After leaving Bristol Grammar School, he became an accountant[3] before serving with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
[4] During war service, Rahtz became friends with the archaeologist Ernest Greenfield, the excavator of Great Witcombe Roman Villa, Gloucestershire and Lullingstone Castle, Kent.
This friendship sparked a personal interest in archaeology and a professional career, which began with excavations at Chew Valley Lake (north Somerset) in 1953.
[5] A wide range of excavations in the area followed including Old Sarum in 1957,[6] Glastonbury Tor in 1964–1966[3] and a Romano-Celtic Temple at Pagans Hill, Chew Stoke, from 1958.
[11] In February 2013, a one-day conference was held in Cheddar to celebrate his life and work in Somerset.