The SPIA Survey: Systematic, Partial and Intensive Artefact Survey
Since 2017, the DIF initiative has focused on a combined approach to embedding metal detecting and fieldwalking into professional practice and has participated in many archaeological digs over these years.
The SPIA Survey, previously known as the DAPAS Approach, was developed in response to the need for a consistent and systematic approach to utilising detectorists on archaeological sites, stemming from a series of issues observed in the field.
Repeated issues of concern include the following: ranging poles used to define transects are set too far apart; metal poles are used in closely quartered areas that require intensive surveys; small finds needing to be retrieved before being geolocated; a lack of a clear discard policy; spoil is placed on tarpaulins with metal eyelets; and detectorists wearing steel-capped safety footwear.
Read more on The DIF website:
And, reflecting on the Time Team video, what could have caused that strong signal we discovered?
Recent excavations at Suffolk’s Sutton Hoo, renowned for its ship burial, have unearthed fragments of the Bromeswell Bucket, a Byzantine bucket that enhance understanding of Anglo-Saxon connections with the wider world.
Discovered fragments from this sixth-century artifact, featuring a North African hunting scene and Greek inscriptions, have puzzled archaeologists since its initial finding in the 1930s.
The recent digs, part of a two-year National Trust project with “Time Team,” aim to piece together this artefact’s journey from Antioch in the Byzantine Empire to England.
During the excavations, new pieces of the bucket were discovered in Garden Field, suggesting the artifact might have been purposefully fragmented before burial. The recent finds were carefully extracted and are under analysis, hinting at the bucket’s potential uses, from ceremonial to practical. These fragments add to those previously found and displayed at the site’s High Hall, helping reconstruct the bucket’s original form.
This project, bolstered by over 80 volunteers, including some from the original 1980s digs and others facing mental health challenges, not only fosters community but also deepens the narrative of early medieval Britain.
A forthcoming “Time Team” documentary will feature these discoveries, promising further insights into the ancient past of Sutton Hoo.
SPIA Survey
