A 13th century roof finial, found in Chichester by Wessex Archaeology. Courtesy Chichester District Museum

One of the fascinations of archaeology is in seeing how the present has been built over the past, with chance reminders of days gone by popping up in the most curious of places. One such find was the discovery of several Bronze Age urns in the unlikely setting of a Rolls Royce factory near Chichester.

The urns are one of the many intriguing finds on display at ‘Big Digs, Little Digs and Tiny Trial Trenches’, an exhibition at Chichester District Museum from March 10 to July 25 2006.

Exploring the scope of modern archaeology in the Chichester region; the exhibition moves from from the chance finds turned up by metal detectorists, builders and developers to the complex excavation and restoration techniques employed by professional archaeologists.

Covering 300 square miles, the region is particularly rich in archaeological significance, from the prehistoric through to Roman, mediaeval and Georgian sites. Major exhibits in the show include a near-complete 13th century roof finial, found in Chichester by Wessex Archaeology. The first of its kind to be found in the region, the finial gives a fascinating clue to the appearance of the roofscape of the medieval city.

A sense of the complexity of modern archaeological practices can be grasped in another display, which centres around finds from the cemetery of the mediaeval hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene on the outskirts of Chichester. The exhibit highlights one of the key issues in modern archaeology – the tension between respect for human remains and the importance of research.

The Chichester region is particularly rich in significant archaeological finds. © Chichester District Museum

A sensitive facial reconstruction of one of the bodies found in the cemetery provides an unusual insight into medieval life and death. The man’s face, reconstructed by Time Team artist Victor Ambrus, shows signs of leprosy, probably the disease that killed him.

Archaeology has always fascinated the public, and the show includes finds from two recent public excavations, the Selhurst Park and the Harting digs. Nor are finds confined to objects dug out of the ground. Another key exhibit covers finds discovered in two old buildings, the Dolphin and Anchor pub in Chichester and a medieval manor at Lodsworth.

The pub finds include such curious objects as reused floorboards with 18th century graffiti and a 1773 handbill for Benjamin Charge, a saddlemaker on East Street.

As Councillor Mrs Margaret Field, Culture Portfolio Holder, explained: "Chichester District has a rich archaeological heritage and this exhibition gives us a chance to display some of the finds from recent excavations.”

The exhibition features many finds from recent excavations in Chichester. © Chichester District Museum

“Archaeology as a profession has developed very rapidly and has changed considerably since the 1960s. Scientific developments, changes in the law and public expectations have all had an impact on archaeology today. However we can all relate to archaeology as a way of finding out how our ancestors lived.”

From Iron Age silver to the medieval dead, Big Digs, Little Digs and Tiny Trial Trenches gives an evocative sense of a past that lies just a few inches beneath our feet.

Olivia Laing is the 24 Hour Museum Renaissance Student Writer in the South East region. Renaissance is the groundbreaking initiative to transform England's regional museums, led by MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.