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Even more events, compiled by Sue Brooke
CORNWALL:
Cornwall Archaeological Society
Regular walks and talks of interest:
The Society was formed in 1961 – it grew out of the West Cornwall Field Club, itself founded in 1935 by a group of enthusiasts who were studying the archaeology of West Cornwall.
WALKS – Every month there is an archaeological walk somewhere in Cornwall led by members or an invited expert.
ACTIVITIES – The Society gives opportunities for those interested in practical archaeology to participate in fieldwork and learn archaeological techniques. Members often take part in excavations run by the Cornwall County Council’s Historic Environment Service (HES).
JULY WALK – Sunday 14th July 2013. 11.00 to 16.00 Cliff castles and ancient sites on the North Coast with Steve Hebdige.
Meeting in Porthcothan Car Park (SW8580 7291). Please note there is a car parking charge. The advice is that you should bring a packed lunch and, due to the weather, suitable outdoor clothing. The plan is to leave Porthcothan heading towards Park Head, back to Porthcothan for lunch and then onto Wine Cove, Treyarnon before heading back to the car park. There is a short steep descent and climb out of Porth Meor in the first part of the walk as well as a climb out of Porthcothan after lunch. This coastal walk will take in barrows, cliff castles at Park Head and Wine Cove and stunning views set in a landscape used since prehistory as illustrated by crop marks from aerial photographs.
http://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/
Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network
‘A charitable partnership formed to look after the ancient sites and monuments of Cornwall. Currently working closely with local communities and official organisations to protect and promote our ancient heritage landscape through research, education and outreach activities’
Volunteers are always very welcome at the monthly clear-ups. These events are a really good opportunity to get a bit more hands-on whilst helping to clear an ancient site in the landscape. This not only allows for physical preservation of the site itself but helps it to be kept safe for others to enjoy in the future. Please note that suitable footwear and clothing is needed although tools or any necessary equipment will be provided.
JULY CLEAN-UP – Tuesday July 16th 2013 – 12.00 (midday).
The next clean-up will be held at St. Rumon’s Church (SW7039 1643). Please meet at the lane to the farm, off the A3083. See website for more details. http://www.cornishancientsites.com/lan.htm
LONDON:
Museum of London:
Saturday and Sunday 20th & 21st July – Festival of Archaeology – The Secret Museum.
Exclusive behind the scenes tours of stores and archives at the Museum of London and the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre.
Sat 20 Jul, 11am – 4pm – Bishops Square, London E1 6EG
Skeletons in the closet – find out in Spitalfields, where you can have the chance to see inside the remains of a medieval charnel house, hidden underneath the pavement near the market. Experts from English Heritage will reveal the history of this fascinating site.
Please note families are welcome to this event!
Sat 20 & Sun 21 Jul, 10.15-11.45am, 12.15-1.45pm, 2.15-3.45pm & 4.15-5.45pm – Museum of London
Secret stores tour: metal store & conservation labs
Get into heavy metal as our curators throw open the doors to the metal store to reveal 4000 years of history captured in tin, bronze and iron. Then come up to the lab to learn about how these and other historic London objects are cared for by our conservators. Age 16+
Book in advance £10 (£70 for a group booking of 8 people). To book tickets call the Museum of London Box Office on 020 7001 9844.
Sat 20 & Sun 21 Jul, 10.30am – 12pm, 12.30-2pm, 2.30-4pm, 4.30-5pm – Secret stores tour: human remains – Museum of London
We know where the bodies are – and so will you as our Osteology curators take you on a tour of our human remains store before revealing what we can learn from ancient bodies in the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology. Age 16+
Book in advance £10 (£70 for a group booking of 8 people). To book tickets call the Museum of London Box Office on 020 7001 9844.
Please note there are also a range of activities on offer specifically for children. For more information please follow: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/Whats-on/Family-events/FOA.htm
KENT:
13 & 14 July: Festival of Archaeology 10.30 am. Maidstone Museum
More detailed information coming soon – please check out
http://www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk/events/20137/437/
Saturday 13th to Sunday 14th July 2013- Maidstone Museum. All Day Events
Maidstone Museum, in collaboration with the Kent Archaeological Society and Regia-Anglorum (the country’s leading group of early medieval living history enthusiasts) will host an exciting two day outdoor event designed to illustrate the richness of the county’s Saxon history.
From Saturday 13th to Sunday 14th July 2013, they will re-create a Saxon village in the Museum’s beautiful public gardens. The displays of Saxon art, craft, cooking, music and weapons will be complemented in the Museum by displays, lectures, object handling sessions, demonstrations of conservation techniques and a host of activities for families and children. All will draw upon the Museum’s fantastic Anglo-Saxon collections, recognised as being amongst the country’s fines
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE/DERBYSHIRE:
MBArchaeology specialises in Community Archaeology, Education & Research. Based in Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire and offering educational talks, walks, workshops and courses on a whole variety of archaeological topics.
Derbyshire – full-day field visits that run throughout the summer to sites of historical and archaeological interest.
July 13-28 – Festival of British Archaeology – more info coming soon
http://www.mbarchaeology.co.uk/upcoming-events/
WILTSHIRE HERITAGE MUSEUM:
Wiltshire Heritage Museum runs a large number of events, exhibitions and activities both for the general public and members of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.
