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Introducing: Uncovering the Tweed

Uncovering the Tweed a co-created community archaeology project with Destination Tweed

New AOC blog

As part of a conservation contract with Go Industrial, AOC Archaeology will be hosting an industrial conservation intern over the course of the next year. To find out more about the projects that intern Emma Griffiths will be working on, follow her journey here.

In Situ: stories about the past told through archaeology

A new website showcasing a range of work done by AOC Archaeology Group is now live. In Situ focuses on discovering the past through digital innovation and brings to life many of AOC’s projects through interactive 3D models.

Clachtoll: An Iron Age Broch Settlement in Assynt, North-west Scotland

The results of work at Clachtoll are now available in a new monograph, available in hard copy or as a free, open-access download

Community Excavations at Cranford Park

In September 2021, AOC carried out the first of four seasons of excavations that will reveal the remains of Cranford House in London Borough of Hillingdon

Craigievar Castle in 3D

In the summer of 2020, AOC’s Digital Heritage Team worked on 3D recording of one of the most picturesque tower houses in Scotland – Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Preserving the Skylark IX

AOC’s conservators worked with the Skylark IX Preservation Trust to preserve one of the ‘Dunkirk Little Ships’ from World War II’s Operation Dynamo

Clachtoll Broch: an Iron Age Home in Assynt

A new 80 page popular publication tells the story of life at Clachtoll Broch 2000 years ago

Archaeology on the Rhins of Galloway Coast Path: Downloadable Guides

Explore the archaeology of the Rhins of Galloway Coast Path with an exciting new series of guides from the Rhins Revealed Online project

Celebrating Clachtoll Broch

Join us on Saturday 2nd of October for an online celebration of Clachtoll Broch and Historic Assynt’s project to conserve, consolidate and present one of Scotland’s most iconic Iron Age sites

Replicating Artefacts from the King’s Seat

A selection of artefacts from the King’s Seat Hillfort, near Dunkeld, were replicated using cutting edge technology

3D Replicas of Clachtoll Broch Assemblage

AOC’s Digital Heritage Team worked on 3D documentation and replication of the selection of artefacts. A range of objects – from pottery and stone to bone, were selected for high-resolution 3D recording and printing.

A Scottish Renaissance Mural Monument in Crail, Fife

AOC’s survey team undertook 3D recording of an important early example of Scottish Renaissance funeral architecture.

Elk in Argyll? Recording the Traces of an Unusual Introduction

A small population of Wapiti was introduced to Glen Orchy, Argyll and Bute, in the late 19th century. AOC recorded a pen in which they were contained.

The Artists Rifles and Civilian Shelters: Wartime Evidence at Royal Liberty School, Havering, East London

During 2019, AOC undertook excavations at the Royal Liberty School in the London Borough of Havering, formerly the location of a training camp using by the Artists Rifles in 1915-1918.

Exploring Routeways at Mill Meadow, Oxfordshire

AOC is working with East West Rail ahead of the construction of a new rail link between Oxford and Cambridge. Excavations at Mill Meadow, Oxfordshire, reveal a fascinating landscape with evidence dating from the Neolithic through to the medieval period.

Rhind Lectures 2020: Neolithic Scotland with Dr Alison Sheridan

AOC is delighted to be sponsoring the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s prestigious Rhind Lectures, which will take place online this year from 13-18 December

Digital Imaging at St Giles in the Fields Graveyard, London

In May 2020, AOC carried out an archaeological survey in the graveyard of the St Giles Church, London, using innovative digital imaging techniques to enhance traditional recording methods.

New Publication: Hillforts of the Tay

AOC and Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust are delighted to announce the launch of a new booklet focussing on the Hillforts of the Tay project

Edinburgh and Leith Glass Works, Salamander Street

AOC is undertaking excavations at the site of the former Edinburgh & Leith Glass Works, which operated in the 18th and 19th centuries

A Window Through Time: Recording Past Renovations at Gladstone’s Land

Detailed internal survey of an historic six-storey, 17th century tenement house in Edinburgh’s historic Old Town, on behalf of National Trust for Scotland

A Brooch from a Cist Burial at the House of the Binns, West Lothian

Routine monitoring by National Trust for Scotland’s archaeologists led to the discovery of a cist burial

A Pastime Consigned to History: Bear Baiting in 16th and 17th Century London

Excavations in Bear Gardens, Southwark, revealed faunal assemblages relating to the once-popular sport

Tackling Baldness with Bears Grease: an Unusual Find

Work in Croydon revealed everything from Victorian terraced housing and post-medieval structures to potential prehistoric remains

A Lost Auxiliary Bunker Revealed

A Second World War auxiliary bunker was unexpectedly discovered during deforestation at a location in southern Scotland

Seeking Answers Through Analysis at Drumnadrochit

Archaeological work over four years has identified extensive Neolithic activity and a Bronze Age cemetery at Lewiston, Drumnadrochit

