Butser Ancient Farm, Hampshire, is one of Britain’s foremost experimental archaeology sites, reconstructing Iron Age domestic and agricultural life through living investigations. Its hands-on approach to the ancient past makes it an ideal environment for foundational archaeological training, grounding technique in direct engagement with the material record.

In 2004, I completed a Basic Archaeological Excavation and Recording Techniques certification at the site under Steven Dyer and Joyce Herve. Training encompassed the full range of core field skills: artefact identification and dating, stratigraphic excavation of layers and topographies, test trenching, site surveying, section and plan sketching, photographic documentation, finds processing, and context identification.