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Sandi Toksvig's Hidden Wonders - Season 1 Episode 3
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00:00I'm here at Cambridge University with dreams of becoming a great archaeologist.
00:06With a degree in archaeology and anthropology in hand, my career path seemed set.
00:12Some of you may realise I got a little sidetracked, but I have never lost my passion for the secrets and treasures which lie buried beneath our feet.
00:21So now, some years later, I'm dusting off my trowel and embarking on an epic archaeological adventure across Britain.
00:33Do you know what the Latin for hangover is?
00:36What?
00:36Crapula.
00:38I'll be joined by my friend and expert in the field, Raksha Dave.
00:42I'm so, so happy for you.
00:44Together, we'll work alongside the teams of experts and volunteers at some of the nation's most fascinating dig sites.
00:52Raksha, look at this. It's like the moon.
00:55Welcome to the Iron Age.
00:56Oh, I've got a shiver. I've got a proper shiver.
00:59On a mission to reveal hidden wonders that could rewrite our history.
01:04Oh, look.
01:05Oh, my God.
01:06Hey, look at this.
01:07Ha, ha, ha.
01:08This week, we're in Northumberland to uncover the secrets of life in Roman Britain.
01:16Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
01:18As we join the first modern dig inside the ancient walls of Magna Fort.
01:24What have we got?
01:25What?
01:25What is it?
01:26I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack.
01:30To unearth 2,000 years of history.
01:33No way, Romulus and Remus.
01:35That is iconic.
01:36Beside an incredible feat of early engineering.
01:40Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
01:42It's blowing my mind.
01:43I could sit on the loo and look at Hadrian's wall.
01:46Oh, look.
01:47Ho, ho, ho, ho.
01:48I'm king of the world.
01:50Ha, ha, ha, ha.
02:00Look at the vista from here.
02:03Oh, wow.
02:04What about that?
02:05Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
02:07I mean, that is so perfect.
02:11The straight Roman road.
02:13Some of the finest countryside in the whole of Britain.
02:18You know how excited I am.
02:19I'm like a child.
02:20What have you got in store for me today?
02:21Come on.
02:21What's going to happen?
02:22I mean, we're driving on this road.
02:24This could be a little bit of a clue.
02:26Straight Roman.
02:28Yep.
02:28Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
02:30Quite near Hadrian's wall.
02:32We are going to a fort alongside Hadrian's wall that has never been properly excavated before.
02:39And it's called Magna Fort.
02:41OK, I'm just going to give you a quick confession.
02:44Never seen Hadrian's wall in my life.
02:46What?
02:47I know.
02:47There's 73 miles of this thing.
02:50I've read about it.
02:51I know a bit about the history.
02:53But I've never seen it.
02:54And to think I'm about to dig beside it.
02:57We're driving to Greenhead in Northumberland, back to the time of Roman occupation in Britain.
03:04We have exclusive access to a brand new dig at the site of Magna Fort, halfway along Hadrian's wall,
03:12which runs from the Solway Firth in the west to Wall's End in the east.
03:16This symbol of power and control, ordered by Emperor Hadrian himself in A.D. 122,
03:23took six years to construct at the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire.
03:29Only 5% of Hadrian's wall has been excavated.
03:33Oh, my goodness.
03:34And the fort's alongside it, because it's a scheduled ancient monument.
03:38So, the protections around Hadrian's wall are quite tight.
03:43But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get hands-on.
03:47I mean, you're just the gift that keeps on giving.
03:49Well, I'd like to surprise you.
03:51It's working.
03:52The girls are back in town.
03:55Whee!
03:59Oh, you can really, you can see from up here when your enemy are coming, couldn't you?
04:03I know, you really can.
04:04It's a great vantage point.
04:06Wow.
04:07Wow, that is staggeringly beautiful.
04:11Look at this!
04:16Magnafort predates Hadrian's wall and would have commanded this landscape for over 300 years.
04:22Built and rebuilt multiple times, at its peak, it was approximately as long as a football pitch
04:28and almost as wide again, garrisoning over 500 soldiers and their commanders.
04:33We're going to be excavating a 27 by 14 metre area in the southwest corner, hoping to find
04:40evidence of all the soldiers, their families and the slaves that would have lived in the fort.
04:45Welcome to the edge of the Roman frontier.
04:49Oh, my God, I'm so excited.
04:50Obviously, my heart's pounding.
04:51OK, so what I think is, what I've understood about archaeology, you need a bit of luck as well, don't you?
04:58I think that's what we need to do. We need to find something amazing.
05:00Well, may the gods smile down upon you.
05:02Mind you, I would have brought you a good luck charm as well.
05:05What would that have been for the Romans?
05:07Phallus.
05:09Spice, the very thing that's been missing in my life.
05:13So I'm glad you didn't give that to me because I'm already a little bit worried about being blonde.
05:16Oh, why?
05:17Well, so the Romans were mostly dark-haired and the barbarian, the ghouls, were blonde.
05:22So prostitution, totally fine, but you had to legally dye your hair blonde, so I think already I look a bit...
05:29Lady of the night-ish.
05:30Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
05:32OK.
05:33Well, now you've mentioned that, I could give the jobs up appropriately.
05:37Like what?
05:38So I've got dark hair.
05:40Yeah, high status.
05:41Yeah, so I'm going to do the commanding officer's quarters.
05:44Right, and...
05:45And you...
05:46I don't like where this is going.
05:47The drains and the toilets. Go on.
05:49OK, let's get going.
05:50Let's go and find Andrew.
05:52Andrew Burley is the director of the Vindalander Trust and the third generation of archaeologists to excavate along the wall,
05:59following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
06:03Andrew!
06:04How are you?
06:06So excited.
06:07Welcome to Magna.
06:08Thank you, darling.
06:08So we're standing in the heart here of Magna Fort.
06:11Hopefully, underneath our feet, it's a commanding officer's residence, a house.
06:15Yes.
06:15A great palatial building, so...
06:17And it's rare, isn't it, that you're being allowed to dig here?
06:20It's very rare.
06:21It's very rare.
06:21Because it's part of a World Heritage Site, and so you have to get very special permissions to excavate on these sites.
06:26But you're talking about a huge build-up of life, basically.
06:30And, you know, we could have over 40 or 50 families who would have called this their home all the way through that occupation.
06:36So we have to imagine kids running around, don't we?
06:38Have to imagine there's a whole life there.
06:40Well, I think that's the thing, is there's that perception, isn't there, of it being military, and that it's a mail space.
06:47But actually, if you think about modern-day barracks, they have their families with them.
06:52They live with them.