Under Lock and Key: a Padlock from Lair

An iron barb-spring padlock case from an early medieval building in Glenshee

Walkover Survey in Gleann Beag

Exploring the landscape of the Glenelg brochs

A Final Season at King's Seat

The third and final year of excavations at King's Seat near Dunkeld, Perthshire

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Key Projects

Weston Wood Prehistoric Pottery

#FindsFriday Our gorgeous little “What’s that?! Wednesday” mystery is back… and the answer? Roman hobnail! Across our @aocarchaeology EWR sites, we uncovered 1,729 metal objects – and an incredible 1,332 were hobnails from Roman shoes. These tiny iron nails aren’t just small finds. They quite literally leave a footprint of Roman activity at our sites. One cremation pit revealed 195 hobnails, including this beautifully preserved example. After careful conservation — airbrasive cleaning, microscopy, and X-rays — its full form was revealed. This hobnail (a Manning Type 1B) may have belonged to the very shoes the deceased wore onto the funeral pyre. Alongside it, traces of charcoal suggest remains of a coffin or pyre, giving us a glimpse into Roman funerary practices. #RomanArchaeology #ArchaeologyFinds #RomanBritain #ArchaeologyUK #Excavation #AOCArchaeology #EWR

Ever wanted to dig up history? This September you can! Join the Whithorn Project in the Machars for FREE hands-on archaeology #DiscoverScotland No experience? No problem. Just bring curiosity + energy! Spaces are limited & we’re back on site in 3 weeks — don’t miss out! Tap the link to book now. https://shorturl.at/lwWI0 #WhithornProject #StudentLifeScotland #ScottishStudents #SummerVibesScotland #ArchaeologyAdventure #DiggingHistory #UniScotland #FreeExperience #HandsOnLearning #DiscoverScotland #FieldSchool #Excavation

Textiles rarely survive in archaeological contexts, but we’ve been lucky enough during our work for the DBS offshore wind farms to discover a pair of objects that give us a glimpse into ancient textile working. These artefacts are both worked out of bone and comprise a perforated point and a spindle whorl. Bone points of this form may have been used either as dress pins for fastening garments, or as needles for sewing whilst spindle whorls were used for spinning yarn. Further research will help us to understand more about these fascinating objects and the landscape in which they were found. #DBSOffshoreWind #AOCArchaeology #Archaeology

Now's your chance to get a shoutout for #WhatsThatWednesday. Have a guess at naming and explaining our little artefact, and we'll reveal the winner (with their permission) on #FindsFriday. Let's hope this game leaves you feeling wrought with joy and not too rusty! #Archaeology #AOCArchaeology #Excavation #Fieldwork #PostExcavationProcessing #Rusty #PunsAreFun

Ready to dig into the past? Join us at the Whithorn Project this September for hands-on archaeology skills training. Whether you’re a complete beginner or eager to build on your fieldwork experience, our excavations in the Machars are the perfect place to learn, explore, and connect. Two date ranges available — but spaces are filling fast, and we’re back on site in just three weeks! Best of all? It’s completely free to take part. Don’t miss this chance to be part of living history. Tap the link to secure your Eventbrite ticket today — and step into the trench with us! https://shorturl.at/lwWI0

The moment of discovery! It’s always exciting to hold the past in your hands and our work for DBS offshore wind farms has been yielding important dating material which will help us tell the story of this complex landscape. Keep your eyes out for upcoming posts where we’ll be highlighting finds from previous seasons and new discoveries from this year! #DBSOffshoreWind #AOCArchaeology #Archaeology #Roman #Pottery

You're in the trench now... and you think you've just found a cremation. What now? -- Dig in 2cm spits -- Photograph and sketch each layer -- Note if the remains are concentrated or spread out -- Fill in the recording sheet -- 100% sample everything (no bone fragment plucking) -- Fully excavate (if safe) - no half sectioned mysteries left behind! Every detail brings us closer to the story this feature has kept hidden. #MysteriesMonday #Archaeology #Fieldwork #Cremation #Excavation #AOCArchaeology #Heritage #EthicalArchaeology #EverydayArchaeology

Clink. Pause. Clink. Each strike of the spade lifts or separates soil that hasn't seen the light in an age. Grey clouds gather, the scent of damp earth rising. Hard work? Yes. But every shovelful brings us closer to the past. #SiteStoriesSaturday #SaturdayMotivation #SaturdayVibes #AOCArchaeology #HighVizHeroes #Archaeology #Fieldwork #Excavation

Out in the Bedfordshire sunshine, our field team is hard at work, surveying in the trench while many of us are at desks or enjoying summer holidays. This precise GPS work that Thilina Pallethanne and Ishan Bahrti are undertaking is a vital part of archaeology, helping us record and protect sites for the future. Big thanks to our amazing field staff who keep discoveries coming, year-round. #Archaeology #Fieldwork #Bedfordshire #Surveying #GPS #Excavation #AOCArchaeology #ThursdayVibes

Breaking ground at a possible medieval site near Fairnilee for Uncovering the Tweed with @DestinationTweedUK! LiDAR and aerial photos revealed something intriguing — could it be a rare medieval moated enclosure? We’ve got one week to find out… watch this space! #DestinationTweedUk #archaeology #medieval #settlement #moat #HESSupported This project was made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.

