The 10-day dig started on May 30, when a team of volunteers from local archaeological and history groups began excavating in the area believed to be the location of the camp of the Scottish amy of King James IV in the two weeks prior to the Battle of Flodden.

The site, on top of Flodden Hill, is a rectangular 'fort' and is part of a series of larger fortifications that would have sat on the ridge between Flodden Hill and the King's Chair, all linked together by a system of trenches.

Chris Burgess, Northumberland county archaeologist, explained: "This is a unique opportunity.

"Flodden was the last medieval battle on British soil and a tragic slaughter that cost the lives of 15,000 men including King James and many of his noblemen.

"It set in train events that contributed to the Union of the Crowns 90 years later.

"We have started excavations in the Scottish camp because they are the only upstanding remains associated with the battle, but in future years we hope to examine other buried features, both on Flodden Hill and on the battlefield itself."

The excavation is being run as an initial step in a larger archaeological investigation of the battlefield of Flodden as part of the Flodden 500 project - set up to encourage and enable events and schemes that will commemorate the 500th anniversary of the battle during the next four years, culminating in 2013.

The site is open to visitors, and on Saturday, June 6, there will be an open day when archaeologists will take tours around the excavations.

For those who want to follow the daily progress of the project, or just find out more about what is going on, there is also a website - www.iFlodden.info - where the team are posting daily updates.