06:53They still go and do their training, but they come back home and have a meal with their families.
06:57That's exactly right, effectively, in terms of the size of this occupation.
07:02You have a regiment of 500 or 600 people, but a population of a couple of thousand people here who call this their home.
07:08Wow. OK, let's get started.
07:10How long have you gone?
07:11I would like to dig the commander's house, but that's not...
07:14No, no, no, no.
07:15No, toilets.
07:15Drains for you, then.
07:16Well, let's head this way, and I'll find you a drain.
07:19I mean, it's the nicest thing a boy's ever said to me.
07:24We're going to focus on two main areas.
07:27Raksha will explore the commander's residence in search of a luxurious bathhouse warmed by a classic Roman hypercaust.
07:34That's underfloor heating to you and me.
07:37Hello, Rachel.
07:38Hello, welcome.
07:41I'm here to report.
07:43Well, help yourself to a matter.
07:45And I'll be tackling the Roman drains that the team believe connect to the latrines of this mighty fort.
07:51Wait, has anybody spoke to my agent about this?
07:53I'll be knee-deep in dirt.
07:57Come across this way.
07:59Watch out for the uneven surfaces.
08:01And we can introduce you to Marta.
08:02Marta, hello, this is Sandy.
08:04Hello, Marta.
08:04Hi.
08:04So what are you deep in here, Marta?
08:06Well, I am knee-deep into the main drain for Magna Roman fort.
08:13How did you know this was the drain?
08:14Is it the caps that you see in a line?
08:16Well, it's a very typical shape.
08:17You've got two stone-lined sides, sort of waterproof bottom, and it all runs in a nice slant and the capstones cover it up.
08:25Okay, and the land seems to tip that way.
08:28Yes, absolutely.
08:28The river is just at the bottom of the hill, so the Romans very cleverly designed the whole fort so that everything flushes right down.
08:35But all of these slabs that are above it now, are they going to go, or what will you...
08:39Well, you're going to help me out.
08:41Oh, absolutely.
08:42Yeah.
08:43Okay.
08:44You wrote the muscles.
08:44Pass me your coat.
08:45You don't need that while you're down there.
08:46It's going to be very warm.
08:47Wonderful.
08:47Thank you so much.
08:49You're very welcome.
08:49Well, let me swap out with you.
08:51Okay.
08:51Come on down.
08:52Here we go.
08:53So that's what it all comes down to.
08:55A tale of upstairs, downstairs, me in the gutter, and Raksha at the commander's luxury en suite.
09:03The commander's bathhouse would have been adorned with painted plaster, mosaics and murals,
09:08complete with hot and cold plunge pools.
09:11It would have been very fancy indeed.
09:13I mean, all the other plebs are using, like, the public baths, aren't they?
09:17But he's got his own special quarters.
09:19What would have that looked like, then?
09:20Yeah, it's just for him and his family.
09:23Everyone in the residence would have had really beautiful, high-quality flagstone floors,
09:27or maybe even mosaic floors for them to walk around on.
09:30The underfloor heating system, keeping it all nice and warm and toasty,
09:34heating the plunge pools for them as well.
09:36Oh, toasty.
09:38You might think underfloor heating as a modern invention,
09:41but the Romans had it down to a fine art.
09:43Their hyper-coast system consisted of a raised floor
09:46with fires used to heat the air circulating beneath.
09:53I mean, we absolutely are getting down onto something different, aren't we?
09:58But it's, like, so dark, packed full of charcoal.
10:03With where we're digging, we're not on the floor surface
10:06that the commanding officer would have been walking on.
10:08We're actually below that in the underfloor heating system.
10:12It has to be one of the hotter rooms closer to that fire-stoke point
10:16to have this much ash building up.
10:18I mean, it's pretty phenomenal, isn't it?
10:20Yeah.
10:20They were here for hundreds of years,
10:22so there's no doubt why there's, like, so much of it.
10:28Meanwhile, back in the gutter...
10:30You can also be a little bit more violent, yeah?
10:32Oh, right.
10:32Just go for it.
10:32Now I'm going to add an element to this excavation thing.
10:36Are you ready?
10:38That's to put the dirt from there to here.
10:40The poo shovel?
10:41Yeah.
10:41Okay, I'm ready to do this.
10:44So how many people would be using this drain, do you think?
10:47Well, it's tricky to say,
10:49because ultimately all of the wastewater from the fort ends up here.
10:54Whether you're the commanding officer or a humble soldier,
10:57this is where your wastewater goes.
11:00But I love that.
11:00That's how we understand that all people are the same in the end, right?
11:04Doesn't matter what your status is.
11:05You've all got to use the drain.
11:06Yeah, yeah.
11:07I'm really happy doing this.
11:08It all mixes in.
11:11Have a look here.
11:13Oh, hang on.
11:14What's that?
11:14What is that?
11:15What is that?
11:17That's a completely different color.
11:18Yeah.
11:20Oh, look.
11:20Oh, my God.
11:21Do you know that?
11:22Look at this.
11:23This is very...
11:24Look at this.
11:26Yay.
11:26I think you have just found your first piece of pottery.
11:29Very nice.
11:31This is so cool.
11:33That is the moment.
11:34That is the moment.
11:35You are now addicted to archaeology.
11:36Oh, yes.
11:37Yes.
11:38It's very exciting.
11:39So that is a little bit of greyware.
11:41Okay.
11:42What's going to happen now
11:43is we're going to put it in a bag
11:45with the name and the number of this area.
11:47Right.
11:47And then it's going to get washed
11:48and categorized by our pottery specialist.
11:51But well done.
11:52That's your first find.
11:54Amazing.
11:54Okay, that's it.
11:55That's it.
11:55I'm never leaving.
11:56Okay, excellent.
11:57Well, let me...
11:58Yeah, you can leave me here now.
11:59I've got this.
12:00This is so ridiculous.
12:03I'm sure lots of people think
12:05you're going to show business
12:05because you get to go to first nights
12:07and red carpet and things.
12:10That I got to do this.
12:13This is as happy as I get.
12:15I'm slightly filthy.
12:16And I'm looking for old poo.
12:19I mean, I don't think it gets any better.
12:20It truly is a privilege
12:31to be digging inside the walls of Magna Fort
12:34at the infancy of this epic excavation.
12:37I can't help but wonder
12:38at the secrets still waiting to be uncovered
12:40right here beneath our feet.
12:43And the sheer scale of it all is mind-blowing.
12:47So, I've been having a good walk round.
12:49Yep.
12:49And am I right that there's a line here
12:51that looks like it's on purpose,
12:53this bit of land?
12:53Absolutely right.
12:54Spot on.
