ARCHAEOLOGICAL sites in Jersey that date back to the Ice Age will feature on a primetime BBC show this evening.
La Cotte de St Brelade at Ouaisné and the preserved Violet Bank, which is submerged off Jersey’s south-east coast and only revealed at low tide, are two of the “Island Treasures” on tonight’s episode of Digging for Britain.
The show, which is presented by Prof Alice Roberts, saw the production team visit the Island last summer for filming, supported by the archaeology team at Jersey Heritage. La Cotte de St Brelade also featured on the series in 2011.
In addition, tonight’s programme also features Seymour Tower, where archaeologists from University College London, led by Dr Matt Pope, stayed while they undertook a survey of the Violet Bank at low tide.
In the episode, the archaeologists can be seen searching for evidence of Neanderthals, who lived and hunted in Jersey 250,000 years ago, aiming to discover more about how they survived on the Island.
During the episode, Dr Pope appears with Jersey Heritage’s curator of archaeology, Olga Finch, in the famed Digging for Britain “finds tent”, sharing artefacts discovered on the Violet Bank through the years.
Dr Pope said: “It is so good to see our work with Jersey Heritage being shared on a programme as popular as Digging for Britain.
“Jersey’s stunning coastal landscapes and deep prehistory regularly bring documentary teams to the island, a testament to the vivid stories the land preserves.”
The episode begins at 8pm on BBC2 and will also be available via BBC i-Player.
