THE story of an Iron Age settlement that lies beneath an arable field is being pieced together in an archaeological dig.

Land at Great Chilton, between Ferryhill and Chilton, in County Durham, is being excavated in a bid to discover more about the site’s past.

Experts from Durham University are leading the community archaeology project for Durham County Council, which secured funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund and 4Together Partnership towards the work.

They have been joined by volunteers to sift through the earth in search of remains that will help date and identify the site.

The council decided to explore the site after aerial photographs revealed crop marks of several enclosures, which became clearer after geophysical surveys, and metal detecting found flints, Roman coins and medieval pottery.

In the first of two weeks of exploration, the dig has already unearthed some interesting finds including pottery and a quern or millstone which shows grain was once processed on site.

There is evidence of several enclosures, including roundhouses which could have been lived in or housed animals.

County archaeologist, David Mason, believes the site could date back to 500BC and looks like a farmstead occupied by several generations.

He said: “The project has two strands, the academic research to learn more about the site and equally, if not more, important the involvement of local people in the investigation of their past.”

Volunteers include charity admin worker David Wardle, a member of Ferryhill History Society. He said: “It gives you a sense of scale, makes you realise there were people living here thousands of years ago.”

Student Miranda Cook, 17, of Tow Law, joined the dig to gain experience as she plans to study archaeology at university.

She said: “It is really interesting and good to see what comes out and to work alongside and listen to the experts.”

Stephen Taylor, who was made redundant from Remploy in Spennymoor, earlier this year, also joined the team.

He said: “I’ve always liked watching and reading about this sort of thing.

“I’m really enjoying it and though I was a bit nervous the people have been really nice and I’m learning a lot.”

Site supervisor Catrin Jenkins, from archaeological services at Durham University, said: “This is a really good site, it is nice to see such an open and well preserved site and be able to put it into the landscape.

“It definitely makes people more proud of their local area to know how long it has been established.”

The discoveries will be further analysed by specialists and shared with the public through various routes such as talks, magazines and archived at Bowes Museum.

Mr Mason said the council appreciates the cooperation of the landowner and hopes for a second season of exploration.