The newest series of Digging for Britain heads to a river in the North East, which experts believe could once have been a huge Roman whetstone factory that “sharpened the blades of a conquering empire”.
In episode four of series 13, evolutionary biologist and TV presenter Tori Herridge heads to the banks of the River Wear at Offerton near Sunderland.
To date, the archaeological site (which analysis has dated back to 104–238 AD, within the Roman occupation of the UK) has produced more than 800 whetstones (stone bars used for sharpening bladed tools and weapons) and 11 stone anchors.
Impressively, it is the largest known whetstone assemblage of the Roman period in north west Europe.
However, researchers estimate that possibly thousands of whetstones are still embedded within the riverbank deposits.
Some of the stones have been found in various stages of production, such as roughly worked blanks still bearing tool marks to finely finished examples with smooth faces and chamfered edges.
It seems all recorded whetstones were damaged and likely discarded when being made, due to not meeting the required industry production standards at the time.
The discovery of the Roman remains was made by volunteer researchers from the Vedra Hylton Community Association, working in partnership with Durham University’s Department of Archaeology.
Read more about this fascinating dig which took place in Offerton in this article.
How to watch North East Digging for Britain episode discovering Roman whetstone factory
Want to find out more? You can now watch how the remarkable historic dig unfolded as the North East episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, before being broadcast on BBC Two in a just a few weeks’ time (a date is yet to be confirmed).
The BBC episode synopsis shares: “Tori discovers that the region's industrial roots go back further than anyone ever thought when she visits the banks of the River Weir in Sunderland.
"A team of archaeologists' dive beneath the river’s surface and comb the banks when the tide allows to find an unprecedented number of whetstones and anchors, leading them to believe that this area could once have been a huge Roman whetstone factory that sharpened the blades of a conquering empire.”
Elsewhere in the region’s episode, within the windswept heights of the Cheviot Hills, archaeologists uncover the remains of a Bronze Age community laid to rest thousands of years ago.
Recommended reading:
- I went to a muddy dig and witnessed a discovery that could rewrite Roman history
- What were Roman whetstones and why were hundreds found on the River Wear important?
- Britain's hidden heritage which leaves thousands of artefacts unable to view
The BBC adds: “Their excavations reveal a remarkable ring cairn full of cremations.
“In the tent, Professor Alice Roberts looks more closely at a remarkable 4,000-year-old cremation vessel and tries to piece together who might have been buried on this Bronze Age monument, and what that tells us about our ancestors.”
Other locations the Digging for Britain series explores in this instalment are Skipsea, near Hull and north of the border in Fife, to name a few.
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