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Bridge on the River Wye, Chepstow (20 June)
Living on the edge, Kame of Isbister (27 June)
Cannibals and cavemen, Culzean Castle (4 July)
Parys underground, Anglesey (11 July)
The Tintagel connection, Cornwall (18 July)
Bay of bones, Pembrokeshire (25 July)
Shetland fortress (1 August)
Death in Slaughter Stream, Forest of Dean (8 August)
A new Channel 4 series takes archaeology to the edge this summer as a team of experts tackles sites across the country that are beyond the reach of normal investigations. In Extreme Archaeology, an eight-part series starting on 20 June, a team of archaeologists with help from top climbers, cavers and divers investigates amazing and unique archaeological sites throughout the UK.
Many archaeological locations are beyond the reach of your average archaeologist. They are found in inaccessible caves, on treacherous cliffs, deep under water, or in locations simply too remote or dangerous for normal investigation. Their remoteness often means that their secrets are unique, but they can also be under threat from erosion or other factors and this adds a rescue element to any investigation.
Using some of the most advanced scientific equipment available, and high-tech miniature cameras and communication systems to record the action, Extreme Archaeology's experts are dropped into extreme and inaccessible environments under time and other pressures that test their personal and professional skills to the limit.
The Extreme Archaeology team members are all experts in their fields and have to show real determination to get into these inhospitable places to assess, survey and extract the evidence. The team consists of:
Katie Hirst in charge of excavation;
Alice Roberts, doctor and bones expert; and
Meg Watters, geophysicist and digital imaging specialist.
The expedition leader is the volcanologist, climber, caver and diver, Mark Davies.
Each programme is a race against time for the team to get to the location, extract crucial evidence, and then get it and themselves out intact. State-of-the-art camera and sound technology allows viewers to share the experience and discoveries.
Made by the producers of Time Team, the series takes armchair archaeologists to places they could never normally experience and helps to solve historical mysteries before remains are lost forever to the elements.
'Some of the most amazing archaeology exists in the most inaccessible and dangerous areas,' comments Tim Taylor, creator of Time Team and devisor of Extreme Archaeology. 'I am really excited about the series because it allows us access to a whole new range of archaeological information.'
A special website to accompany the series will go live to coincide with the first programme.
The great thing for me has been to build on the Time Team experience and use archaeologists and a delivery team who can get into places I wouldn't dare send Mick, Phil and Carenza,' says Time Team series producer Tim Taylor.
'By combining our archaeologists with some of the country's best climbers, cavers and divers, we have had the confidence to get into sites that would not otherwise have been accessible. It's a bonus that these are in some of the most remote and beautiful parts of Britain.
'The team's head cameras and communication systems have meant that we can get information sent straight back to experts on the surface. For example, Professor Charles Thomas at Tintagel, Andy Currant at Slaughter Cave and Val Turner in the Shetlands were able to see evidence in close up and direct the archaeologists into areas they wanted to explore but couldn't get to themselves.
'The result has been the rescue of unique and amazing evidence that in many cases would otherwise have been lost. The important thing for the Extreme Archaeology team was that it was evidence worth taking the risk for. Extreme Archaeology represents a unique resource for British archaeology and we hope all Time Team fans will join us for the new series at 8pm on 20 June.