Day 3 : Student discovers Beaker pottery

It was a dream start for the team at 9.30am, when archaeology student Chris Watkins spotted a finely patterned piece of Beaker pottery. It's the same age as the monument - the "bees knees of finds", said Yvette Staelens, Finds Coordinator.

Chris had clearly been paying attention - having seen something similar in a lecture by Dr Eileen Wilkes of Bournemouth University.

Another welcome find was TV's favourite archaeologist, Phil Harding - onsite to examine all the flint. His presence brought luck, as a fine flint hammer stone was discovered towards the end of the day.

By this time, removal of the backfill from the older digs revealed large holes in the chalk bedrock - foundation slots for bluestones. Our Neolithic ancestors made these using antler picks, then levered in the bluestones and packed the gaps with stones.

As the sun hung low in the west, Professor Wainwright noticed "perfect lighting conditions" to see the carved graffiti on some of the sarsens. He knows these stones like old friends, yet even now can appreciate them in a new light.

Watch the video update as Professors Darvill and Wainwright report from the trench itself, and find out why the Beaker fragment is so important.

Published: April 2008