12:55This is the other side of the fort
12:56that we've been excavating.
12:57That far from where the excavation is?
12:59Yeah, over 100 metres away.
13:01Okay, so we just need to start digging, right?
13:05How many years have you got?
13:07Well, that's a good question.
13:09How many years have you got?
13:10Well, sadly, not as many as we'd like
13:12because climate change is really affecting
13:14what's going on under the ground on this site.
13:16The wooden buildings
13:17that are under the stone remains here,
13:19deeply buried, preserved for thousands of years,
13:22are starting to rot really quickly.
13:24Because the air we're breathing
13:25is getting deeper into the soil
13:27because as things dry out,
13:28the water table's dropping,
13:29and when it rains,
13:30it brings fresh water in
13:32with oxygen, minerals, bacteria,
13:34and it starts that rotting process
13:35for the first time in millennia.
13:37Okay, I genuinely did not know that.
13:39That can't just be to do with this site, right?
13:40No, so all of these shrinking events
13:43because you are getting
13:44different types of weather
13:47across the UK
13:48and all of our heritage sites.
13:50We've been preserving everything in situ
13:52to save it for future generations,
13:56but I don't think it's going to last for very long.
13:59So the question is,
14:00should we start excavating now?
14:02And I think that is a real question
14:05we need to answer.
14:06Yeah, we used to say
14:07it used to be a maximum of archaeology.
14:08If it's buried, it's safe.
14:10Well, I'm afraid we can't say that anymore.
14:13It pains me to think
14:14that climate change
14:14could have such a terrifying impact
14:17on our archaeology,
14:18affecting not just our future,
14:20but also our understanding of the past.
14:22dig director Andrew has brought me to the Roman Vindolanda fort
14:31seven miles away
14:33to show me just what's at risk of being lost at Magna.
14:36So would it be inappropriate to say
14:39that we're walking down the high street?
14:40Not at all.
14:41This is absolutely the Roman high street
14:431,800 years ago.
14:46So in the third century,
14:47this place would be a form of madness
14:49at this time of day
14:50with all the vendors
14:51and the storekeepers
14:52putting their wares out
14:53and the sights, the smells, the noise.
14:56It would be quite overwhelming.
14:58And what are they selling?
14:59As we're walking down here,
15:00we've got a little butcher's shop on my left.
15:02Across the street here,
15:03we had a bakery with big ovens inside.
15:06And as we get down to the bottom here,
15:07we see this big, long building in the centre of town.
15:10This is the pub.
15:11Ah, I mean, I feel I've come home right now.
15:14This is marvellous.
15:15You're painting the most wonderful picture.
15:17Is this the kind of energetic life
15:20we're going to find at Magna?
15:22In the short answer is yes,
15:23but on a much bigger scale than Vindolanda.
15:27No, no, no, wait.
15:27Bigger than this?
15:28Yeah, bigger than this.
15:29Like how much bigger than this?
15:30Possibly about twice the size,
15:32particularly in terms of the town.
15:33And is there going to be a posh house as well,
15:35with a bathhouse of its own?
15:37Is there going to be the elite quarter?
15:39Absolutely.
15:39Next to the fort wall,
15:40we have the commanding officer's house.
15:43So what have we got here?
15:44This is a hypercourse?
15:45This is a hypercourse.
15:46Oh, OK, excellent.
15:47Yeah, absolutely right.
15:48Central heating.
15:49Central heating.
15:49Proper hypercourse.
15:50Lots of little columns,
15:51which will support a hard surface
15:53and then poured concrete on top of that
15:55so that none of the smoke and ash
15:56that builds up under the columns there
15:58gets into the room.
15:59So they're literally lighting fires
16:00underneath the floor.
16:01Yeah.
16:02I mean, what smoky work.
16:03That must have been.
16:04Pretty grim.
16:04And of course,
16:05it just fills up the underfloor system
16:07with that soot.
16:08And then they've got to send
16:08a very small person in
16:10because they're not going to smash
16:11the floor up to do it.
16:12That's my job.
16:14On your hands and knees
16:15with a bucket between your teeth
16:16to empty it out.
16:18And what's the life like?
16:19So they've got this massive space
16:21compared to,
16:22well, I mean,
16:23show me,
16:23these are some rooms here.
16:24So servants' quarters on the left,
16:26the palatial entertainment rooms
16:27on the right.
16:28We've got a stable up at the top,
16:30the heated dining rooms down here.
16:31And of course,
16:32above this,
16:33we have two more stories
16:34and then a central courtyard,
16:35which is entirely private,
16:37private toilets.
16:38What you've got here
16:39is a townhouse
16:40from a posh Roman town
16:42plunked into the middle
16:43of a Roman fort.
16:44Is this the grandeur
16:45we're going to find at Magna?
16:47This is exactly
16:48what we're looking for at Magna.
16:49Who knows?
16:49It might be even more glorious
16:50than this.
16:59I think particularly
17:00on a site like this,
17:01there are three ways
17:02in which you really need
17:03to look at it.
17:04There's the macro.
17:05You need to see
17:06how vast this place is
17:08and see it almost from above.
17:10Then there's the middle road
17:11where you're walking through it
17:12and you're trying to get a sense
17:13of what life was like.
17:15There's also the micro level
17:16where you just need
17:17to take a breath
17:18and sit by all these stones.
17:21It's really, really tempting
17:22to think the Romans
17:23were the first people
17:24to come along
17:25and think,
17:25oh, stone, good idea.
17:27But of course,
17:27they weren't.
17:28So built into this wall,
17:31there is a Celtic carving.
17:33This is Neolithic.
17:34This is thousands
17:35and thousands of years old
17:37that somebody decided
17:38to put a good luck symbol,
17:40perhaps,
17:41into a piece of stone
17:42up in the quarry.
17:43The Romans found it.
17:45They thought,
17:45well, why not put it in the wall
17:46in case it brings us good luck?
17:48And the bit I can't get
17:49my head around
17:50is that I can touch
17:52with my hand
17:53this carving
17:55that was done on purpose
17:56so many thousands of years ago
17:59and almost,
18:01almost in the stone.
18:02you feel a connection
18:04with that purpose
18:05and with that person.
18:08And I guess that's what
18:09the detailed finds
18:11of archaeology do for you.
18:12The brooch somebody wore,
18:14the ring.
18:15It makes you transcend
18:18all of those years
18:19and be back in touch
18:20with somebody.
18:21I love it.
18:28Still searching
18:29for that connection
18:30with the people of Magnafort,
18:31the team have made
18:33an exciting discovery.
18:34Well, this is amazing.
18:36What is that?
