University of Exeter fieldschool begins

Posted by Susan Greaney

23 May 2026

Over the past couple of weeks, two enormous trenches have been opened up on site, one over the main villa range, and another over a series of ancillary buildings. These will be the focus of excavations over the next nine weeks.

Since Wednesday, around 65 first year university students, all studying for archaeology degrees at University of Exeter, have been out on site getting their first taste of excavation. They have been making great progress already, under the watchful eye of site directors Alan, Steph and Dan, and their team.

Four students, in high-vis vests, are trowelling at the end of a large excavation area. The soil is bright orange.

Already we can see that the buildings might extend further than previously expected, and there are signs of post-Roman re-use and structures built into the ruins of the Roman buildings.

A large excavation trench, with c.20 students in high-vis orange vests excavating on the site.

We’ve also had some rather exciting finds, including this lovely intaglio, made of layered blue glass, with a depiction of the Roman goddess Victory. It would originally have been set within a ring, and would have been pressed into wax to seal documents. Dan’s favourite find so far is this mixing palette or mortar, perhaps used for paint or cosmetics. It’s made from a natural piece of flint, minimally shaped to fit snuggly in the hand!

If you would like to visit the excavations, you are very welcome. The site is open to visitors every week day, 10am – 4pm.