TIME TEAM: UNEARTHING THE ROMAN INVASION

We're now half-way into Season 2 of Time Team and enjoying it very much. We got very sick of murder mysteries, thrillers and other shows showing nasty and miserable people doing nasty and miserable things. Here we have a skilled and energetic team all working together to discover the historical truth. Even when they disagree, they have the same ultimate goal. Even when it rains, they manage to dredge up a bit of good cheer. Each fast-paced episode covers a three-day dig at one site, most episodes following a logical pattern: a brief explanation of why they're digging at this location, the questions they hope to answer, a geo-physical survey that maps magnetic anomalies under the surface and helps them locate the most useful places to dig, and then the digging of several trenches, each for a reason. The goal is not to uncover "treasures," though they enjoy those when they appear. A treasure ripped out of its context is meaningless, and they are happiest when they discover something surprising alongside pottery or other finds that provide a date or socio-economic context. The show uses several techniques to make it easy to see what the archaeologists are seeing. They often highlight a feature in the ground to help the viewer's eye pick it out, and they use computer graphics to illustrate what the building might have looked like originally. Each episode also "re-enacts" one element related to the period of the site. Among those we've seen are foraging for a wild meal, molding a pewter bowl, hammering out a brass bucket, carving an altar, even spending a lonely day as a slave. It's a lively show, and you gradually learn quite a bit about archaeological methodology (including what NOT to do as an amateur), the social history of ancient Britain, and the changes in the artifacts themselves. I look forward to a couple of episodes each evening (I can easily imagine binge-watching this). I highly recommend them. And as a sidelight, we enjoy archaeologist Phil Harding's Wiltshire accent, which sounds just like Hagrid in Harry Potter.

I saw a few episodes of Time Team on PBS in Los Angeles years ago, and only just recently ran across it again through Netflix and Acorn TV (on Roku). A bunch of wonderful (and self-described) old hippie archaeologists traipsing around Great Britain discovering lost bits of history from the Roman occupation 2000 years ago (100 BC to 3-400 AD), and sometimes earlier. I have learned so much about this period I knew relatively little about. A fascinating look at how field work is done, and how much fun it can be. Well produced, great 'family' fare, (and NO commercials) and if you like learning about ancient history--this may just interest you. I understand this series was on for 20 years in England but I have yet to be able to find more than 30 or so episodes on Acorn TV, and I've watched them more than once. I understand there are more than 200 episodes around somewhere, and would love to see them all--anybody know where they are available in the US? This is probably thebest 'reality TV' you will ever see in my humble opinion (altho I don't like ANY other reality TV at all).

Great quality -- nice and clear. Time Team episodes are always fun to watch -- so this is a fantastic set. I recommend it.However, I wish this set had more digs from Season 10 and earlier. Some of the wonderful chemistry between the early cast members is lost by the time the show started winding down. It's also a shame that Mick Aston isn't featured much in this set -- but again, that's because the episodes they chose for this set are mostly from the later seasons, when Mick wasn't participating in the Roman digs.

I used to faithfully watch this show. Then I got rid of my television. Was thinking about the show and there it was on Amazon Prime Video for me to watch on my computer. The best part is Amazon Prime Video offers select shows where the team actually made some fascinating discoveries; sometimes they didn't although it was still fun to watch. If you're not familiar with the program, a team of archaeologists, experts and historians go to different locations throughout the UK where there may be unexplored archaeological finds. The host is a non-expert who translates the observations and discussions of the experts into layman's terms and his enthusiasm, along with the excitement of the experts when they do find something (a piece of pottery, a Roman coin, etc.) is contagious. It's ending this year (2013) after 15 seasons.

One of my favorite programs to come across the pond from the UK! This program has been on TV in the UK for many years and is now, regrettably, in its final season. Only a very small number of episodes have made it to DVD, and I've had to buy them from Amazon UK and view on my region-free DVD player. This is the first set of episodes to be shown in the US and are now available on Amazon Instant Video; I hope more will follow. In each episode, a team of British archaeologists excavate various sites from around the UK to see what they will find. Each excavation is limited to three days, and it is always a challenge for the team to deal with the weather and various other complications which crop up. Give it a go!

If you like archeology, you'll love it. I had no idea that the Romans had settled so much of Britian. There are ruins everywhere! And almost as good was listening to the thick English accents. My husband and I both watch a LOT of BBC programming, but we would not have made it without closed captioning. We learned new English slang and became acquainted with Geophys. I order the book and several related books. I went to the website and tried to watch episodes online, but kept getting the message that I might be in the wrong country for that. I just hope they will release more episodes. I loved Tony Robinson and Phil Hartman (I think that's his name). They were always enthusiastic. There is a lot of humor.

"Time Team" is "must-watch" British TV that has had record audiences tuning in for more than a decade. The series is positively addictive. It is also broadcast in Canada on TVOntario. Each week the team of experts is given three days to explore a problem or answer a question about a particular archaeological site in the U.K. (although they have travelled to sites in Europe as well)."TIME TEAM: UNEARTHING THE ROMA" contains episodes of the series exploring the Roman occupation of Britain. Fascinating stuff. And you never know what they're going to find when they start to dig. Searching for Roman ruins has led to explorations of medieval manors and castles, Bronze Age roundhouses, Tudor palaces, WW II earthworks and airplanes - sometimes all on the same episode. Each episode unearths special treasures, sometimes expected, sometimes not. That's part of the series' charm and enduring fascination for viewers. You literally never know what's going to "turn up". The tag line of the show is "Let's put in another trench!" - even if it's 4 p.m. on the last day. They are relentless in their attempts to solve the problem/question of the week.The camaraderie and great working relationships of archaeologists Mick Ashton, Phil Harding, Helen Geake, Stewart Ainsworthy and other specialists, makes history painless to absorb. They do it with humour, style and a superb depth and breadth of knowledge and experience. The program's host is actor Tony Robinson, best known to North American audiences as Baldrick on the "Blackadder" TV series, but also a gifted amateur archaeologist: he is the glue that holds the show together."TIME TIME: UNEARTHING THE ROMA" is a fabulous first installment of "Time Team" on DVD for home viewing. Can't wait for the next one! Let's hope it's released soon.

Once again we have here a Time Team dvd that delivers what is promised: a snapshot of the archaeological record of the Roman invasion of Britain. This comprehensive collection of episodes was produced and aired over the 20 year history of this popular show; bringing with it a wonderful mix of education, fascination and entertainment. Time Team as a show and as a concept was not produced for an insular academic world, instead it brought archaeology to the public. Enjoy

Great show!