18:37It's a Roman coin,
18:38first one I found.
18:39Well done.
18:40It's digging, yeah.
18:41Very happy.
18:41So, literally,
18:42just out from,
18:44two inches down
18:44from the top soil
18:45from underneath the top.
18:47It's in amazing conditions
18:48and you can actually
18:49see something on it,
18:50can't you?
18:50You've got the face
18:51of the emperor
18:52which has a helmet
18:53and a courier.
18:54So, it's like
18:55a martial outfit.
18:57Ooh, gaggle of archaeologists,
18:59I know what this means.
19:00This means that you've
19:01actually found something.
19:03Yeah, look at that.
19:05Oh, gosh.
19:06Nice.
19:06Look at that.
19:08Beautiful.
19:09Really good conditions.
19:11No way.
19:12How do you think?
19:13Can you venture there?
19:14Romulus and Remus
19:15on the other side
19:16and the wolf.
19:17I mean, you can't get
19:18more Rome than that,
19:20can you?
19:20That is iconic.
19:23It's beautiful.
19:24Gosh, you must be
19:24so proud of yourself.
19:25I am very happy, yes.
19:27I love the fact
19:28that it's come out
19:29of this dream.
19:29Yeah.
19:30It is a picture
19:31of Roman life on side.
19:33Sandy's going to be
19:34so gutted that she missed this.
19:36Momentarily gutted
19:37as I'm off to meet
19:38Barbara Burley,
19:40curator at the
19:40Vindolanda Trust
19:41who's about to share
19:42an even bigger
19:44recent discovery.
19:46So we found
19:46a collection of shoes
19:48from the ditch
19:48at Magna.
19:49A collection?
19:50A collection, yeah.
19:51So probably about
19:5230 plus shoes
19:54and we're going
19:56to conserve some of them
19:57or start the first stage
19:58of their conservation process.
19:59Okay, I can already tell
20:00this one is huge.
20:02It is.
20:02It's a very big shoe.
20:04Oh my, look at the size
20:06of that thing.
20:06It is a big shoe, yeah.
20:08Wow, you can see
20:09the sort of shape
20:10of the toe and everything.
20:11And these are unusual
20:12because it's kind of
20:13this paddle shape
20:14so this is possibly
20:16showing us
20:16maybe a different
20:17type of soldier.
20:18We only have a couple
20:19of them here
20:19at Vindolanda
20:20out of the 5,000
20:22shoes we have
20:23but over at Magna
20:25we're seeing this
20:25very interesting shape
20:27which is telling us
20:28maybe that there's
20:29a different type
20:30of garrison there.
20:31So this is a more
20:32traditional type of shoe.
20:34Oh, you've got your
20:35studs on the bottom there.
20:36Yeah, studs on the bottom
20:36where this one
20:37is really unusual
20:38so it's a type
20:39of sandal
20:40but we've got
20:41to conserve them
20:42and then research
20:43them to find out more.
20:44So this is just water
20:45and basically
20:46we wet them
20:47and then we take
20:50usually probably
20:51a toothbrush
20:51is our best instrument
20:53to start out with
20:53and we just start
20:55to remove gently
20:56the mud.
21:01It's rather
21:01meditative, isn't it?
21:02It is, it is.
21:04We have done
21:05lots of shoes
21:06here at Vindolanda
21:07and it's so fantastic
21:09to have a comparative
21:11collection on Hadrian's
21:12wall in the Magna
21:13shoes.
21:14So we're being able
21:16to kind of compare
21:16the two sites
21:17and find out more
21:18about them
21:18and as these are
21:20handmade
21:20you do get a lot
21:22of differences.
21:23Do you wonder
21:23why would there
21:24be a collection
21:24of 30 shoes?
21:25They're from the ditch
21:26so I think they're
21:27the rubbish
21:27so maybe there was
21:28something wrong
21:29with these shoes
21:30and they were able
21:30they just said
21:31I can't fix these
21:32anymore.
21:33Often times we find
21:34that the studs
21:36are missing
21:36or as you can see
21:37from these
21:38they don't have
21:39the uppers.
21:40There's two reasons
21:41for that.
21:42Either they could
21:42have broken
21:43in antiquity
21:44or because there
21:46are thinner layers
21:47for the uppers
21:48they might not
21:48be surviving.
21:50If this is
21:51evidence of the
21:51climate change
21:52that Andrew
21:53mentioned
21:53it would certainly
21:54add to the
21:54urgency of the
21:55dig at Magna.
21:57So when they've
21:58been washed
21:58and they are
21:59then available
22:00for display
22:00what stops them
22:01now there's
22:02all that oxygen
22:02around them
22:03what stops them
22:04deteriorating
22:04at that point?
22:06They have to go
22:06through a chemical
22:07process
22:07and so we put
22:08them through
22:09chemical baths
22:10and this helps
22:11to preserve them
22:12and then we can
22:14keep them on
22:15display
22:15either on display
22:17or in storage
22:17because some of
22:18them do go
22:18into storage
22:19because not
22:20all of them
22:20are worthy
22:21of display.
22:22Sometimes
22:23they're so
22:24fragmented
22:25but we can
22:26still get
22:26information off
22:27of the fragmented
22:28ones so we
22:28keep those as
22:29well.
22:30Who's got the
22:30big feet?
22:30Do we know that
22:31in history?
22:32Our initial
22:32thoughts are that
22:33it could be our
22:34Dalmatian mounted
22:35soldiers which are
22:36Croatia.
22:37That's really
22:38interesting and we're
22:40being able to kind
22:41of tell that
22:41through some of
22:42our kind of
22:43scientific analysis
22:44and there are
22:46very big men
22:47that come from
22:48that part of the
22:48world historically
22:49and so by looking
22:51at all of these
22:51different things
22:52that we can start
22:53to piece together
22:54and with Magna
22:55we're just at the
22:56starting point
22:57and we're getting
22:58to build on that
22:59evidence which is
22:59really really
23:00intriguing.
23:01These stonking
23:02size 14s would
23:04have been mighty
23:04boots to fill
23:05and continue to
23:06build the bigger
23:07picture of life
23:08here in Roman
23:09Britain.
23:18Back at Magna
23:19I'm rejoining the
23:20team to help lift
23:21the lid on a drain
23:22that hasn't been
23:23exposed for the
23:24best part of two
23:25millennia.
23:25The mind boggles
23:26as to the secrets
23:28it could hold.
23:29Whoa, whoa, whoa,
23:30whoa.
23:30Whoa.
23:31Hello.
23:33Look at all that
23:33stuff.
23:34So just scraping
23:36the top surface
23:36off?
