Some secret excavation in a foreign land (5)
I believe the answer is:
crete
'a foreign land' is the definition.
'Crete' can be an answer for 'land' (Crete is an example). I'm unsure of the 'a foreign' bit.
'some secret excavation in' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'CRETE' is hidden in the letters of 'secret excavation in'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for crete that I've seen before include "Major island south of Greece" , "Greek island, capital Heraklion" , "Island Germans took, 1941" , "Knossos island" , "Large island in Med" .)