ARCHAEOLOGISTS from York and Newcastle are teaming up on a new project, which is set to transform people's understanding of the prehistoric Vale of York.

The £400,000 project, which will run until March 2004, aims to reveal more about the Vale of York in archaeological terms. Led by Mark Whyman, of York Archaeological Trust, and Andy Howard, of the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, the scheme has been allocated funds by English Heritage.

Dr Whyman said: "Our knowledge of the archaeology of the city of York has increased dramatically over the last 30 years, but in the surrounding Vale it is a different story - far less research has been undertaken. This is a great opportunity to begin to understand the landscapes which successive generations of inhabitants of the ancient city knew and to discover the ancient communities which preceded the villages and farms of the modern Vale."

Dr Howard said: "The most exciting possibility is that archaeological finds, layers and possibly whole landscapes may have been buried beneath sands and silts deposited by centuries of flooding like that which still affects the city of York. This could have preserved them in very good condition, undamaged by the effects of modern ploughing."

The project will use sophisticated computer programmes to map the geology and the known archaeology of the area. Further research, including fieldwork and excavation, could be funded in the future.

Updated: 11:00 Thursday, April 10, 2003