From Constantinople To Cornwall - Padstow, North Cornwall
Cornwall is probably not the first place that springs to mind when thinking about the Roman and Byzantine Empires but in a field overlooking a cove, just a mile down river from the famous Cornish village of Padstow, locals have picked up a wealth of 1,500-year-old pottery and metalwork from as far away as North Africa and Turkey. Geophysics results suggest an Iron Age village may have once been located on the site, but archaeologists think the cove may have also been a port for Mediterranean traders. The team dig for evidence which will support the theory, and after three days of work and initial difficulties, they believe they know how the site looked in its prime.
More from Season 15
Episode 1
Gold in the Moat - Codnor Castle, Derbyshire
The crumbling ruins of Codnor Castle are a sad remnant of the imposing home of the De Grey family - knights who saw action in almost every important medieval battle including the crusades and Agincourt. Today Codnor Castle lies in ruins and there's almost nothing known of how it looked in its prime. As the remains above ground get an overdue renovation, the Time Team risk the dangers of hidden mine shafts in the Derbyshire coalfields to dig into the heart of a building that once dominated the landscape to trace the castle's history. It lives up to the team's hopes as they strike gold with a 600-year-old gold noble coin as well as uncovering a huge round tower and, for the first time in the history of the programme, a drawbridge.
Episode 2
Street of the Dead - Binchester, County Durham
Tony and the team tackle a huge Roman fort in County Durham. The stronghold was part of the defence of Dere Street, the main Roman road from York to Hadrian's Wall. The fort has fine mosaics and preserved rooms, but the Team have just three days to find out everything they can about the 'vicus', that's the civilian settlement around the fort, vital for the smooth running of the military machine and providing for the pleasures of the men garrisoned there. However, they soon discover something even more exciting during the dig - a series of military mausoleums, the first discovery of its kind for over 150 years. They also discover the remains of food eaten by the descendants of the dead during ritual meals.
Episode 3
Bodies in the Dunes - Barra, Western Isles
The Team travel to the windswept island of Barra, 50 miles off the west coast of Scotland, for a unique rescue dig. This Hebridean outpost is famous for its strip of unusually fertile sand dunes all round the coast, land that has been home to settlers for the last 4,000 years. When a storm ripped apart one of the dunes, it revealed Bronze Age graves and the remains of ancient houses. The team must also work in the face of the fierce Barra winds to preserve a collection of Iron Age ornaments before they become lost forever, including the remains of a cooking pot, and tools crafted from animal bones and whale rib.
Episode 4
The Naughty Nuns of Northampton - Towcester, Northamptonshire
A Northampton family, the Colecloughs live on the site of a 900-year old nunnery with a rather fruity past, which was at various times accused of witchcraft, begging and debauchery. The burial of a much loved family pet provides the curious starting point for an investigation. When eight-year-old Amy Coleclough's cat "Paintpot" died and her father dug a grave, he uncovered a large old wall. So Tony and the team dig up their garden, including a mysterious sarcophagi hidden there.
Episode 5
Mysteries of the Mosaic - Coberley, Gloucestershire
Tony Robinson and his team unearth the secrets of a Cotswolds field. Hundreds of Roman coins and bits of masonry have been found on this land but it's the chance discovery of a piece of mosaic floor that has really got the archaeologists excited. The great and the good of Roman Britain built their posh houses in the Cotswolds, a sort of ancient stockbroker belt.
Episode 6
Blitzkreig on Shooter’s Hill - South London
The Team delve into the very recent past to uncover the hidden archaeology of the biggest British battle that never was: the defence of Britain against a Nazi invasion in 1940. Along the busy main roads and in the quiet back gardens of a London suburb they uncover evidence of anti-tank weapons, secret bunkers and massive flame throwers.
