How long can archaeological digs go on for, months, years, decades? Jack (14)

Most excavations are over in a few weeks or sometimes months; these are usually ‘commercial’ projects, meaning they are done as part of a development such as the building of a housing estate or a new road. A few commercial projects do last for years because they are so large and cover many different important sites – the Crossrail project in London is a good example.

Many research excavations last for several years, with the site dug in ‘seasons’, usually over the summer, and covered up during the winter. A Viking house site I worked on in Orkney was excavated like this – the first few days every summer involved lifting up the plastic sheeting and cleaning off the silt and sand that had blown in during the winter.

Many of our most famous excavations took many years, and sometimes decades. The famous Viking Coppergate excavations in York took place from 1976 to 1981, and the major excavations at Winchester Cathedral lasted from 1962 to 1971. Sutton Hoo was excavated archaeologically in 1938-39, 1965-1971 and 1983-1992.