23:36Yes.
23:38Okay, so I can
23:40see something a
23:40little bit unusual
23:41there because you
23:42see this little
23:42fleck of green.
23:44What is that?
23:45Right, gently
23:46and then you put
23:46it on your open...
23:47No, no, you do it.
23:48Open palm.
23:49You want to put it
23:50in here?
23:52What have we got?
23:54What have we got?
23:55What is it?
23:56Well, so, first
23:58of all it's green
23:58so it's made of
24:00a copper alloy.
24:01It looks like it
24:02has a little bit
24:03of an edge there.
24:04It's quite heavy.
24:05You want to feel it?
24:07There you go.
24:08Oh, yeah.
24:09It's going to need
24:09a good clean.
24:10It looks like the
24:11edge of something
24:12is quite hefty.
24:13Do you know what it
24:13almost, because of
24:14the way it curves,
24:15it's almost like
24:15it's the handle of
24:16something?
24:17Or is it a bracelet?
24:20Oh, my gosh.
24:22What do you think,
24:23sweetie?
24:26It's hard to say,
24:26isn't it?
24:27It's really hard to say.
24:28The best thing to do
24:29is to have somebody
24:30in the lab take care
24:32of this and x-ray
24:33and have a look
24:34at what's inside.
24:35I feel like I'm
24:36going to have a heart
24:37attack.
24:39Oh, my God,
24:40Sandy, not on site.
24:42That is so much
24:43paperwork.
24:46Keep the heart
24:47attack of me,
24:48lady.
24:51Oh, okay,
24:52just for the paperwork.
24:53Oh, and I didn't
24:55have a heart attack,
24:56but, oh, my word,
24:57it was exciting.
24:58What a wonderful
24:58day you've had.
25:00That's all!
25:02See?
25:03And you were poo-pooing
25:04me.
25:06What, poo-pooing
25:07that I was in the
25:07drains, right?
25:08Yeah, exactly.
25:11Pints are on me
25:12tonight.
25:12Yoo-hoo!
25:13Oh, it's just
25:14fantastic.
25:21It's hard to explain
25:22how it feels to
25:23unearth something
25:24that was last
25:25touched by Roman
25:26hands.
25:32Ah!
25:34Sometimes, actions
25:36speak louder than
25:37words.
25:38Ah!
25:46Now, where are
25:47those beers?
25:48Here you go, love.
25:50There we go.
25:50Can you just hold
25:51both of these?
25:52Okay, got this.
25:52I am going to
25:53assume the position.
25:54Is this proper
25:55archaeology now?
25:56Well, this is my
25:57favourite thing to do.
25:59There's been many,
26:01many a sight.
26:02Which one do you want,
26:02darling?
26:03It doesn't really matter,
26:04does it?
26:04We can have half and
26:05half.
26:06Okay.
26:06Right.
26:07No, no, no, no, no.
26:08What?
26:08Oh, okay.
26:10Are you ready?
26:11Yeah.
26:12And then you just need
26:13to lever it up.
26:16There you go.
26:18Come on.
26:22I ended.
26:23Oh!
26:23Hey!
26:27Cheers.
26:27Cheers.
26:28Do you want a glass?
26:28I've got a nice pair of glasses.
26:30You can see why some Roman
26:31would go, I want my house
26:32built here.
26:33I want this view.
26:35I mean, it's beautiful,
26:36isn't it?
26:36It's absolutely stunning.
26:38Just the perfect end
26:39of the day.
26:40So, we should toast
26:41properly.
26:42Nunc est vivendum.
26:44It means, let's drink.
26:46Do you know what the Roman,
26:47the Latin for hangover
26:49is?
26:49What?
26:50Crapula.
26:54Which, considering
26:55I've been in a ditch,
26:56seems entirely perfect.
27:02Crapula.
27:04Best pub in the country.
27:13At Magna Fort
27:14in Northumberland,
27:15we're part of
27:16the pioneering excavation
27:17hoping to reveal
27:18the secrets of Roman life
27:20that have lain hidden
27:21for thousands of years.
27:24But as I'm bursting
27:25to understand
27:26the layout of the drains
27:27I've been digging,
27:29Raksha has brought me
27:2916 miles away
27:31to show me
27:31the impressive lose
27:32at Chester's Roman Fort.
27:34Right, so you know
27:35that I'm digging
27:36in the commander's house,
27:37right?
27:38Yeah, I haven't forgotten
27:39the whole status thing.
27:42Well.
27:43Can I just say,
27:43it is quite right
27:44that you have high status.
27:46I'm just going to put it out there.
27:49Just a pleb.
27:50So.
27:51Right, I'm listening.
27:52These are the public baths,
27:55right?
27:56This is the changing rooms.
27:57Yes.
27:58Come and take a seat
27:59down here.
28:00Oh.
28:00That's the original
28:01floor level,
28:02just there.
28:02Oh, OK.
28:03You're going to strip off
28:04and then
28:05they start doing
28:06their gym exercises here.
28:07In this room?
28:08Yeah, a bit of stretching.
28:09Come on.
28:10But I'm sitting on my bench
28:11taking my clothes off.
28:13Touching your toes.
28:14Don't go mad.
28:14I've not touched those
28:15for years.
28:17Hang on.
28:18There we go.
28:19There you go.
28:20I've limbered up now.
28:21Lovely.
28:22But, oh, hang on.
28:25I'm feeling some
28:25bowel movements.
28:27Oh, did you have
28:28a door mouse
28:28that was not entirely
28:30entirely good?
28:32It's,
28:33my tummy's gone all funny.
28:36This.
28:37Oh, this is your
28:39let's all have a poo together.
28:40That's right.
28:41Communal.
28:42Here are the
28:43latrines.
28:44OK, can I just say,
28:46I know you're going to
28:46tell me interesting
28:47things about latrines
28:47and I actually like
28:49toilet talk.
28:49I do enjoy.
28:51I've just had a sort
28:52of mind-blowing moment,
28:53right, and tell me
28:54if I'm right,
28:55but that's Hadrian's
28:56Wall right there.
28:56Yeah, it is.
29:00That's Hadrian's Wall.
29:01This is the North Tyne
29:03and this is
29:04the best toilet view
29:05in the world.
29:06It's blowing my mind.
29:07I could sit on the loo
29:08and look at Hadrian's Wall.
29:12So, I can't
29:13poo from here.
29:14Right, no.
29:14So, this is actually
29:16the inside of the latrine.
29:18Oh, so this is a wall here.
29:20This is the wall.
29:20Yep.
29:21I know, I'd much rather
29:23be looking at the other wall too,
29:24but this is what the lav
29:26would have looked like.
