Free & low-cost archaeology digs
Most field schools charge thousands, but some digs are free or cost far less. This page lists 3 open no-fee digs and 8 low-cost ones. "Low-cost" here means the listed fee for the dig itself is about 500 (pounds, euros or dollars) or less, or about 60 a day or less, using the cheapest option the organiser lists. Travel, food, accommodation, insurance and membership are often extra, so read each listing.
Free digs (no fee)
Put Blanc III
Protohistory (Bronze/Iron Age)
Chapelle Saint-Pé
Medieval
Grand Abri aux Puces
Prehistory
Most free listings are France's ministry list, which is republished each spring. See free digs in Europe.
Low-cost digs
| Dig | Country | Listed cost |
|---|---|---|
| California Field School – Clear Lake Archaeology Project | United States | fees are limited ($400) to costs for equipment and camping reservations for ten da (as… |
| Exploring Landscape Archaeology 2027 (Mercian, Sherwood Forest) | United Kingdom | £375 per person |
| Gallow Hill Fort, Dunblane 2027 | United Kingdom | Cost : £55 a day (as stated on the AFOB listing) |
| Gallow Hill Neolithic Cairn, Dunblane 2027 | United Kingdom | Costs : £55 a day (as stated on the AFOB listing) |
| Magna Excavations 2027 (Roman Army Museum) | United Kingdom | Excavate only £290; Excavate & Stay at Carvoran Cottage £1,590 or Carvoran House £3,140.… |
| Secrets of the Stone Age in Porvoo 2027 (Nedre Pås II) | Finland | €135 |
| Vindolanda Excavations 2027 | United Kingdom | Excavate only £290; Excavate & Stay £1,425–£2,050; post-excavation £175 (Friends… |
| Welburn Roman Kilns, North Yorkshire, UK | United Kingdom | £35/day (£25 students, unemployed & OAP; £20 Uni of York students; under-16s free with… |
California Field School – Clear Lake Archaeology Project
1850s colonial contact with Pomo indigenous peoples and beyond. Clear Lake is th
Exploring Landscape Archaeology 2027 (Mercian, Sherwood Forest)
Prehistoric to 19th-century landscapes
Gallow Hill Fort, Dunblane 2027
Pre-Roman Iron Age to Roman Iron Age
Gallow Hill Neolithic Cairn, Dunblane 2027
Neolithic and Late Bronze Age
Magna Excavations 2027 (Roman Army Museum)
Roman fort
Secrets of the Stone Age in Porvoo 2027 (Nedre Pås II)
Neolithic (Typical and Late Comb Ceramic)
Vindolanda Excavations 2027
Roman fort
Welburn Roman Kilns, North Yorkshire, UK
The Roman Era which in this part of England dates from the late 1st to theearly
95 more open listings have no published cost yet and are not included here. Browse them in the directory.
New to digging? Read how to join an archaeology dig: costs, age limits, what to bring and how to apply.