe even some clues to what happened to them.
One thing to remember is that the colonists aren't the whole story. The English saw America as a virgin land, but that wasn't the case. Native Americans lived here for more than ten thousand years before Europeans arrived. The key to knowing our true history is knowing how these two groups interacted. They left clues behind, and archaeology can find them.
But archaeology takes a lot of time, labor, and money. Enter Time Team America. With modern technology and added crew, the team was able in just three days to uncover the first new information in years. Work will continue at the site to figure out exactly what we uncovered and hopefully find more of what remains.
So did we find the lost colony? Too early to tell. But hopefully we did find a whole new group of explorers who want to travel the country uncovering the past. If you liked the first episode, tell your friends. They can come with us, too.
Eric Deetz is Time Team America's excavation strategist. He has thirty years of experience in the field as an archaeologist and educator, including more than a decade designing and leading tours at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the new world.
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Now, I want to be clear from the start -- I'm a pretty unlikely person to be hosting a PBS series about archaeology. To be honest with you before I arrived at our first site on Roanoke Island last May, I had never set foot on a dig site in my life.
As it turned out, however, not knowing much about archaeology was actually a job qualification.
On Time Team America we have some of the top scientists and historians in their fields. They are the ones doing the research. As a newcomer to the world of archaeology, my job is a little different.
I try to help make the archeology come to life for the audience. As host, I guide viewers through Time Team's intensive three-day digs by explaining what's happening and getting the experts to talk about what they are doing. As the artist, I get to imagine what life might have been like on the sites we visit, drawing the structures and tools people would have used.
The biggest challenge for me as an artist was figuring out how to translate a few bits of pottery or obscure patterns in the sand into an illustration that was as historically accurate as possible. I quickly discovered that the best way to get a lively discussion going was to get some details wrong (usually not a problem on my first drafts). Our team of archaeologists was never shy about correcting my mistakes. I ended up doing a lot of erasing and redrawing but it was a great way to uncover details I never would have known on my own.
I hope you'll join me on Time Team America and discover archaeology like I did, looking over the shoulders of top archaeologists as they investigate some of the most fascinating sites in the country.
To see the Time Team in action you can watch the full episode from Fort Raleigh on the new PBS Video Portal. And be sure to visit our Facebook page to tell us what you think about the program.
Colin Campbell is Time Team America's host and team artist. He is a 2004 graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) where he studied painting, ceramics, and computer animation. Colin works as freelance artist in Baltimore, MD, as well as an environment artist for video game studio, Big Huge Games.
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If you've visited the U.K. in the past fifteen years or so, you may
have been shocked at how much the general population knows about the
science of archaeology. Why are the ladies at the tea shop chatting
about ground penetrating radar? You could assume it's because the
Brits are just more interested in their history, but we think it's
because of a certain very entertaining TV series on Channel 4.This summer, Time Team is launching an invasion onto (actually under) American soil. We've found the smartest, most adventurous archaeologists in the U.S. and sent them out to five of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the lower forty-eight. Just like the Brits, we gave them three days at each location to map it out, dig it up, get dirty, and show us what we've got on this side of the pond.
What did they find? Wild West relics, 1,000 year old native villages, stories of freed slaves, Paleo-Indian tools, and maybe even the lost colony at Roanoke. It was an unbelievable summer. We can't wait to share it with you.
Stay tuned for all the dirt! And tell your friends, Time Team is coming to America.
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