A team of archaeologists is to spend six weeks weeks carrying out a dig to learn more about an ancient village and the once major river which runs through it.
The group, from the Sedgeford Historical Archaeological and Research Project (SHARP), are to survey a series of ancient man-made waterways which were created along the course of the Heacham River.
The river is now little more than a stream through the village, but was once far more extensive and the team hope to learn more about its history and importance to the surrounding area.
It is the 25th summer in which the SHARP dig has taken place in the area around Sedgeford.
The project started in 1996, when the group began excavating a site known in the village as the Bonefield.
Since then the team, which camps at the site for six weeks each summer, has uncovered a wealth of Iron Age, Romano British, Anglo Saxon, Medieval and First World War remains.
After taking a break because of Covid in 2020 and going ahead in a limited fashion last year, the dig will resume again this weekend.
As well as the area along the course of the river, the focus of this year's efforts will be a place which once contained Anglo Saxon maltings.
"We've got the malting ovens, we've also got Saggy Horse Field," said site director Brian Fraser. "We did find a Roman cremation urn there two years ago.
"There's a chalk pit with another oven in there that was uncovered by Anglian Water when they were putting mains in, in 2000."
As well as malting barley and baking bread, one oven unearthed in 2008 had a more sinister purpose. A charred skeleton, believed to be that of a landlord or Roman tax collector, was found bundled inside.
Almost 300 skeletons have been found on a Romano-British burial site which is believed to have been in use between 650 and 850AD.
But arguably its most famous discovery was the Iron Age coin hoard found in 2003.
The 18 coins, dating from around 2,000 years old, were found stuffed inside a cow bone after it was x-rayed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Yvonne Bolton-Smith, the site's BERT (basic excavation and recording techniques) supervisor said around 180 people were expected to join the six-week dig, which begins on Sunday. Many are students wishing to pursue a career in archaeology.
An open day is being held on Sunday, July 17.
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