29:28A bench
29:29where lots of burly Romans
29:30would have sat and
29:31shared the experience together.
29:34Just don't make eye contact,
29:35I imagine.
29:36It'll be fine.
29:37Sat here,
29:38doing my business,
29:39and there's these
29:40lovely little kind of
29:41keyhole-shaped holes
29:43on the top
29:43so you know
29:43where to put your bottom.
29:45Just going to say,
29:46you're not looking
29:46very high status
29:47at this moment.
29:50Does anybody look
29:51high status
29:51when they're doing
29:52their business?
29:53No.
29:54No, and it would have
29:55stunk to high heaven.
29:56It would have been
29:57so messy and disgusting.
29:58You've just got to imagine it,
29:59oh, you know,
30:01accommodating for,
30:02what,
30:03500 sweaty blokes?
30:04OK, and no loo roll.
30:06No loo roll,
30:07but nature's loo roll.
30:10Next to you.
30:11What, bit of moss?
30:12Yep.
30:13Passes a bit.
30:15That, my friend,
30:17is some absorbent
30:19toilet paper.
30:20But I love that
30:21biodegradable,
30:21stick it back in
30:22with all the stuff
30:23and off it's gone.
30:23Exactly.
30:24You'd have gone down here
30:26and then flowed out
30:29to the river.
30:30As I say,
30:30you do not want to be
30:31the person sitting
30:31that end, really.
30:33With you, right?
30:33Loads more coming your way
30:35than if you were this end.
30:36Disgusting.
30:37Yeah.
30:37I feel we've lowered the tone.
30:39It's Hadrian's Wall!
30:41Why are we talking
30:42about toilets?
30:42Look at that thing!
30:44After a Roman comfort break
30:46and an unexpected glimpse
30:48of Hadrian's Wall,
30:50it's straight back
30:51to the drains
30:51at Magna for me.
30:56Raksha, meanwhile,
30:57is on a more elite mission
30:58to find evidence
30:59of the commander's
31:00private bathhouse.
31:02Well,
31:03I think this trench
31:06has changed considerably,
31:08hasn't it?
31:08What I do know
31:10is that
31:11there seems to be
31:12a lot of burning
31:12in here.
31:13As you go towards
31:15this end,
31:16it is super,
31:18super bright,
31:19isn't it?
31:20So it's been scorched.
31:21Something's been fired
31:22on top of it.
31:23You got any suggestions, Andy?
31:25Yeah, well,
31:26looking at it,
31:26I mean, first of all,
31:27it's been excavated beautifully,
31:28so well done,
31:28but this is a prifernium.
31:31Raksha has hit the jackpot.
31:34The prifernium
31:35is the main fire pit
31:36that would have been
31:37fuelled and stoked
31:38to create the hot air
31:39within the underfloor
31:40heating system
31:41and also boil
31:42the commander's
31:43bathing water.
31:43This sort of bank of clay,
31:46multi-layered
31:47and sort of deposited
31:48on top of each other,
31:50is the various different
31:51resurfacing of that,
31:52remaking of that oven
31:53through probably
31:55two or three centuries
31:56of use,
31:56so this is brilliant.
31:57Congratulations.
31:58You've found a positive
31:59bit of the bathhouse.
32:00You've found where
32:01the fuel goes in
32:02and the heat comes out.
32:03And above Rachel there,
32:05that's where you'd put
32:06the great big metal canister
32:07full of water to boil
32:08and then you'd pipe that
32:10into the bathhouse
32:10to get all the hot water
32:12you need, so yeah,
32:13you're in the heart
32:14of the bath suite.
32:15And then further down,
32:17all of the waste water
32:18is being flushed out,
32:20subsidiary drain,
32:21and running into
32:22that main one
32:22that runs down sites.
32:24And it's quite good fun
32:25to think about
32:26because when they pull
32:27the plug,
32:28it will be hot water.
32:29If you're sitting
32:30on the toilet down there,
32:31you're going to get
32:31a steam bottom,
32:32so you have to time
32:35it just right
32:36depending on where
32:37you go to the loo
32:38and what sort of experience
32:40you want to have.
32:41Well, it's,
32:41it's a great little
32:42insight, isn't it?
32:44Yeah.
32:44Into life on the fort.
32:46It's starting to come
32:46together.
32:47Yeah.
32:47Which is really good.
32:49All of these discoveries
32:50are helping me to understand
32:52what life was like
32:52at the edge
32:53of the Roman Empire.
32:55But what I really
32:56want to find out
32:57is who were the people
32:58that called this place
32:59home?
33:01OK, Andrew,
33:01what kind of life
33:02is here for me?
33:04Well, you've turned up
33:05to a big Roman fort
33:06on top of a hill
33:07where we're sitting
33:07here today,
33:08dominating the landscape
33:09all around us.
33:10So exciting.
33:11And who's here?
33:12Who's turned up?
33:13Well, before Hadrian's Wall
33:14is even built,
33:15when the Romans
33:16first roll in,
33:17we've got Tungrans
33:17and Batavians
33:18from the modern-day
33:19Netherlands
33:20and Belgian border,
33:21so our near-continental
33:22colleagues.
33:23Then they're swapped
33:24out by Syrian archers,
33:26Hamian soldiers
33:27from far,
33:28far eastern part
33:29of the Empire.
33:29It's got to be nippy
33:30for them.
33:30I know.
33:31Yeah, and they've
33:31taken quite a journey
33:32to get here.
33:33And then they're
33:33swapped out
33:34by Dalmatians.
33:36They see us out
33:37to the very end
33:38of Roman Britain.
33:39Those are the people
33:39who are garnering
33:40the wall.
33:40You've got a lot
33:41of people
33:41who are armed
33:42and dangerous,
33:42so they're guarding
33:43the frontier of Rome,
33:45which is only
33:45a few hundred metres
33:46to the north of us
33:47where we're sitting
33:47here today.
33:48That's the edge
33:49of the Empire.
33:50On the other side
33:50of that wall,
33:52very different universe.
33:53You hear that, sheep?
33:54You be careful out there.
33:56Barbarians.
33:56If the sheep
34:02aren't frightened,
34:03neither am I.
34:04I need to experience
34:05Hadrian's Wall
34:06up close and personal
34:08for the first time
34:09in my life.
34:12I'm honestly
34:12slightly overwhelmed
34:14by it.
34:19Oh, look at this.
34:22I just love
34:23the setting it's in
34:25as well,
34:25like all the nature
34:26around it.
34:28That's the thing
34:29you wish you could
34:29capture,
34:30the freshness
34:31of the air
34:32and the beautiful flowers.
