THE BIG DIG-ITAL - your guide and artefact pack - May 2020

IN MAY 2020…
BIG IDEAS
BY THE SEA
presents The Big Dig-ital

BIG IDEAS BY THE SEA
THE BIG DIGITAL
- Introduction
- Getting involved
- What exactly happens on
Saturday May 16th?
- Your Big Dig-ital artefact
recording pack
- A date for your diaries: Big
Ideas By The Sea 2021

THE BIG DIG-ITAL
Coming to Scarborough and around the
Yorkshire Coast on May 16th 2020:
We want everyone to explore and enjoy the
magic of archeology in their own home…
Dig up treasures from your loft, look in longforgotten
kitchen drawers or even explore your
own garden in a completely different way
#TheBigDigital @bigideassea

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
A day-long online archeological adventure: a livestreamed,
collaborative and community-focused mass
archeological dig on the Yorkshire Coast.
We want families to work together. We want to tackle
isolation. And we want to open the door to a lifelong
love of archeology.
The Big Dig-ital is produced by Big Ideas By The Sea,
Heritage Adventures and the Scarborough
Archeological and Historical Society.
It is a small ‘scratch’ experimental event. Taking place on
the Big Ideas By The Sea weekend, which is a new
festival of discussion and debate - now coming to
Scarborough in May 2021.

GETTING INVOLVED
The Big Dig-ital is for everyone and anyone. For those
interested in archeology and those new to it. And for people
who live on the Yorkshire Coast now or who have lived in
the Scarborough area in the past.
All you need to do is find a historical object and email it in.
Not all archeology has to be hundreds or thousands of
years old!
You will need access to a camera, one on your phone is
fine. And this pack includes simple artefact recording sheets.

THE BIG DIG-ITAL:
UNLOCKING STORIES

WHAT TO DO?
The Big Dig-ital will take place between Friday May 8 th and Saturday 16 th May.
On Day One Friday 8 th May:
We want people living in the Scarborough area to go into their gardens or explore
their homes in search of unknown objects – for instance pieces of pottery, bone, shell,
brick or tile - that they can see lying on the surface of the ground. It is vital that you
observe all government advice on social distancing.
You may also have objects that you have already collected from your back garden or
in parks or on beaches and other public spaces in Scarborough. These are important
too! And, of course, there are lots of people who no longer live in Scarborough. You
may also have objects that were found here, if so send them in!
Once you have collected or found your objects you will need to carefully wash them
(don’t wash anything metallic) and let them dry. This can be done using a soft
toothbrush and some cold water – a video on our social media pages will show you
how to go about this:
www.facebook.com/ScarboroughArchaeologicalAndHistoricalSociety
www.facebook.com/HeritageAdventuresLtd
Now, please photograph these objects using your camera phone or digital camera.
Try and place the objects on a neutral background (e.g. a light coloured towel, sheet
or plain paper) with either coin (a 50p piece works well) or a ruler next to the object
to provide a scale. Photograph both sides of the object. If there are details visible
on the object (letters/words, an inscription, break or cut marks, rims, spouts etc),
photograph these too. Again, there will be aids on our social media pages outlining
these steps.
Most Important of all, please email the photographs with details of where they were
found (an address and a simple description will do) to bigdig@sahs.org.uk no later
than 6pm Wednesday 13th May

WHAT TO DO?
On Thursday 14th May and Friday 15th May
All object photographs will be researched, identified, sorted and recorded by Big
Dig-ital volunteers who will be located in their own homes. We will email these
identifications to all who have made submissions.
On Saturday 16th May 2pm to 3pm
The Big Dig-ital volunteers will join an online meeting where they will view ten objects
that have been selected from the items submitted and debate either agreeing or
disagreeing on an identification for each of the objects.
The meeting will be recorded and subsequently made available as a video on
Facebook and Youtube.
People can register to watch or take part in The Big Dig-ital identification session on
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gEkHC2SjRQ6TSMTPyxIpFw
What will be the legacy?
We hope to gain a picture of the range and quality of archaeological objects that
have been found across Scarborough. This material will form a random sample. We
can use this information along with existing data from excavations and museum
collections to formulate new research questions about Scarborough and its
importance in the past and its role in the future.

THE BIG DIG-ITAL:
ARTEFACT RECORDING

THE BIG DIG-ITAL TEAM
Scarborough Archeological
and Historical Society
Heritage Adventures Ltd
Big Ideas By The Sea

STAY TUNED
Big Ideas By The Sea is coming
to Scarborough in May 2021.
www.bigideasbythesea.co.uk

copyright © Big Ideas By The Sea
and Heritage Adventures: 2020-21.