Teams of archaeologists could be opening a window to the past when they begin work near Plympton this week.
Experts from AC Archaeology will be carrying out work off Stoggy Lane to try and get an understanding of what, if anything, remains of prehistoric and/or Romano-British multi-period activity in the area.
Earlier geophysical survey investigations have already located what might be a substantial settlement enclosure appearing to contain ancient houses and farmsteads.
The 24 hectare site to the east of Stoggy Lane and south of West Park Hill, is earmarked for housing development in the Joint Local Plan but no formal plans are yet in place.
The area is long known to be of archaeological interest and so requires further, more detailed investigation to inform any possible future planning applications that may be submitted.
The principal objective of the programme shall be to evaluate any below-ground archaeological deposits across the proposed development site and, if necessary, excavate them further.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing and Cooperative Development, said: "I usually like to talk about housing we're building, but this time I'm just as excited to find out about a house that was built many thousands of years ago.
"Work like this on sites where one day we would like to provide housing are really important. We can't just build anywhere we like - we have to understand the past in order to plan for the future."
Christopher Caine, Supervisor from AC Archaeology, said: "I am very excited to be working on this site, as myself and my family live locally and what we find could be very important in understanding how our ancestors lived here 2000 years ago. We will hopefully find the remains of their houses, what animals they kept, what crops they were growing and what they were making”
Works at Stoggy Lane are expected to take between three and six months, depending on the findings.