1:00pm Thursday 2nd July 2009
By Steve Sowden
A TIME TEAM style archaeology event will be held in Yeovil town centre this month showing people of all ages how finds are discovered.
The all-day event - which will be held in the entertainment area on Middle Street on Saturday, July 18, from 10am to 4pm - is being jointly run by South Somerset District Heritage Team with the South Somerset Archaeological Research Group and Yeovil Archaeology and Local History Society.
People with any archaeological finds are being encouraged to bring them along for identification by antiquities experts and children will have the chance to dig their own artefacts, handle and guess the uses of a range of unusual historical items and see how geo-phys kits often used on the Time Team television show are used in archaeological digs.
Exhibitions on the Lufton Roman Villa - one of Britain’s most coveted Roman Villa sites - and the Iron Age Hill Fort at Ham Hill will also be on show all day.
Clare Randall, of the South Somerset Archaeological Research Group, said: "The Festival of Archaeology is SSARG’s chance to show people not only what we get up to and how they might get involved, but bring people’s attention to many of the fascinating places that surround us which we are not always aware of."
Yeovil Archaeology and Local History Society chairman Maurice Tomlin said: “This is your chance to meet local archaeologists and historians.
"There is so much going on, come along and find out what we are up to.”
The council's leisure and culture spokesman, Cllr Sylvia Seal, said: "This event brings together some of the area’s key experts on our heritage, history and archaeology and put simply, it’s all about opening their expertise up to people of all ages and revealing what is actually all around us.
“The district council’s Heritage Team is out helping schools and interest groups all year-round to spread the knowledge and the Museum of South Somerset is open to visitors.
"At the moment the Bronze-Age Shield found at South Cadbury is on display. All of these things are free and well worth a visit.”
The event is being held as part of National Archaeology Week.
Full details on South Somerset District Council’s Museum Service can be found at www.southsomerset.gov.uk/museum .
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