Time Team Season 8 Episode 10 Holy Island, Northumberland

In Time Team season 8 episode 10, titled "Holy Island, Northumberland," the team heads to the island of Lindisfarne, located off the coast of Northumberland in northeast England. Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, has a rich history dating back to the 6th century when an Irish monk named Aidan established a monastery on the island.

The Time Team's goal is to uncover more about this early Christian settlement and to understand how it developed over time. They meet with local experts, including a historian and a geophysicist, to help guide their excavation.

The team chooses to excavate a site known as "Beadnell's Chapel," which is located on the northwestern part of the island. This site is believed to have been a monastic settlement that served as a place of refuge for monks until it was abandoned in the 9th century.

The team begins by conducting a geophysical survey of the site using ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry. The survey reveals several anomalies that could be evidence of buried structures, including an L-shaped feature that could be part of a building.

Next, the team starts to excavate the site. They uncover a large stone foundation that is believed to have been part of a church. The team also uncovers evidence of other structures, including walls and hearths.

As they continue to excavate, the team finds a range of artifacts, including pottery, glass, and metal objects. These artifacts give the team clues about the people who lived on the island and how they lived.

One of the most exciting finds of the excavation is a stone head that is believed to have been part of a crucifix. The team believes that this crucifix would have been a prominent feature in the church and would have held great significance to the early Christian community on the island.

As the team continues to dig, they face several challenges, including heavy rainfall that floods the site and threatens to damage the delicate archaeology. However, they persevere and are able to uncover important new information about the early Christian settlement on Lindisfarne.

Throughout the episode, the team is able to piece together a more complete picture of the site's development over time. They discover that the monastic settlement underwent several phases of construction and that the people who lived there faced many challenges, including Viking attacks and changing political and religious landscapes.

Overall, this episode of Time Team offers a fascinating glimpse into the early history of Lindisfarne and sheds new light on the lives of the early Christian settlers who lived and worked on the island.