Volunteers have been exploring deserted medieval settlements along the lower Tweed as part of Uncovering the Tweed with @destinationtweeduk. While some discoveries were surprisingly recent — including a 1942 thrupenny bit — we’ve also found late medieval redware fragments, hinting at deeper stories waiting to be uncovered... Could there be more medieval secrets buried below? Have you ever found something unexpected while out walking? #DestinationTweedUK #UncoveringTheTweed #MedievalMysteries #ArchaeologyFinds #ScotlandHistory #VolunteersInAction #NationalLotteryHeritageFund #FallagoEnvironmentFund #TrenchesTuesday This project was made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.

Another beautiful day working on the archaeological excavations for the DBS offshore wind farms. This week our team are busy working on some interesting features and ensuring that they’re carefully recorded for the project archive. Stay tuned for further updates! #DBSOffshoreWind #AOCArchaeology #Archaeology

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so they say. For archaeologists, sometimes the most interesting objects are those that were discarded mid-manufacture. Maybe the raw material was discovered to contain a flaw or otherwise be unsuitable, the craftsperson made a mistake, or sometimes maybe it was just a practice piece. This piece of shale comes from an Iron Age ditch excavated as part of our ongoing work for the DBS offshore wind farms. It is possibly a rough-out for a ring pendant or spindle whorl. Unfortunately for the craftsperson, it appears to have split across a natural lamination and was then discarded. Frustrating for them, but a fascinating window into past crafts for us! #DBSOffshoreWind #AOCArchaeology #Archaeology #FindsFriday #IronAge #ArchaeologyisRubbish

We’re excited to be underway with Phase 3 of the excavations for the onshore export cable route for the Dogger Bank South Offshore Wind Farms (DBS). This route, stretching from landfall near Skipsea, to two new electricity converter stations near Beverley has already revealed some fascinating archaeological discoveries. Keep your eyes peeled in upcoming weeks for some of our favourite memories from the first two phases, plus exciting new finds as the season progresses. #DBSOffshoreWind #AOCArchaeology #Archaeology

At last week's Celts Festival, AOC Conservationist Gretel Evans shared how waterlogged finds from crannog sites help reconstruct ancient buildings - and reconnect us with the past. While the original Crannog was lost to fire, work such as hers is vital to shaping its future, and that of many other places. Which ancient structure would YOU love to see brought back to life through experimental archaeology? Tell us in the comments. #AOCarchaeology #celtsfestival #crannogcentre #waterloggedarchaeology #conservationinaction #heritagematters #publicarchaeology #scotlandhistory

Take a walk through prehistory on Saturday 9th August with Graeme Cavers as part of a guided walk with @bordersforesttrust on their site at Corehead and Ericstane. The walk will visit several prehistoric sites including an update on the latest results from excavations at the scooped settlement of Adie's Brae. There are still a few tickets left so book on eventbrite to reserve your space. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walk-at-corehead-tickets-1430143490679?aff=oddtdtcreator This walk is being run as part of the @destinationtweeduk project and was made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.

As part of the Mapping the Tweed @destinationtweeduk project volunteers have been examining the LiDAR data for the Tweed valley, identifying potential new archaeological sites. Recent site visits in the hills above Peebles have confirmed the presence of prehistoric settlement including several platforms and a turf banked enclosure. Volunteers have recorded these using GPS survey and photography. This project was made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.

AOC Archaeology and Whithorn Trust volunteers have been working together on the Machars for years, with several exciting upcoming projects this summer/autumn (watch this space!). While we wait for results from recent work take a look at this project from the archive - the fascinating Chapel Finian. https://insitu.org.uk/2022/08/16/chapel-finian/ #chapel #earlymedieval #whithorn #heritage

It's #FindsFriday again! Find out more about this middle to late Bronze Age spear head on our sketchfab channel. https://skfb.ly/6VT6W #FindsFriday #spear #BronzeAge #3dmodels #sketchfabmodel

We had a great guided walk last Saturday with @bordersforesttrust as part of a Destination Tweed guided walk at the BFT site of Gameshope and Talla. The group heard more about the history of the valley, intriguing placenames and stories aswell as getting an insight into landscape change over time in this upland landscape. We have another collaborative walk at the BFT site of Corehead and Ericstane on Saturday 9th August exploring the prehistoric past of this area. There are still tickets left if you want to book a spot! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walk-at-corehead-tickets-1430143490679 This project was made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.

Post-Ex Analysis: River Conon Logboat

Community Excavation: Moncreiffe Hill

Conservation: Preparing for Perth’s New Museum

All Key Projects

In Situ: stories told through archaeology

Archaeology is all around us: whether it’s a new road, a windfarm, or a house, UK planning conditions ensure that the archaeological potential of each area proposed for development is explored, excavated, and analysed. Partnering with museums, universities, and communities, we bring our heritage to life.

In Situ takes the illuminating stories from AOC’s work and presents them: giving you the highlights; bringing stories of our past into the present. Using innovative digital techniques, we specialize in transforming technical reports into compelling stories, bringing to light the richness of British archaeology.

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Professional Services

From preliminary advice and assessments to comprehensive fieldwork and post-excavation analyses and publication, our professional approach is committed to achieving the best solutions for each client.