An archeologist from Marks Tey beat a field of his colleagues to be selected to work on a famous dig on the Orkney Islands.
Jonathan Dodd, 32, will be part of an international team of archeologists, uncovering the secrets of Stone Age life hidden in the Ness of Brodgar for 10,000 years.
He, his wife Hayley and their two children Henry, five, and Hannah, three, have all moved from Godmans Lane, Marks Tey, to the Scottish island for the duration for the dig, finishing on August 24.
Mr Dodd said: “This dig is an amazing opportunity to be part of something incredible happening in British archaeology, which is discovering completely unique finds on a daily basis over the two months each year that the dig takes place.
“The Ness of Brodgar covers 2.5 hectares and is situated right in the middle of the neolithic Orkney world heritage site, so it is obviously one of the most beautiful spots to work.”
The family like the island so much they are considering moving there permanently if Jonathan and Hayley can find permanent work on the dig.
Mrs Dodd, also an archeologist said: “He is just so lucky to be digging here and we are all rooting for him.
“You can’t say no to this kind of opportunity.”
Mr Dodd had previously worked with the Colchester Archeological Trust and Canterbury Archeological Trust, but is swapping Anglo-Saxon East Anglia for neolithic Scotland.
Since arriving, Mr Dodd has personally unearthed cattle bones and pottery fragments from the site, which contains eight different pits and at least 30 different structures, revealing the lives of a society discovering tools at the end of the Stone Age.
The Ness of Brodgar is a strip of land between the lochs of Harray and Stenness on the Orkney mainland.
The site is surrounded by archeology, with the Ring of Brodgar at the north end and the Standing Stones of Stenness to the south.
However, discoveries in 2002 of complex neolithic buildings and artwork has led to research efforts on the island being expanded to include the Ness.
Two-month annual digs now take place on the site, with the best archeologists in the world being invited to participate on a voluntary basis.
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