10:00 am Saturday, 6th July 2013 running until 1st September 2013
EXHIBITION: Inspirations from the Bronze Age: an exhibition by six outstanding contemporary designers and makers
http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/
PETERBOROUGH:
Flag Fen Archaeology Park. The Droveway, Northey Road, Peterborough, PE6 7QJ
Flag Fen is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry at 4pm) from April to October and is a marvellous opportunity to see the work undertaken.
http://www.vivacity-peterborough.com/museums-and-heritage/flag-fen/discovery/
WALES:
National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP – FREE ENTRY
Origins: In Search of Early Wales. A static exhibition in The Archaeology Gallery – This traces life in Wales from the earliest humans 230,000 years ago. Who were our ancestors, and how different were they from us? What has changed and what has caused these changes? A stunning and thought provoking exhibition where you get the chance to see things close up.
Visit the Origins – In Search of Early Wales webpages http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=2854
Until 7th. July 2013 – Julian Stair: Quietus – The Vessel, Death and the Human Body.
An exhibition of beautiful funerary vessels – from cinerary jars to sarcophagi exploring the containment of the human body after death.
2nd July to 4th. August 2013 – The Mold Cape Spotlight Tour (In partnership with the British Museum)
Find out about this stunning ceremonial cape of gold and the Bronze Age people who made it.
NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF WALES – ST. FAGAN’S, CARDIFF:
11th July 2013 – 14.00 – 15.00 (English) 15.00 – 16.00 (Welsh)
Behind the Scenes: What lies beneath?
Join Elen Phillips, Curator of Textiles, to uncover the hidden secrets of the textile collection. Find out what our ancestors wore beneath their clothing and how they kept evil spirits at bay!
Spaces are limited for this tour so please book early to avoid disappointment
FREE ENTRY – BUT PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A CAR PARKING FEE.
Compiled by Sue Brooke
FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 2013 EVENTS:
Dig into the past at the 23rd Festival of Archaeology! Co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, the Festival offers over 1,000 events nationwide, organised by museums, heritage organisations, national and country parks, universities, local societies, and community archaeologists. A small selection of these events is listed below. To find out more (more events are listing daily) please check: http://www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk/
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Church Meadow excavation open day Sat 13th Jul 2013 South East | Surrey
An open day, in conjunction with Ewell Village Fair, giving you the chance to see the current season’s excavation in Ewell’s Roman settlement http://www.epsomewellhistory.org.uk
Archaeology week at Tintagel Castle Sat 27th Jul 2013 – Sat 3rd Aug 2013 South West | Cornwall
It’s the Festival of Archaeology so join us for fun activities for the whole family. Get hands-on and discover more about the history of Tintagel through our experts and the fascinating artefacts uncovered here over the years. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/archaeology-week-tc-27-jul/
Dig with us! Mon 15th Jul 2013 – Fri 19th Jul 2013 North East | Tyne and Wear
Newcastle University archaeologists and English Heritage will be excavating the 19th century forge workers cottages at Derwentcote Steelworks near Ebchester. Local volunteers (including accompanied children) are welcome to come along and dig with us: just turn up on whichever day(s) you choose. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/derwentcote-steel-furnace/
Newbarns project archaeological excavation Sat 13th Jul 2013 – Sat 27th Jul 2013 Scotland | Dumfries and Galloway
Ancient burial site consisting of 3 Neolithic kerb cairns, adapted for later Bronze Age/Iron Age burials with settlement evidence from the Anglian and Medieval eras in the form of stonework. Contributions greatly received but no charge for entry or having a go. http://www.sat.org.uk
Dorchester on Thames archaeological excavation open day Sat 20th Jul 2013 West Midlands | Oxfordshire
Learn more about the site of the Roman small town at Dorchester on Thames. Bring artefacts you may have found in your own garden to be identified and see the objects we have excavated. Take a site tour with the Director and see what we have been digging.http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/DOT1.html
The Anglo-Saxons in the North Sat 2nd Mar 2013 – Tue 31st Dec 2013 North East | County Durham
The Anglo-Saxons in the North A small display in the Streatlam Galleries from March to December 2013, will highlight the Anglo-Saxon collections at The Bowes Museum, in celebration of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the North East. http://www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk/
Archaeology discovery day Sun 28th Jul 2013 South West | Gloucestershire
Archaeological skills/hands-on activity. Join us for a day of discovery! Visitors will get the chance to learn more about the excavations in Dr Jenner’s Garden. There will be talks about the finds excavated from the garden and there will be some finds on display. Plus sandpit digs, finds cleaning and even finds identification. There will be tours of the site through the day and all visitors get to see the museum exhibits about Edward Jenner – passionate not only about medicine but also geology and fossils! http://www.jennermuseum.com
Medieval mysteries Thu 25th Jul 2013 Wales | Caerphilly
A day of hands-on art, craft and traditional skills, activities, tours, and talks
http://www.celticlearnersnetwork.org.uk/index.htm
WASHINGTON DC
Archaeology in the Community (AITC) will be running events with young people to coincide with Festival of Archaeology. Please check them out at http://archaeologyincommunity.com/
More to come, later this week!
Thanks once again to Sue Brooke for compiling next month’s Diary Dates.
The following events will be taking place next month, why not add one or two to your diary and join in the fun?
CORNWALL
Cornwall Archaeological Society, Regular walks and talks of interest:
The Society was formed in 1961 – it grew out of the West Cornwall Field Club, itself founded in 1935 by a group of enthusiasts who were studying the archaeology of West Cornwall.
Walks - Every month there is an archaeological walk somewhere in Cornwall led by members or an invited expert.
Talks – During winter months talks are given at centres in Truro and Liskeard by speakers, national and local (and including members) who are specialists in their field of interest.
Activities - The Society gives opportunities for those interested in practical archaeology to participate in fieldwork and learn archaeological techniques. Members often take part in excavations run by the Cornwall County Council’s Historic Environment Service (HES). See http://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/ for more details.
Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network
‘A charitable partnership formed to look after the ancient sites and monuments of Cornwall, currently working closely with local communities and official organisations to protect and promote our ancient heritage landscape through research, education and outreach activities’.
Volunteers are always very welcome at the monthly clear-ups. These events are a really good opportunity to get a bit more hands-on whilst helping to clear an ancient site in the landscape. This not only allows for physical preservation of the site itself but helps it to be kept safe for others to enjoy in the future. Please note that suitable footwear and clothing is needed although tools or any necessary equipment will be provided.
The next clean-up will be held on Sunday JUNE 9th BOSCAWEN-ÛN STONE CIRCLE o/s 4122 2736. Meet by A30 – starts at 14.00. See website for more details.
DEVON
Barnstaple – North Devon Archaeological Society was established in 1959, and for many years concentrated on providing lectures and visits for members. The society merged with North Devon Rescue, a campaigning organisation which had been instrumental in ensuring proper recording and excavation in the area. At the time of writing there were no events planned for June so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on their website. http://www.ndas.org.uk/
ESSEX
West Essex Archaeology Group, Woodford Green. WEAG’s aim is ‘to promote the advancement of knowledge and education by a study of archaeology, history and kindred subjects ‘.
10th June 2013 – London’s Food Plant Remains. Karen Stewart, Museum of London Archaeology
The lectures take place in the sixth form block of the Woodford County High School, High Road, Woodford Green IG8 9LA on Mondays at 7:45pm unless otherwise stated. Non members are welcome to attend – voluntary contribution appreciated. For further information, see the website at http://www.weag.org.uk/
12th March to 22nd June: Exhibition at Redbridge Museum: 1st Floor Exhibition Area, Redbridge Central Library, Clement Road, Ilford. 500 Years of Redbridge Gardens, Parks and Open Spaces, Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Free Admission.
Barking and District Historical Society: Harp House, 16 Helmore Road (off Goodey Road), Barking, IG11 9PH
Monday 3rd June: The Princess Alice Disaster, Keith Langridge, 7:30 p.m
KENT
Council for Kentish Archaeology
The Society was founded in 1857 and is now a registered charity with the following objects: To promote the study and publication of archaeology and history in all their branches, especially within the ancient county of Kent.
Much of the County has been lost to London since 1857 so the “ancient county” is treated as including the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham, as well as Medway and the administrative county. The Society’s interests are not confined to fieldwork. Its objects cover archaeology and local history in the widest sense.
1st. June: Fieldwork, 10.30, Library
8th June: Council, 10.30, Guildhall Museum, Rochester
22th June: Churches visit to St Mary-in-the-Marsh and St Nicholas, New Romney
29 June: One-day conference ‘New Developments in Kentish Urban Studies’, Old Sessions House
http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/diary/
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE/DERBYSHIRE
MBArchaeology specialises in Community Archaeology, Education & Research. Based in Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire and offering educational talks, walks, workshops and courses on a whole variety of archaeological topics.
Derbyshire – full-day field visits that run throughout the summer to sites of historical and archaeological interest.
June 9-22 – University of Nottingham, Southwell Project
June 11th – Talk: Archaeology of the Peak District, South Normanton History Group, 1pm
June 13th – Talk: Archaeology of Creswell Crags, Southwell Rotary Club, 7pm
June 29 – Archaeology Walk: Iron Age Nottinghamshire (see Current Projects tab ‘Archaeology Walks’ for details)
See http://www.mbarchaeology.co.uk/upcoming-events/ for further details
WILTSHIRE
Wiltshire Heritage Museum runs a large number of events, exhibitions and activities both for the general public and members of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.
6:30 pm, Thursday, 27 June, 2013: A TALE OF TWO VILLAGES: An evening walk around Alton Barnes and Alton Priors, led by local historian David Carson. Find out fascinating facts about the two churches, what the villages used to look like, the civil war, and eye witness accounts of the machinery riots of 1830.
10:00am, Saturday, 06 July, 2013: EXHIBITION: Inspirations from the Bronze Age: an exhibition by six outstanding contemporary designers and makers
http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/ for more details.
PETERBOROUGH
Flag Fen Archaeology Park. The Droveway, Northey Road, Peterborough, PE6 7QJ
Flag Fen is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry at 4pm) from April to October and provides a marvelous opportunity to see the finds discovered there during excavations, as well as to see some of the reconstructions and experimental archaeology work undertaken there.
WALES
National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
Static exhibition in The Archaeology Gallery – Origins: In Search of Early Wales. This traces life in Wales from the earliest humans 230,000 years ago. Who were our ancestors, and how different were they from us? What has changed and what has caused these changes?
Visit the Origins – In Search of Early Wales webpages for more details. FREE ENTRY.
Nation History Museum of Wales – St Fagans
Saturday 15th to Sunday 16th June: 2013 Summer food in the Iron Age. Find out what’s bubbling in the Iron Age cauldron.
Saturday – 22nd. June 2013. 2pm to 3pm: Life in the Iron Age. Looking at everyday life in the Iron Age.
FREE ENTRY – CAR PARKING FEE.
CARDIFF CASTLE
Saturday 22 – Sunday 23rd. June 2012: JOUST! A fun event for all the family. For more information: www.cardiffcastle.com
If you have an upcoming event you’d like included in our listings, please Contact Us with details. We tend to publish events near the start of the month prior to the actual event, so please allow enough notice to be included!
