Beneath our feet is a lost world of human stories, just a few shovelfuls away from being revealed for the first time in hundreds and sometimes thousands of years.

When we think of archaeological digs we might imagine a muddy field, but in hit new TV show The Great British Dig, a team of experts descended on streets and back gardens the length and breadth of the country to discover the treasures we have been living right on top of without ever realising.

In this book, The Great British Dig's on-screen expert Dr Chloë Duckworth digs even deeper, exploring the team's techniques in more detail, and offering new insights and explanations about the discoveries made. This archaeological detective work sheds new light on the areas the show visited, revealing how people lived, what significant events occurred there, and how much truth there was behind local legends.

As well as revealing Roman villas, Viking burial grounds, Norman castles, medieval monasteries, Tudor palaces, old prisons, secret Second World War military bases and prisoner-of-war camps, Chloë includes lots of information for anyone wanting to give it a go themselves. The book is packed with features, tip boxes and practical advice about digging in your own back garden, researching your local area for clues about what might have been there centuries ago, and identifying and dating things you may find.

The book is highly illustrated, including some images never seen on screen, as well as archive photos and illustrations that bring history to life, and identification guides to pottery, tools, coins and other things you might come across yourself.