An opportunity to help discover what lies in an ancient Devon burial chamber is being offered by Oxford Archaeology
Oxford Archaeology is undertaking the excavation of a Bronze Age barrow known as Emmets Post during September in a project funded by English Heritage and Sibelco UK.
The barrow is located on moorland overlooking the Upper Plym Valley in Shaugh Prior parish, about 13 miles north of Plymouth.
Emmet’s Post is actually the name of one of a series of pillars erected in 1835 to define the boundary between Lee and Shaugh Moors. The mound on which the post stands has long been suspected as being a Bronze Age bowl barrow and this was confirmed by archaeological evaluation in 2011.
The barrow now lies at the very edge of a china clay pit and English Heritage has granted Scheduled Monument Consent for its excavation, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to investigate how the barrow was constructed, used and reused.
The excavation at Emmets Post will be carried out from 1 September and is scheduled to last for four weeks until 26 September. During this period, there is the opportunity for members of the public to participate in the excavation.
Only a limited numbers of volunteer placements are available so, if you are interested and are able to make your own way to the site, please apply by email to emmets-post@oxfordarchaeology.com. Alternatively, you can contact Gaelle Akkouche on 01865 263800.
There will also be an open day when people will be able view the barrow under excavation and archaeologists will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the site. The open day will be held on Sunday 21 September.