We grumble about PAS but it’s only fair to distinguish between the organisation and those who have to carry out the policies – sometimes with distaste, no doubt. Take the upcoming Central Searchers Summer Rally where 500 people will pay £30,000 to dig. The FLOs aren’t fans of large rallies anyway but they have extra reasons to dislike this one as it’s being run under the notorious Central Searchers “rule”: all non-Treasure item worth up to £2,000 are owned by the detectorist alone.
Everyone knows that’s designed to be grossly unfair to the landowner yet the FLOs have to pretend they don’t know what is happening. In addition, they can hardly fail to know it guarantees a lot of stuff won’t get reported – the sort of person that thinks such a rule is OK is hardly going to be scrupulous about what they (alone) assess as worth less than £2,000 and is unlikely to reveal anything really valuable lest people point out it’s worth more than the threshold and needs to be shared with the farmer!
And there’s more. The advert says FLOs will be there yet incredibly there’s no rally rule or even request to report finds to them. Thus we have FLOs as educated, cultured people having to attend a mass, self-seeking event in the humiliating role of supplicants on behalf of the public, having to appear grateful for whatever limited favours acquisitive people with Lilliputian moral comprehension deign to bestow. And always to smile.
“I really admire you artefact hunters!”
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More Heritage Action views on metal detecting and artefact collecting
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Last weekend saw two archaeological events, some 25 minutes travel apart, which I was fortunate enough to be able to attend.
The first was an Open Day, held by Wessex Archaeology and entitled Extracting the Past. It highlighted their recent work at the Kingsmead Quarry, Horton, west of Heathrow Airport. The area is a complex archaeological landscape with evidence of human occupation spanning a period of over 12,000 years, since the last Ice Age. Particular focus was given to the recently announced find of a rare ‘Beaker Burial‘ of a woman, which included several gold beads (the bling always draws them in!)
The event, in the local Village Hall at Wraysbury, comprised of several information panels, leading through the story of the use of the area, from the Ice Age through to Roman and Anglo-Saxon times. In addition, cabinets of some of the wonderful finds were available to peruse, with several very knowledgeable, friendly and approachable staff on hand to answer any questions. We were greeted and guided as we arrived and generally made to feel most welcome. The various exhibits were explained as we moved around the hall, with someone always on hand to answer any queries or questions. My particular thanks go to Dr Alistair Barclay, who allowed us a close-up examination of an exquisitely worked Picardy bronze clothes pin.
A Beaker vessel from the quarry. Fine lignite beads can be seen in the dish at bottom right.
As you’d expect of Wessex Archaeology, a couple of experts ‘of Time Time fame‘ were also on hand to draw in the public with known names:
Jackie McKinley was examining a human skeleton. Was it the Beaker woman herself? I’m not sure but doubt it, as the bones were open for examination by visitors. Jackie was explaining what the bones could tell us about the person and how they lived.
Meanwhile, in a side hall, Phil Harding was giving demonstrations of his flint knapping knowledge and skills, and generally entertaining his audience with tales of how he started knapping. I found this to be extremely informative, with Phil explaining in plain language the nuances of the different techniques, and what he looks for in a piece of flint when selecting a piece for a particular purpose.
Phil Harding, in his element!
In addition, there were activities for children – including simple pot making and excavation (in a sandpit!) as well as several trays of finds to identify by period.
In terms of outreach, and from what I saw and experienced, I’d have to say the event was an unqualified success. I had arrived relatively early in the day, and after an hour or so decided to take my leave, by which time the hall was filling up and getting quite busy – the event obviously proving popular with the locals!
But I had another appointment, some 10 miles south as the crow flies, in Woking: the AGM of RESCUE, the British Archaeological Trust, of which Heritage Action are proud to hold Affiliate membership.
A relatively short business meeting was held, with the usual reports from Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and elections for vacant posts. This was followed by an Open Meeting with Gail Boyle, chair of the Society of Museum Archaeologists and Duncan Brown from English Heritage talking about ‘Trouble in store: the crisis facing archaeological archives‘.
The bald facts are that many museums simply cannot keep pace with the scale of developer-led archaeology and, largely due to swingeing government cuts simply do not have the resources to deal with the finds and documentation archives created by development such as those from Kingsmead Quarry, visited earlier in the day.
The point was made that although publication and deposition of findings is often a legal requirement attached to many developments, there is no associated legal requirement for local authorities a) to provide museum facilities or b) to provide deposition facilities, which creates a very large problem.
The talk centred around two documents – a report from the IfA’s ‘Southport Group‘ collated in 2010 which discussed the fact that:
Ultimately, the underlying principles of PPS5 and the Government Statement paint a vision of the future where planning-led investigation of the historic environment delivers far greater rewards and far more immediately recognisable benefits for society as a whole than ever before. Even if or when PPS5 is absorbed into the National Heritage Planning Framework, as anticipated will take place later this year, those principles are set to endure.
and also a recent survey and report produced by the Society of Museum Archaeologists (SMA) . The preface to the report states:
Despite a tacit acceptance that archaeological archives present their own particular set of problems and a few clarion calls like the one above, penned by Dr Ian Longworth as far back as 1991, the archaeological world has continued to find it difficult to come to terms with housing the end product of its investigations.
A growing realisation that, in some areas at least, the situation had become critical resulted in a number of initiatives, not least the day-conference Trouble in Store, organised by the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers and held at York in July 2011.
Following the conference FAME and the Society of Museum Archaeologists embarked on a joint initiative, with financial assistance from English Heritage, to attempt to quantify and qualify the current picture, and produce a set of recommendations for future storage strategies.
The report (161 museums were surveyed, 134 provided responses) includes some quite damning statistics.