34:34See that?
34:35Nature determined
34:36to come back.
34:38Oh, look.
34:40Look.
34:43I'm king of the world.
34:49That is quite a climb.
34:51It is.
34:52I might have to
34:53pause for a moment.
34:55Take a patch here.
34:56and take it all in
34:58because, look,
34:59when you get to the top.
35:01Oh, my goodness.
35:04That is
35:04breathtaking.
35:05I think I might join you,
35:05actually.
35:06Breathtaking.
35:06You mind my flowers there, this.
35:10Oh, look at those, nice hair bells.
35:17That is unbelievable.
35:24I'm very glad to sit down.
35:26It's still, I was going to say solid as a rock,
35:28but I mean, they knew what they were doing.
35:30Absolutely.
35:31So, if you actually look at the construction of the wall,
35:34it's really interesting.
35:35Can you see there's that middle layer?
35:37All those rocks,
35:39they're like core,
35:41which means that they're all roughly hewn.
35:44There's no, you know,
35:45lovely, nice faces to them.
35:46That's like the solid, chunky bit.
35:48So, do you think you build two walls like that
35:50and then fill it up in the middle?
35:51Yes.
35:51And you only do the fancy, posh stone
35:53with the lovely faces
35:55on the outside.
35:57And it's less work.
35:58I just,
35:59it's the organisation of it, right?
36:00So, Hadrian turns up,
36:01he goes,
36:01I want a wall.
36:03And then he goes home again, right?
36:04Yeah.
36:04And they're left here.
36:05So, what, 15,000 or so people building
36:08over six years to make this happen?
36:10That's right.
36:11But I just think about the sweat and the labour.
36:13So, you've got the quarry,
36:14which is almost three miles away.
36:16They've got to bring the stones here.
36:18They must have been so strong.
36:19I have just climbed up that hill
36:20and I'm only carrying myself.
36:22You carry one of those rocks from the,
36:24even if the quarry's quite close,
36:26it's still a thing, isn't it?
36:27It is.
36:30Contrary to what you might think,
36:31it wasn't slaves that built the wall,
36:33but teams of skilled legionary masons
36:36with labour provided by thousands of soldiers.
36:4073 miles long at points 5 metres high
36:43and 3 metres wide,
36:45parts of the wall were diminished
36:46in early modern times
36:47when stone was pilfered
36:49for building roads and farmhouses.
36:51Now a British cultural icon,
36:54Hadrian's Wall was designated
36:55a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
37:00But whatever your feelings about how
37:02and why it's here,
37:03you can't help but admire
37:04this astonishing feat of Roman engineering.
37:11There's no doubt
37:12this is one of the most awe-inspiring places
37:14I've ever been.
37:14It is magnificent.
37:16But there's also something
37:17that gives me a slight inner shudder
37:19and that is because
37:20it is such a statement of aggression
37:22and that is so not my thing.
37:25But what's wonderful
37:26is when you come to it now,
37:27all that warring here is over
37:30and nature has triumphed.
37:32You just have to look down amongst the stones
37:35and there's a tiny little harebell,
37:37a kind of bluebell,
37:38growing amongst the rocks.
37:40And it really tells you everything
37:42you need to know about,
37:43I don't know,
37:44the transience of human endeavour.
37:46We're in Northumberland,
37:57up to our elbows in filth
37:59and coming to the end of our adventure
38:01at Magna Fort.
38:03But not before a few final finds
38:05in the Roman drain.
38:07Raksha?
38:09Yes?
38:10Found some wood, something.
38:11Oh, what?
38:18It's bone.
38:20It's bone?
38:21Yeah.
38:22That's animal bone.
38:24I think...
38:26Cattle ribs?
38:29I was right, though, to stop, yeah?
38:30Yeah.
38:32That's a find.
38:35It's very fragile, actually.
38:37Yes.
38:39Failed fragile bones.
38:40Yes.
38:41Just keep digging.
38:44Cue digging.
38:44I'm so excited.
38:46It's ridiculous.
38:47A bit of old bone.
38:48Somebody's had a rib and gone...
38:49OK, so in the bone excitement,
38:52I forgot to tell you about the drain.
38:53Where I'm standing, right,
38:55drain coming down the hill
38:57from behind me,
38:58going that way,
38:59but then there's a spur
39:01going this way,
39:03which is directly to you.
39:05I do like that.
39:06You do like that.
39:07I do.
39:07Do you think that's right?
39:08Yes, because I'm digging
39:11where the bathhouse should be.
39:14I think we've got it.
39:16That's running from the commander's private bathhouse,
39:20flushing through
39:22into what you are standing in.
39:25Which is more of a communal drain.
39:26Well, this is the main drain.
39:28And then washing down here
39:30and running off down the hill.
39:33And you remember
39:33when we went to Chester's
39:35and they were using
39:37exactly the same principle?
39:38Well, that's what you have discovered.
39:42Well, I haven't discovered it,
39:44but it is here.
39:46Well, you're digging there, aren't you?
39:47I am digging here.
39:48It's so exciting.
39:50Well, I'm really pleased.
39:51Who knew I'd be this excited by poo?
39:56I'm not sure who I am anymore.
39:59And maybe that's what archaeology
40:00and immersing yourself in the past,
40:02if not Roman poo,
40:03does to you.
40:04It changes your understanding of history.
40:08It's been an incredible start
40:10to this excavation
40:11and Andrew is keen to show me
40:13even more astonishing artefacts
40:15that have been uncovered.
40:17Already there's stuff coming out
40:20and we're learning something,
40:21I mean, seems to me, like hourly.
40:23Yeah, there's stuff coming out all the time,
40:24which is great.
40:25And I've got a little selection of things
40:27that have just come out
40:27the last couple of days.
40:28OK, let's have a look.
40:29Everything from the extraordinary
40:30to the wonderful.
40:31So this little thing here
40:32is a lady's fingering.
40:34OK, and we can touch them
40:35because they haven't been processed.
40:36They haven't been processed by the lab yet,
40:38so effectively,
40:39we're still archaeologists.
40:40Right, because I've certainly
40:41got the fingernails for you.
40:42Exactly, with our naked hands,
40:43we're going to pop this out.
40:44So I'll put this on my little hand here
40:45and I'll pass it to you.
40:47This is a silver fingering
40:48with a gemstone.
40:51And if you look that carefully,
40:52you might see a little hair.
40:55Oh, you really can see that.
40:57Yeah.
40:58Wow, that's sort of been scratched
40:59into the stone there.
41:00Carved into the little gemstone.
41:02That's right.
