The latest preservation work at one of Britain's most important archaeological sites could be in line for a prestigious award

Read more about the excavation and visit archaeology.co.uk/vote to find out more about the award and vote. The winners will be announced at the end of February 2015.

Excavation efforts at England’s first Viking burial ground, discovered by a Cumbrian metal detectorist who had been given permission to explore the village farmland in 2004, have been nominated for the Rescue Dig of the Year category in the hotly-contested annual Archaeology Awards.A rare oval brooch in the Eden Valley, near Carlisle, could only have been part of a pair, leading Peter Adams on a successful search for its partner item in the Eden Valley, south of Carlisle. English Heritage and Oxford Archaeology moved quickly to protect the land, which was at risk from ploughing.A wooden box laid at the feet of the dead, part of a sword, six burials, a decorated drinking horn and buckles and strap ends were also found at a cemetery which experts believe points to the “volatile” political landscape of the north-west more than 1,000 years ago.