About

D.R.O.P. are a small group of amateur archaeologists with a variety of skills and experience.

From total beginners, to diggers who have spent most of their lives in holes in the ground, we spend our time uncovering the Roman past hidden beneath fields in the local area of Otford, Kent.

Led by Kevin Fromings (a qualified archaeologist), we are currently involved in a multiyear project to investigate a Roman Villa in Church Field. Initially investigated in 1934 in a cursory manner, it was virtually forgotten about until there was a Geophysical Survey done. The survey was actually part of the investigation of the nearby Bishops Palace.

After surveying the land in Otford we had some amazing results… We used this image to confirm that there were remains in the area that could be worth investigating. Little did we know at the time that this would turn into a fantastic site.

High resistance locations show up as yellow and red – these are places where the Geophysics equipment has picked up material which is dense, and close to the suface. As you can see, the areas are easily distinguished from the ‘usual’ fields and woodland (where there is not much below the soil apart from roots and bedrock!) Low resistance areas show up as blue or purple.

Creating a survey like this takes many hours as you physically need to traverse the area, walking slowly and positioning the equipment.