41:02And what is the stone?
41:03A little bit of an amber stone.
41:05So at that time,
41:07a hare, that's Diana, is it?
41:10That's right.
41:11So anything to do with sort of hunting,
41:12so the hare, the hound,
41:14typical sort of figures
41:15which would be associated
41:16with the goddess Diana.
41:17And that's wonderful
41:18because that's what commanding officers
41:20and their families do.
41:21They spend a lot of time
41:22hunting, fishing,
41:23basically doing everything
41:25but the job they're being paid for
41:27in that regard.
41:28Not necessarily just the men.
41:29The women had to occupy themselves as well.
41:31Absolutely.
41:31It's a whole family endeavor.
41:33I mean, that's a very valuable piece.
41:35So something like that
41:36is quite special
41:37for the person who had it
41:39which makes it special
41:41for us to find it.
41:41And actually, you know,
41:42that's one of the finest rings
41:43I've seen from any of the sites
41:46we've worked on
41:46on Adrian's Wall.
41:47It's really lovely.
41:48Well, it's not only exquisite,
41:50it's complete.
41:51It's in perfect condition
41:52and when that's been through the lab,
41:54the silver will come back out
41:56and it'll look absolutely amazing.
41:57That will go on display
41:58in the museum.
41:59Is this one of the knockout stuff?
42:01This is another knockout thing, yes.
42:03So open up your hand again
42:04I'll pass you
42:05the body of a goddess.
42:07The statue of the goddess Venus.
42:09Oh my word.
42:12Isn't that fabulous?
42:13Wow.
42:14I mean, what's extraordinary
42:15at first impression
42:16is that it looks
42:17both ancient and modern
42:19because the female form
42:21hasn't really changed.
42:22No.
42:23But you can see her fingers,
42:24you can see
42:25the shape of her hip
42:26and she's...
42:28Oh yes, I mean...
42:29Oh yes, from behind.
42:30Definitely she's naked there.
42:32She certainly is.
42:33And of course this deity
42:34is normally associated
42:35with fertility
42:36and of course, you know,
42:37family values
42:38in the Roman Empire
42:38and so this is exactly
42:40the sort of thing
42:40one might expect to see
42:42in a family home.
42:43But also the size
42:44and the shape of it,
42:45you want to hold it
42:46in your hand.
42:46You do.
42:47It's as if somebody
42:47would clutch it to them
42:49and make a wish to Venus.
42:51It doesn't feel distant.
42:52No, it's supposed to be held.
42:55The curves,
42:55the way it's shaped,
42:56it fits in your hand beautifully
42:58and it's supposed to be held.
43:00It's supposed to feel warm.
43:01Roman religion has that connection
43:03to your god or your goddess
43:04and you've got it there.
43:05I love it.
43:07I mean, I don't know
43:07why it's moving
43:08but it is, isn't it?
43:09It is.
43:09It's lovely.
43:10It's a lovely thing.
43:10Beautiful.
43:11So those are the sort of things
43:12that are coming out
43:13and of course,
43:14you had your own discovery.
43:15It was very exciting
43:16but maybe it's like,
43:17I don't know,
43:17a bit of old pipe or something.
43:19Let's have a little look.
43:20It's very green
43:21because it's copper alloy
43:22but a lot of oxygen
43:23has hit it unfortunately
43:24because it's fairly high
43:25up in the drain.
43:26What you've actually got there
43:27is the rim
43:28of a little copper alloy cup
43:31or a beaker.
43:32Oh, wow.
43:33It's a beautiful little thing.
43:34Well, it's exquisitely made,
43:35isn't it?
43:35There's a lot of effort
43:36gone into that bridge.
43:37Yeah, and again,
43:38it's quite a high
43:39valuable status thing
43:40to have that
43:40and we can learn a lot
43:42from this
43:43by having the metal analysed
43:44to see where it was made,
43:46perhaps,
43:46what component parts
43:47were in there,
43:48has it been repaired
43:49through its life.
43:50Little things like this,
43:51they sometimes
43:51don't look like much
43:52but they can give us a lot.
43:54And are you feeling celebratory
43:55about where you are with Magna?
43:57I mean, you have only just started.
43:59We have just started.
44:00We've got a long road ahead
44:01in the next couple of years
44:02but already it's producing
44:04a lot of information.
44:05We're getting a lot of data
44:06and we're getting a sense
44:07of feel for this place.
44:09It's very exciting.
44:10These are magnificent finds
44:13and yes, I'm thrilled
44:15to have played a tiny part
44:16in a very big story.
44:20It's incredible to think
44:21that nearly 2,000 years ago
44:23this landscape
44:24would have been alive
44:25with the sights,
44:26sounds and smells
44:27of the Roman occupation.
44:29A defensive army,
44:30their families,
44:31traders and slaves
44:32making the best lives
44:33they could
44:34beside this epic monument.
44:36Do you think the builders
44:39came along and went,
44:41so who's put this wall
44:42in here then?
44:43Dear idea.
44:46Brilliant.
44:47So you spent quite some time
44:50by Hadrian's Wall.
44:51What do you think?
44:52I just love it.
44:54What's incredible,
44:54I've never been here before
44:56even though I've lived
44:57in Britain forever and ever.
44:58I'm thrilled.
45:00It will stay with me always.
45:01It's a magnificent thing.
45:03And life on Magnafort,
45:04how's that?
45:05I have learnt such a lot.
45:07I honestly had this image
45:08of the soldier
45:09with his breastplate
45:10and standing there,
45:11you know, come from Rome.
45:12Now I know
45:12he didn't just come from Rome.
45:13It wasn't just him.
45:14There was all the women
45:15and the children.
45:16It was a whole community.
45:18It really was.
45:18And I think the brilliant
45:19thing about it
45:20is we're just in that top phase,
45:23the last phase
45:25before it was abandoned.
45:26Oh, there's so much
45:27still to find.
45:28There are metres and metres
45:29of different phases
45:31of that fort underneath.
45:32OK, if you can't find me
45:33in the future,
45:34I will be digging.
45:35I will be digging at Magna.
45:37What I also love about it
45:39is it's humanised it for me.
45:40I can see they were drinking beer.
45:42They were human beings
45:43making food,
45:45having relationships.
45:46And I would be one of those people
45:47who's living here
45:48sending a postcard home.
45:49Right.
45:50So, if you were stationed here,
45:52what would you write home for?
45:54I mean, washing machine.
45:55Have you seen how dirty I am?
45:58Filthy.
45:58I have one more question.
46:00How are we going to get down?
46:02I have one more question.
46:02How are we going to get down?
46:03Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
46:05I love you.
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