See what we're up to!
Projects on the cutting edge of experimental archaeology, made possible by your support.
We couldn’t do this without you!
Our next roundhouse build
B E I N G F I L M E D
We’re building another Iron Age roundhouse for our village, this time based on archaeology from Danebury Hillfort (CS20). This house’s archaeology is really unusual, with the posts in the walls much closer together than normal. It’s proving a challenge to build, and a fascinating experiment to run!
For this project, we’ve teamed up again with the veterans from Operation Nightingale, the folks who helped build our award-winning Bronze Age roundhouse. It’s great to have them back on site!
Hypocaust experiment!
B E I N G F I L M E D
We’re experimenting with the hypocaust in our Roman villa! warm does it get? Does it retain the heat? Is it affected by the new mosaic we just laid?
To find out, we’re running the hypocaust for a week straight, testing temperatures every two hours — including during the night! What will this intensive experiment teach us?
Roundhouse repairs!
B E I N G F I L M E D
We’re running repairs on our ancient buildings all across the site, but the structure most in need is our biggest roundhouse. This building, ironically named the Little Woodbury, has suffered a little over the winter, with its chalk floor going to pieces and a section of wall completely collapsing.
Luckily it’s all cosmetic, so we’re getting stuck in fixing up this loyal old building to give it a new lease of life. Plus in the process we’re learning things about how roundhouses age!
Around the farm...
< Hot technology building
We’re making a new workshop, and we’re going to fill it with fire! Finally a dedicated space for our smelting, metal casting, pottery firing, bead making, swordsmithing, and more!
< Goat kids
We’re trying for goat kids this year! Our English goats are three of only 100 left in the UK, so it’s important we help conserve the breed.
Wall paintings >
We’re experimenting with clay-based paints and natural ochre pigments to see how well they survive on the exposed outer wall of the Stone Age house!
^ Ancient crops
We’re preparing to sow our crop field with ancient grains like einkorn — one of the oldest types of wheat in existence! We’re working to help conserve these prehistoric crops as part of our history.
Previous projects...
We rebuilt one of our Iron Age roundhouses that came down, and
did it differently this time! We’re experimenting with new materials
and wood types to see the effect it has on the roundhouse’s lifespan.
We partnered with King’s College London to lay a second mosaic in our Roman villa! It’s be based on a design from the original archaeology in Sparsholt (but with a slight Butser twist), and laid using authentic Roman techniques.
We raised a standing stone! To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we moved and raised a 3.5 ton piece of Purbeck limestone using theorised prehistoric techniques, and it’s now standing tall and proud in our Stone Age farm.
Your support makes our work possible!
Thank you 💚
Follow updates on these projects through our Butser Plus exclusive video series and blog posts.
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