- Only 84 museums were able to accept depositions without known conditions.
- In 47 local authority areas, there were no museums accepting collections. An interactive map is available on the Archaeology Data Service (ADS) showing details of organisations that are accepting archaeological archives.
- Only around 30% of museums had a specialist archaeology curator.
- In terms of storage, on average, local history collections took up 45% of storage space compared with 22% for archaeological collections.
- Archaeological collections and archives are used in many different ways. A significant number of these would be impossible without specialist archaeological expertise.
The report put forward a series of eight recommendations, and these are currently being worked on, in league with other organisations. In addition, a set of pan-European standards are being worked towards.
There was some discussion following the talk, with mention of use of a Cumbrian salt mine as an economical repository, but there was some concern about the effects of salt on some depositions. The situation is being monitored closely.
As a non-archaeologist, I was surprised at the scale of the problem – I’d been aware that Devizes Museum had announced they would take no more depositions due to lack of available space, but wasn’t aware that so many areas had no facility for deposition at all, nor about the legal dichotomy involved within the planning process. There is obviously much work to be done to try to resolve some of these issues, but with very few easy answers forthcoming.
Slides from the presentation can be viewed here.
We would urge everyone concerned about the multitude of threats to our archaeological heritage to support RESCUE in their campaigning work. Individual membership costs less than 5p per day (£15/year) and every membership helps.
Compiled by Sue Brooke
The following events will be taking place next month, why not add one or two to your diary and join in the fun?
CORNWALL
Cornwall Archaeological Society
Regular walks and talks of interest:
The Society was formed in 1961 – it grew out of the West Cornwall Field Club, itself founded in 1935 by a group of enthusiasts who were studying the archaeology of West Cornwall.
WALKS – Every month there is an archaeological walk somewhere in Cornwall led by members or an invited expert.
TALKS – During winter months talks are given at centres in Truro and Liskeard by speakers, national and local (and including members) who are specialists in their field of interest.
ACTIVITIES – The Society gives opportunities for those interested in practical archaeology to participate in fieldwork and learn archaeological techniques. Members often take part in excavations run by the Cornwall County Council’s Historic Environment Service (HES).
http://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/
Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network
‘A charitable partnership formed to look after the ancient sites and monuments of Cornwall. Currently working closely with local communities and official organisations to protect and promote our ancient heritage landscape through research, education and outreach activities’
CASPN Pathways to the Past, Cornwall are holding a whole weekend of walks and talks amongst the ancient sites of West Penwith:
Saturday May 25th 2013 10.00-12.30pm – ‘Curiouser and Curiouser! ‘ Cheryl Straffon and Lana Jarvis visit enigmatic sites on a guided walk. Meeting at Gurnards Head [SW436 375] and finishing there for lunch if wished.
Saturday May 25th 2013 2.00 – 4.30pm - ‘A stank around the Gump’ A guided walk with archaeologist David Giddings around Portheras Common & Chûn Downs. Meet at North Road layby (near Pendeen) [SW394 334]
Saturday May 25th 2013 8.00 – 10.00pm – ‘Art of the Ancestors’ An illustrated talk by Paul Bonnington about Palaeolithic cave art. At the Count House at Botallack.
Sunday May 26th 2013 2.00 – 4.30pm – ‘Sanctuaries: a lan and a circle’ A guided walk with archaeologist Adrian Rodda, exploring the church at St Buryan, followed by a walk to the Bronze Age circle at Boscawen-ûn. Meeting at St.Buryan church (parking available nearby).
Sunday May 26th 2013 8.00 – 9.00pm ‘ Place names of West Penwith’ – To round off the weekend, local researcher and historian Craig Weatherhill will be chatting about his new research into the original meanings of some of Penwith’s intriguing place names. At the North Inn, Pendeen
NOTE: Each individual event costs £3 but is free to members of FOCAS (Friends of Cornwall’s Ancient Sites). You can join FOCAS at the beginning of an individual event.
For further information see the CASPN web site.
Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network/ Lizard Ancient Sites Network
Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network has a sister Group covering sites in the Lizard peninsula called LAN [Lizard Ancient Sites Network]. With initial funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, a group was set up, consisting of representatives from CASPN, Historic Environment Service, Cornwall Archaeological Society, Meneage Archaeological Group, Natural England and the National Trust. Work continues at these sites and some new ones, and volunteers are always very welcome at the monthly clear-ups These events are a really good opportunity to get a bit more hands-on whilst helping to clear an ancient site in the landscape. This not only allows for physical preservation of the site itself but helps it to be kept safe for others to enjoy in the future. Please note that suitable footwear and clothing is needed although tools or any necessary equipment will be provided.
Tuesday May 14th 2013 - 12.00 noon – Poldowrian Hut Circle [SW 7550 1690]
Meeting at Poldowrian [off the minor road near Ponsongath off B3293]
DEVON
Barnstaple – North Devon Archaeological Society was established in 1959, and for many years concentrated on providing lectures and visits for members. The society merged with North Devon Rescue, a campaigning organisation which had been instrumental in ensuring proper recording and excavation in the area,
Little Potheridge Excavation 11th – 26th May 2013
Starting on 11th May and running until the 26th, there will be a unique opportunity to take part in the excavation of an area known to have been used for clay pipe production. As this is an NDAS project, first priority will be given to NDAS members but we do need people to sign up as there is already outside interest. NDAS don’t need a commitment for both weeks – one week, week-ends or odd days will be fine. If current members could let them know roughly their availability by the end of March at the latest, it will give them time to recruit reinforcements, if necessary.
