ASPIRING archaeologists learned how to uncover Chelmsford's secret past at the weekend.
Inspired by Channel 4's Time Team, children picked up their trowels and headed to Chelmsford Museum in Moulsham Street for a day of adventure and fun.
As well as using metal detectors and excavating pebbles and sand trays, the youngsters tried out dowsing and metal detectors.
"Today is all about finding out about the history of Chelmsford, particularly Roman," said museum manager Nick Wickenden.
"With Time Team people always ask 'well, how did they know that'? This shows how we've found the evidence and how we've found out the facts.
"The excitement is it's all covered under the ground. You don't know what you're going to find until you've found it.
"That's part of the thrill, finding something that hasn't been touched for 2,000 years."
Zack Copping, 44, took a moment away from making a Roman mosaic of a T-Rex, to tell the Chronicle: "It's good to see the museum doing this sort of thing." His son Henry, four, of Hillside Grove in Chelmsford, said: "I made an oil lamp like people would have used thousands of years ago."
Niamh McTurk, 6, said: "My oil lamp is my favourite thing that I made today.
"I really like it here. The soldiers and the bees are the best. I've even seen the queen bee."
Her mum Emma, 35, of Links Drive, Chelmsford, added: "She absolutely loves it here. We only live around the corner, so she's always here. It never seems to bore her. It's any excuse to come to the museum.
"It's a great place for parents to bring their kids."
Amateur archaeologist group Writtle Heritage was on hand to share its expertise with visitors on the day.
The group's members have unearthed many exciting items at their current dig site in fields near their village.
Adding to that list of finds, co-ordinator and archivist Wendy Hibbit said: "We've found musket balls which are probably from the Napoleonic Wars.
"It's surprising what you can find when you look – we've even got a cannonball found in one of the allotments.
"We've even found an Emperor Nero coin, from AD 61 which would've been when Boadicea was here in Essex.
"We pick up these coins and you think 2,000 years ago it must have fallen from someone's pocket –it's amazing."
