Day 5 : Unidentified flying object, identified

Today's first wave of visitors to the monument were surprised to see a strange craft hovering over the ancient stones. Fortunately, it came in peace. The ingenious device was a remote-controlled 'rotor-cam', providing a bird's-eye view of the dig site.

Watch the video (above) to see exactly where inside the stone circle the excavation is taking place, described by Professor Geoff Wainwright as "the summit of my professional career". Geoff is wearing the black hat, while Professor Tim Darvill sports his favoured blue overalls.

The deeper part of the trench is a partial re-excavation of Richard Atkinson's dig in 1964, the last at Stonehenge. Principal excavator Dr Miles Russell is working in one of the bluestone foundation sockets that has been uncovered, carved out of the chalk bedrock.

The left-hand side of the trench has never been excavated before - you can see the square divisions mentioned in yesterday's update. Notice too, the sieving area further left, and in the middle of shot, a bluestone is safely wrapped in protective padding.

In the second video, well-known archaeologist Phil Harding explains, in characteristic style, his passion for flint. "It gets into the very soul of you", he says. You'd need a heart of stone to disagree.

Published: April 2008