Archaeologists have conducted a small excavation on the site of the new hotel in St George’s to ensure that historical artefacts are not disturbed during the project.

The site of the development is believed to be close to the spot where the Sea Venture crew came ashore in Bermuda in 1609, which has prompted a Historical Impact Assessment of the location.

Last weekend, Edward Harris, the National Museum’s executive director, and archaeologist Brent Fortenberry excavated an area of about an acre in size to check for signs of early civilisation.

They did not find anything of historical value during the dig.

“All we were doing was some due diligence in relation to the new hotel site in St George’s,” Dr Harris said. “This is the site where the crew of the Sea Venture is believed to have landed, so the point was to see if there was any evidence of early occupation on the site.

“The work was done over two days by myself and Dr Fortenberry with the permission of the planning department and also the Bermuda Government.

“We found no evidence of occupation and no evidence of any military occupation either.

“There was a couple of dozen bits of pottery but nothing of any great significance.”

The National Museum is in the process of working with the hotel developers on a Historical Impact Assessment of the site.