Update 24th December 2023
The specialists have concluded their analysis of the finds. Click here for a summary.
Update 25th June 2023
Following on from the Finds Action Day, the numbers are in: 124 pottery sherds; 34 fragments of ceramic building material; 3 pieces of clay pipe bowl and stem; 58 metal objects; 22 pieces of slag, clinker and cinder; 12 fragments of glass; 2 worked flints; and 1 bead. A total of 256 finds.
The next phase will see these sent to the specialists after which we will have more information to share.
Here’s the latest gallery of pictures from the event, including some of the finds.
Back on the 6th June, the Cumberland & Westmoreland Herald published an article on our recent Molehill Survey. It can be read here.
Update 12th May, It’s now time to showcase what we found!
Why not come along and take a look?
Molehills are a common enough sight across the grassy hills of the North Pennines. But less well known is the fact that the moles, whilst digging tunnels and creating their distinctive molehills, bring artefacts to the surface. This provides archaeologists with glimpses of what lies buried beneath the ground surface without needing to first excavate. Collecting these molehill artefacts is low-cost, time efficient, and non-destructive, all of which is perfect for finding out more about the Roman fort at Epiacum, situated as it is in an extensive area of pasture, and protecting by its status as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Molehill collection has already been used effectively at Epiacum. Between 2011 and 2015 a total of 2,211 artefacts were found across the fort’s interior and from the bath-house built on the lower ground just beyond the north-west corner of the fort. The majority of these finds appear to be Roman in date, and as such, attest directly to the occupation and use of the fort. They include large quantities of pottery, ceramic building material, and metalworking slag, but also pieces of fine metal jewellery, a few coins, glass and jet beads, and even gaming pieces and counters. These finds allow us to better understand the character and condition of the buried archaeology, including how different parts of the fort may have been used throughout its history.
We have returned to the fort’s interior to undertake further molehill collection, and in conjunction with the full analysis of previous finds, to provide the most detailed narrative to date of the fort’s occupation and use. We also hope to start collecting from the molehills immediately outside of the ramparts, addressing current uncertainties about the distribution and chronology of settlement across this extramural zone.
Please see the daily video diaries we made below.