ESSEX
West Essex Archaeology Group, Woodford Green
WEAG’s aim is ‘to promote the advancement of knowledge and education by a study of archaeology, history and kindred subjects ‘.
13th May 2013 at 7:45pm RUDGE LECTURE:’ The Archaeology of the Thames ‘ Jon Cotton, Consultant Archaeologist
Further information: http://www.weag.org.uk/
Essex Historical Congress
‘Essex Historical Congress was founded in 1964 to bring together all the organisations in the country interested in Archaeology, local history and civic life. Today Essex Congress has over 100 member groups and actively promotes awareness and study of the rich heritage of the County’
The Annual General Meeting will be held on 25th May 2013 at Saffron Walden Museum at 10.00 am.
Further details on the work of the group can be found on their web site.
GLASTONBURY
For something just a little bit different – The next Megalithomania will take place in Glastonbury on 18th – 19th May 2013, plus 5 days of tours. Keep your calendar free for seven days of pure Megalithomania this May.
Early-Bird Tickets and further information on the Megalithomania web site.
KENT
Council for Kentish Archaeology
The Society was founded in 1857 and is now a registered charity with the following objects: To promote the study and publication of archaeology and history in all their branches, especially within the ancient county of Kent. Much of the County has been lost to London since 1857 so the “ancient county” is treated as including the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham, as well as Medway and the administrative county. The Society’s interests are not confined to fieldwork. Its objects cover archaeology and local history in the widest sense.
For 6 weeks running from 22 April 2013 ‘Kent and the River. ’ The River Thames has played a vital part in the history of Kent, in peace and war, in work and leisure. This class will look at aspects of the history of the river and its shipping, and the riverside communities.
Lectures in the Library – Morning: 10.15am – 12.15. Afternoon: 2.00pm – 4.00pm
http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/kent-archaeology-events/lectures-in-the-library/
LEOMINSTER
Mortimer History Society
‘The Aim of the Mortimer History Society is to provide a forum for all those who are interested in the medieval Mortimer dynasty, both to study, enjoy and to publicise its eventful history’.
An academic and a practical appreciation of the local and national history associated with the Mortimer family. The activities of the Society are aimed at a wide and diverse audience with a special emphasis on Herefordshire, Shropshire, Powys, and in particular young people.
11 May 2013 – Mortimer History Society May Meeting
18 May 2013 – Blanche Mortimer Dress Display
http://www.mortimerhistorysociety.org.uk/index.htm
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE/DERBYSHIRE
MBArchaeology
MBArchaeology specialises in Community Archaeology, Education & Research. Based in Nottinghamshire / Derbyshire and offering educational talks, walks, workshops and courses on a whole variety of archaeological topics.
Derbyshire – full-day field visits that run throughout the summer to sites of historical and archaeological interest.
Sunday 12th May 2013 – ‘Archaeology in the Landscape: Langwith-Elmton’
Friday 17th May 2013 – ‘Archaeology of the Hardwick Estate’
Saturday 18th May 2013 – ‘ Hidden Heritage in the Peak’
Costs vary. For further details see the MBArchaeology web site.
PETERBOROUGH
Flag Fen Archaeology Park. The Droveway, Northey Road, Peterborough, PE6 7QJ
Flag Fen is open daily from 10am-5pm (last entry at 4pm) from April to October and is a marvellous opportunity to see the work undertaken.
WILTSHIRE
Wiltshire Heritage Museum runs a large number of events, exhibitions and activities both for the general public and members of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society.
29th March to 1st. September 2013– ‘The Splendour of Stonehenge’ – an exhibition from the Wiltshire Heritage Museum’s extensive collection of paintings, drawings, engravings, prints and photographs of Stonehenge. These date from the 18th century to the present day.
http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/
WALES
National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
Static exhibition in The Archaeology gallery – Origins: In Search of Early Wales. This traces life in Wales from the earliest humans 230,000 years ago. Who were our ancestors, and how different were they from us? What has changed and what has caused these changes?
Visit the Origins – In Search of Early Wales webpages for more details.
FREE ENTRY.
8 May 2013 1.05pm. Archaeology Lunchtime Talk
‘Technology or Design? Decorating metalwork in the 1st century AD’ Mary Davis, Senior Conservator, Department of Archaeology.
Why and how was metalwork decorated within regions of Britain in direct conflict with Rome? Studying such objects can tell us anything about the varied indigenous societies that produced them, as they adapted to massive social, political and economic changes, accelerated by influences from the continent. This talk will concentrate on analysis of the Seven Sisters Hoard to illustrate some points about style, technology and Late Iron Age practices in Wales.
FREE ENTRY.
22 May 2013 1.05pm. Archaeology Lunchtime Talk
‘Archaeological excavation of experimental roundhouses’. With Professor Martin Bell, Head of Department of Archaeology, University of Reading.
FREE ENTRY
25 May–2 Jun 2013 11am – 4pm. Activity. ‘Pots from the Past’. Make a piece of art inspired by the pots and beakers used to prepare food in ancient times.
FREE ENTRY
St. Fagans: National History Museum. St. Fagans, Cardiff.
25 – 26 May 2013 ‘There’s Something Useful in the Woodland’ an opportunity to find out more about how Iron Age people uses plants to make food, clothing, medicines and beer.
St Fagans is one of Europe’s leading open-air museums and Wales’s most popular heritage attraction. It stands in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth. Please check the website for more details in relation to the timings of talks as these sessions are held both in English and Welsh.
Please note: Redevelopment Project – St Fagans: National History Museum has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Welsh Government to completely transform the visitor experience. Indoor galleries are currently closed as new exhibition spaces are built. The Celtic Village is also closed to prepare the site for a new eco-friendly exhibition space.
