In years to come the summer of 2010 will be remembered as a vintage year for archaeology with several hundred new sites expected to be discovered across England, according to English Heritage.
Dave MacLeod, English Heritage Senior Investigator, has claimed it has been the best year in living memory for the appearance of cropmarks in the landscape, which are faint outlines of structures and settlements that are thousands of years old.
On one day alone 60 new sites were found and the success can be attributed to a very dry early summer and the volcanic ash cloud, which cleared air space for the piston-powered Cessnas used by aerial archaeologists.
Damian Grady, another English Heritage Senior Investigator, said promising signs began to emerge in late May when the dry conditions revealed cropmarks on well-drained soils, particularly river gravels and chalk in the East and South East of England.
He said: "By June it became clear that the continuing dry conditions would produce good results across most of the country. We then targeted areas that do not always produce cropmarks, such as clay soils, or have seen little reconnaissance in recent years due to recent wet summers or busy airspace."
"It will take some time to take stock of all the sites we have photographed, but we expect to discover several hundred new sites across England."
One of the most interesting discoveries of the year was a defensive Roman camp in Dorset that provided basic protection for Roman soldiers while they were on manoeuvres in the first century AD.
The improved conditions also meant archaeologists could find out more about existing sites, including Newton Kyme, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The rectangular Roman fort dates back nearly 2,000 years and is known to have an earth and timber bastion, but an aerial survey completed this summer revealed a stronger defence built in 290 AD covering seven hectares, with stone walls up to three metres thick and a ditch 15 metres wide.
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