There’s a lot more underneath Derby than you might think.

This summer, we’re sponsoring We DIG Derventio, an archaeological dig taking place at Darley Playing Fields, near Darley Park in Derby.

Run by York Archaeology alongside Derby Museums, the project is digging into the history of Derventio, the Roman settlement that once stood in this part of Derby.

Digging into Derby’s past

Derventio was an important Roman settlement, and previous digs in the area have uncovered roads, buildings, pottery, coins and evidence of workshops and metalworking.

We DIG Derventio gives archaeologists, students and local people the chance to get stuck in and find out even more about what life in Roman Derby may have looked like nearly 2,000 years ago.

As a Derby brewery, it felt like a great local project for us to get behind. We spend most of our time digging through bags of malt rather than Roman remains, but we’re always keen to support interesting things happening around the city.

More than just an archaeological dig

We DIG Derventio is also a training dig, giving people the chance to learn practical archaeological skills and experience a real excavation.

That includes everything from excavating and recording the site to processing finds and learning more about the objects that come out of the ground.

Support from local businesses also helps make some of these opportunities more accessible to people in Derby, which is another big reason we wanted to be involved.

Supporting something local

Shiny started brewing in Derby back in 2012, so although we now brew just outside the city in Little Eaton, Derby is still a huge part of who we are.

We love being able to support local projects, especially ones doing something a bit different.

So, while the We DIG Derventio team are busy uncovering bits of Roman Derby, we’ll stick to uncovering what’s at the bottom of the fermenter.

A big cheers to everyone involved in this year’s dig. We can’t wait to see what they find.

Want to find out more about the excavation and what was discovered? Visit the We DIG Derventio page on York Archaeology's website. We DIG Derventio – York Archaeology