There is still plenty to see and visit.
St Fagans: National History Museum is located 4 miles west of Cardiff City Centre, just off the A4232. For satellite navigation purposes use the post code CF5 6XB.
FREE ENTRY but there is a small car parking fee.
For more information, see the Museum of Wales web site.
National Roman Legion Museum
Almost 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire dominated the civilised world. Wales was its furthest outpost and, in AD 75, a fortress was founded at Caerleon that would guard the region for over 200 years. The National Roman Legion Museum displays a remarkable collection of finds from Roman Caerleon, the base of the second Augustan Legion.
FREE ENTRY
Location: Town Centre, Caerleon, Gwent. Follow the ‘brown helmet’ signs from the M4 (westbound junction 25, eastbound junction 26). For satellite navigation purposes use the post code NP18 1AE (recorded as ‘High Street’).
More information see the Museum of Wales web site.:
6 May 2013 National Roman Legion Museum. ‘Eat, Drink and Be Merry!’
Celebrate a Roman festival – just like the Roman festival, Floralia, in Roman times, there will be eating, drinking, games to play, fighting to watch and contests to take part in.
18 and 19 May 2013 National Roman Legion Museum. ‘Do something different’. Learning new things isn’t just for kids and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be fun as well! Join in and try a new skill.
Saturday 18th May 2013 – Gladiator training. Unleash your inner warrior! Footwork, guard positions and hitting things included.
Sunday 19th May 2013 – Roman cooking. Use Roman recipes and ingredients to create a simple meal
*Adults only*
Saturday 18 May 2013 Archery – Jonathan Thomas is an experienced traditional archer. His talk will cover methods and manufacture of bows and the history of bows through archaeology and literature. Illustrated throughout with hands on examples of bow parts, and finishing with an outdoor demonstration of different types of bows and shooting.
CALDICOT
Caldicot Castle Country Park
May 5th and 6th 2013 From 10am – 5pm. Fortress Wales 2013 – Multi-period living history re-enactment and military vehicle show. Really good fun with lots happening.
For updates please check the Living History web site.
And so we come to the last part of our review of the Current Archaeology Live conference, held earlier this month in London’s Senate House.
The after-lunch session is usually regarded as a bit of a ‘graveyard shift’ (a wrong choice of words possibly, given the subject matter of many of this year’s talks), but everyone was attentive on return from lunch on the second day for what was possibly the most keenly anticipated talk by many of the whole conference.
Session 7. From Medieval to Early Modern
Richard Buckley, fresh from having been presented the award for Research Project of the Year the previous evening, took a spellbound audience through “Leicester’s Greyfriars and the Search for Richard III“, a subject that by now doubtless needs little introduction or review, having been the subject of several TV and radio programs, and multitudinous magazine and web articles. Richard’s now famous quote at the start of the dig, “I’ll eat my hat if we find Richard III” symbolised the fact that the actual hope of finding him was a very long shot. The initial appeal of the opportunity to dig at Greyfriars was the chance to survey the lost friary. To set context, Richard gave a timeline of Richard III’s movements, leading up to the Battle of Bosworth and discussed the sources of detail about his grisly end. Looking at maps of the Greyfriars area, only 14% of the site was undeveloped and potentially available for excavation, and two overlapping trenches were decided upon. Bones were uncovered within the first 5m of trench 1, but covered over again until the location and orientation of the church could be identified. A third trench identified the choir, and the bones were further investigated. Curvature of the spine was a strong clue, and RC14 dating was close to the required date. Skeletal details showed a slight build, of immediately indeterminate gender, but wounds (fatal and non-fatal) which matched the historical sources. Due process was followed, and DNA matching with two identified descendants took identification to ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ level. Cue hat-eating activities!
You had to feel a little sorry for Heather Knight, up next to tell us about the Curtain Playhouse in London, having to follow such a stunning tale. But she started by comparing today’s Shoreditch, a hotbed of art and creativity, with the same area in Shakespeare’s time. All performance was banned in the City of London in the 16th century, and as ever, space was at a premium within the walls hence the theatres on the outskirts: “the original ‘fringe theatres’”. Heather gave some background to the style of Elizabethan theatres and their construction and usage. It’s possible that the Curtain, sister/overflow venue for the nearby The Theatre, saw the first performance of Shakespeare’s Henry V in 1599 – the “wooden ‘O’” mentioned in the Prologue. Whilst the rough location of the Curtain was known – even today the road is called Curtain Road – all physical traces were thought to have vanished. But when the area was marked for development, the archaeologists moved in. The first discovery was 19C cobbles – a good sign as this meant no 19C basements! They then found asymmetric load bearing walls, indicating a round building some 22m across – typical Playhouse style. Also uncovered within the narrow trench was a floor made of sheep bones. Apparently common and hard-wearing. Much of the archaeology is 2.5m below current ground level, so it is hoped more is preserved in situ below the Horse and Groom pub for future archaeologists to investigate further.
Sheepbone flooring, © MOLA
To close off this session, Pieta Greaves told us a little about her role as a Conservator on the Staffordshire Hoard, with some stunning closeup photographs of the intricate designs. Sadly, as the hoard was discovered by a Metal Detectorist, there were absolutely no clues as to it’s context, just some 205 bags of gold, silver and glass pieces. Many of the pieces were so brittle that thorns were used to clean them, rather than the more usual cocktail sticks or scalpels, to avoid damaging the fragile surfaces of the gold. It is hoped that chemical analysis of the alloys and adhesives may help identify a workshop for some of the pieces, and thus provide some context but there are too many outstanding questions, and of course, pieces are still being illegally removed up from the original site, (as we highlighted recently) which police are aware of and are investigating.
