DigVentures

DigVentures Ltd
Industry
  • Archaeology
  • Heritage
  • Nature Recovery
FoundedNovember 21, 2011 (2011-11-21)
Founder
  • Lisa Westcott Wilkins
  • Brendon Wilkins
Headquarters5 Witham Studios, Hall Street,
Barnard Castle
,
England
Area served
United Kingdom, Ireland, International
Websitedigventures.com

DigVentures is a social enterprise working in archaeology, heritage participation, nature recovery, and citizen science. Founded in 2011 by Lisa Westcott Wilkins and Brendon Wilkins, it is headquartered in Barnard Castle, England. The organization is a Registered Organisation of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA).[1][2]

DigVentures became known for crowdfunding and digital methods in archaeological fieldwork, enabling public participation in professional excavations. The organization has conducted projects across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally, including excavations at Flag Fen and Lindisfarne, and the citizen science initiative Deep Time which combines archaeological discovery with habitat mapping for nature recovery.[3][4][5]

History

DigVentures Limited was incorporated on 21 November 2011.[6] The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists states that DigVentures has been a Registered Organisation since 2013.[1]

In 2012, DigVentures organized Flag Fen Lives, described in media coverage as the world's first crowdfunded archaeological excavation. The project raised £30,000 and engaged approximately 250 members of the public from 11 countries in a three-week excavation at the Bronze Age site of Flag Fen near Peterborough.[3][4] The excavation involved partnerships with institutions including the British Museum, Durham University, University of Birmingham, and English Heritage.[7] Archaeologist Francis Pryor, who discovered the site in the 1970s, later wrote that participants had a good time and "the archaeology was professionally excavated, to a very high standard".[8]

In 2014, DigVentures received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop digital tools for archaeological recording and public engagement.[9] The Guardian interviewed the organization about its use of drones and digital technology in archaeology during this period.[10]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, DigVentures launched Archaeology at Home, providing virtual site tours, workshops, and a free six-week online course titled "How to Do Archaeology." The initiative engaged over 11,000 people from 90 countries, including 1,844 primary school children.[11] The project received a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2021, with the jury praising it as "an agile response to the situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic."[11]

From 2021, DigVentures expanded into nature recovery work through the Deep Time platform, combining archaeological site identification with habitat mapping to support climate action and landscape conservation initiatives.[12]

Notable projects

Flag Fen Lives (2012)

Flag Fen Lives was a 2012 excavation at the Bronze Age site of Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire, organized through crowdfunding and public participation. The project aimed to revitalize the heritage attraction, which had experienced a decline in visitors since English Heritage-funded excavations ended in 1995, while providing scientific data on the preservation of waterlogged timbers.[3][4]

The excavation involved partnerships with the British Museum, Durham University, University of Birmingham, York Archaeological Trust, University College London, and English Heritage.[7] BBC News reported that the project engaged public participants from 11 countries.[4]

Lindisfarne (2016–2025)

Beginning in 2016, DigVentures and Durham University conducted a joint program of excavations on Lindisfarne (Holy Island), investigating the early medieval monastery associated with the 793 AD Viking raid.

Forbes reported in 2020 on the discovery of a rare Viking-era board game piece at the site.[13] Current Archaeology covered the excavations in 2019, highlighting discoveries including copper-alloy rings, Anglo-Saxon coins from Northumbria and Wessex, and a cemetery with commemorative markers unique to the 8th and 9th centuries.[14]

Deep Time (2021–present)

Deep Time is a citizen science project combining satellite imagery, LiDAR, and historic mapping to identify archaeological sites and ecological habitats. The project originated during the COVID-19 lockdowns when DigVentures' virtual archaeology sessions attracted participants from around the world who began identifying previously unknown sites from satellite imagery.[12]

Developed with support from Nesta's Centre for Collective Intelligence, the Heritage Innovation Fund, and in partnership with Natural England, the platform trains participants (termed "Pastronauts") to search for previously unknown archaeological sites across UK landscapes while contributing to climate action and nature recovery initiatives through habitat mapping.[15][16] The initial 2021–2022 experiment in the Brightwater area of County Durham engaged 100 participants who identified 3,670 archaeological features, representing a 60% increase over existing Historic Environment Records.[12]

By 2024, the project had expanded significantly. The Guardian reported that Deep Time participants had helped identify 12,802 previously unrecorded ancient sites in England.[5] The project has engaged over 6,000 citizen scientists from multiple countries who have surveyed more than 4,500 km² in partnership with Wildlife Trusts, National Landscapes, and the National Trust.[16]

In 2025, Deep Time – Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery received an Honorary Mention in the European Union Prize for Citizen Science.[17][18]

Other projects

DigVentures has conducted excavations at additional sites including:

