I’m always fascinated by the way experts can look at open countryside, work out the likely site of a longlost settlement, or whatever, and interpret the archaeology by digging trenches.It’s amazing how, with the passage of time, all but the mightiest of structures disappear from sight. As long-forgotten homes, villages and forts fell into disrepair, the stones were removed to build new structures and the foundations became covered over with an ever-increasing layer of soil.

read more: Intriguing tale of the gold collar found while ploughing | Herald Scotland.