| Summer 2021 saw the first season of archaeological fieldwork, as part of the Rendlesham Revealed community archaeology project, led by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service. Over 200 volunteers, under the guidance of a small expert team, have uncovered evidence of settlement and community at Rendlesham 1,400 years ago at the time of the earliest East Anglian kings. The remains of buildings and pits were excavated over a wide area indicating an extensive settlement whose inhabitants were engaged in farming and craft working. Fieldwalking, geophysics and palaeoenvironmental survey also took place further down the Deben valley, to set the site into a wider landscape context. The post-excavation analysis phase took place over the winter months, which involved volunteers washing and marking artefacts, processing soil samples and packing the small finds, ready to send to specialists for assessment. To celebrate all this hard work by the volunteers and many project partners, the Archaeological Service are hosting a drop-in event for volunteers and the public to see the results. Come along 11am-3pm on Friday 20th May at the Ipswich Corn Exchange to discover what volunteers unearthed during last year’s fieldwork, speak to the experts, get up close to the artefacts and meet the team to find out more about the project and future volunteering. For More Details about the event, visit: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/rendlesham-celebration-event-2022 The next season of archaeological excavations will take place in August and September 2022 and local people will again be able to volunteer. Bookings will open to the public in July, this will be advertised in the Archaeology News in Suffolk e-newsletter nearer the time. To find out more about the 2021 fieldwork visit the Suffolk Heritage Explorer website, where there are articles and regular updates, at: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/rendlesham-community-fieldwork |
Rendlesham Revealed Community Archaeology Project