  • Leiston Abbey (2013–2016): The first project on the DigStarter crowdfunding platform, raising more than £36,000 over four seasons. Fieldwork included remote sensing, photogrammetry surveys, and aerial photography using drones to characterize earthworks and settlement evidence.[19][20]
  • Sudeley Castle (2018–2025): Annual excavations uncovering extensive Tudor gardens dating to the mid-16th century, with evidence of landscaping associated with Thomas Seymour and Catherine Parr. BBC News reported on the discovery of Tudor garden remains in 2024.[21]
  • Pontefract Castle (2019–2020): Excavations in the castle's drawbridge pit uncovered mason's marks and Civil War-era lead shot.[22][23]
  • Soulton Hall (2021–2024): A five-year investigation of a lost castle mentioned in the Domesday Book. BBC News reported on the discovery of the castle remains in 2022.[24]
  • Caerfai Hillfort (2021–2023): Partnership with the CHERISH project conducting the first recorded excavations at Castell Penpleidiau, an Iron Age fort near St Davids, Wales, threatened by coastal erosion.[25][26]
  • Earth Trust (2023–2025): Excavations at Wittenham Clumps in Oxfordshire revealing a Roman aisled villa, a type unique to Roman Britain. BBC News reported on the discovery of a Roman dog skeleton in 2024 and evidence of an ancient blacksmith in 2023.[27][28]
  • Cerney Wick (2021): Excavations in Wiltshire uncovering a mammoth graveyard. BBC News reported on the discovery in December 2021, followed by a documentary presented by Sir David Attenborough.[29]
  • Boyne Valley (2023–2025): Excavations in the southern buffer Ireland's UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne, in collaboration with Irish archaeological specialists, investigating newly discovered Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments near Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth.

Dig Digital

DigVentures worked with CIfA on guidance for the management of digital archives in archaeology. CIfA-hosted materials describe the toolkit as produced by DigVentures in partnership with CIfA and supported by Historic England.[30][31]

Recognition

  • European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award (2021): Awarded to Archaeology at Home for its response to COVID-19 restrictions, engaging over 11,000 people from 90 countries. Europa Nostra's jury described it as demonstrating "an agile response to the situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic."[11]
  • EU Prize for Citizen Science Honorary Mention (2025): Deep Time – Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery received recognition for collective intelligence in nature recovery.[17][32]

References

  1. ^ a b "DigVentures". Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.
  2. ^ "DigVentures Limited - Company number 07854519". Companies House.
  3. ^ a b c Palmer, Jason (1 March 2012). "Flag Fen archaeology idea brings in public to dig deep". BBC News.
  4. ^ a b c d Palmer, Jason (13 August 2012). "Flag Fen hosts 'crowdsourced' Bronze Age archaeology dig". BBC News.
  5. ^ a b "Hobbyist archaeologists identify thousands of ancient sites in England". The Guardian. 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ "DigVentures Limited - Incorporation date". Companies House.
  7. ^ a b "DigVentures at Flag Fen". Current Archaeology. November 2012.
  8. ^ Pryor, Francis (14 November 2012). "Flag Fen, 30 years on". In The Long Run.
  9. ^ Westcott Wilkins, Lisa (1 April 2014). "DigVentures, HLF and the 'Digital Dig Team' at Leiston Abbey". DigVentures.
  10. ^ "Brendon Wilkins: 'We're using drones to produce quality archaeology'". The Guardian. 18 March 2014.
  11. ^ a b c "Archaeology at Home". European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. 25 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "Using crowdsourcing & AI to generate new archaeological discoveries". Nesta. 31 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Rare Viking Era Board Game Piece Discovered On Lindisfarne". Forbes. 7 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Summer of finds on Lindisfarne". Current Archaeology. 5 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Sustainable Archaeology and Heritage Projects". DigVentures.
  16. ^ a b "Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery". DigVentures. 31 March 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Deep Time – Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery". Ars Electronica.
  18. ^ "Deep Time – Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery". IMPETUS Prize Winners.
  19. ^ "Leiston Abbey dig: 'Earspoon' and evidence of 'mill' uncovered". BBC News. 28 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Leiston Abbey dig unearths 'poker chip' and curse tablet". BBC News. 19 July 2014.
  21. ^ "Tudor garden remains unearthed at Sudeley Castle". BBC News. 19 August 2024.
  22. ^ Jackson, Nat; Casswell, Chris; Forster, Manda (2023). "A Medieval Drawbridge Pit and the Stories it Tells Us, Excavations at Pontefract Castle, 2019–2020". Internet Archaeology (62). doi:10.11141/ia.61.4.
  23. ^ Jago, Indie; Forster, Manda (2023). "Archaeological Excavations and Social Impact at Pontefract Castle". Internet Archaeology (62). doi:10.11141/ia.61.9.
  24. ^ "Castle found on historic Shropshire estate during dig". BBC News. 2 August 2022.
  25. ^ Teale, Kimberley; et al. (2021). "Caerfai Project Design" (PDF). DigVentures.
  26. ^ Duensing, Jasmine; et al. (2021). "Caerfai Post-Excavation Assessment" (PDF). DigVentures.
  27. ^ "Roman dog skeleton found at Oxfordshire dig". BBC News. 2 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Evidence of ancient blacksmith found at Oxfordshire dig". BBC News. 9 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Mammoth remains discovered at Cotswold gravel pit". BBC News. 22 December 2021.
  30. ^ "Digital Archives in Archaeology". Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.
  31. ^ "Dig Digital". Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.
  32. ^ "Deep Time – Collective Intelligence for Nature Recovery". IMPETUS Prize Winners.
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