After a short question time for the session, a tea break was more than welcome before the final session of the conference.
Session 8. Operation Nightingale: Injured soldiers on the road to recovery.
Surgeon Commodore Peter Buxton introduced a short film about Operation Nightingale (ON) excavations at Caerwent and explained that the project uses archaeological fieldwork to help the recovery of wounded servicemen returning from Afghanistan. Phil Harding (CA Archaeologist of the Year) is Honorary President but Peter explained with a smile that “rumours I told the soldiers to vote for him are untrue!” He went on to explain that many MOD sites (10 World heritage Sites, 800 listed buildings, 734 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in their care) are so well protected that they contain some amazing archaeology. Many of the soldiers involved in ON have moved on to study archaeology on a full-time basis as a result of the project. The first dig for the project was Chissenbury Midden, a 3m deep Bronze Age deposit threatened by badgers. Examining the throw resulted in up to 25kg of pottery sherds, without any excavation (“the post-ex costs would have bankrupted us!”). The success of the project was summed up in the example of a soldier, mute for 4 months following injury, who started speaking whilst sorting pottery on the project. It was explained that many soldiers’ injuries, mental or physical, may not necessarily be ‘visible’ injuries but all must be rehabilitated in their own ways. Whilst the focus is on the healing process, some good archaeological work is also being done by the unit; Caerwent Roman villa and Barrow Clump Saxon cemetery (featured in a Time Team Special) were honorable mentions here. One questioner asked “are results published, or is it a military secret?” The reply was that work will be published as it’s all part of the archaeology.
But all too soon, it was time for closing comments from both Matthew Symonds, CA editor and Andrew Selkirk, editor in chief and founder of the magazine. And that was it for another year.
There were some trips organised to visit the St Mary Spital Charnel House and also the Billingsgate Bathhouse on the Sunday, but I didn’t attend these, so cannot report on them here.
Was the conference a success? Judging from the increase in attendance figures from last year, and the reactions on Twitter and Facebook I’d have to say positively yes, and I personally am already looking forward to next year’s event, although whether the Senate House will be large enough is open to debate. Book early to avoid disappointment, as they say…
Current Archaeology Live is an event hosted annually by Current Archaeology magazine since 2008, and incorporating the Current Archaeology Awards. Again, as last year, I attended and live-tweeted the event.
After a full first day, attendees arriving at Senate House found the entrance they had been told to use for Day Two was off limits – the Muppets were filming in the building for the day! So a quick leg stretch was required to circumnavigate the building to an alternate entrance. Despite this, the conference timetable was adhered to – kudos to the organisers.
Session 5. The Making of Medieval England
After a recap of last year’s award winners, Duncan Sayer started the day, taking us through Anglo-Saxon Oakington, northernmost of a cluster of Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in Cambridgeshire. Analysis of the graves showed no patterning according to age or gender, but there were lots of children interred. One couple buried together were shown – she was much the taller of the two, so much so that her knees were bent to fit her into the grave cut. However, analysis of finds showed a pattern of clusters of long and round brooches, suggesting two separate plots. Amusingly, two horse burials were uncovered, until one was found to have horns! A woman buried with a cow was a first.
Alexandra Knox then took us through the recent excavations at Lyminge in Kent, site of an Anglo-Saxon Timber Hall. A monastic abbey site, previous excavations have identified two distinct phases of occupation in the area, with no overlap. Evidence from excavated Sunken Floored Buildings (SFBs) shows that the area was important prior to the estalishment of the abbey there. The big find of the 2012 season though was the Great Hall, of double plank in trench construction and preliminarily dated to around AD600. Christianisation of the area is reflected in both the settlement shift and the diet – from mostly pigs to mainly sheep/goat, though over 10000 fish bones have been uncovered, some 10 miles from the (then) coast. Other finds have identified Middle Saxon Lyminge as a centre of production. Textiles, metalworking, bone working etc.
Finally for this session, Neil Faulkner returned to the stage, taking as his subject ‘Monarchy, Church and Great Estate, the making and remaking of an Anglo-Saxon village’ – Sedgeford. Neil made the point that while with Roman sites it’s easy to identify their function: town, fort, villa etc., no such typology exists for Anglo-Saxon sites. What is a monastery, what does a manor look like? He then discussed how far the social structures described in Anglo-Saxon written sources can be seen in archaeology. Sedgeford is a long term investigation of settlement and land use, for instance: Middle A-S Sedgeford is mainly located south of the river, with Medieval Sedgford to the north. Why the move? Many questions still unanswered, though the impact of the creation of petty kingdoms etc. needs to be considered – dynamism of society reflected in the archaeology?
After such a thoughtful talk to close the session, it was time for a coffee break and more browsing round the Fair stalls looking for some bargains.
Session 6. A Tale of Two Cities: Pompeii and Herculaneum
The World Archaeology session returned to Roman matters with three talks covering “two ordinary towns with a spectacular end”. Paul Roberts of the British Museum was up first to introduce the upcoming exhibition on the two cities, “Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum”, which promises to ‘provide vivid insights into ordinary Roman life’. Pompeii had a population of between 12-15000, Herculaneum was smaller. Up to 50% of the population of Herculaneum were of slave origin. The exhibition focuses on the home; for instance, a fresco of a baker and his wife was shown where she holds a stylus and tablet appears to show her doing the accounts for the family business. Many other images were shown in a slide show, including how a large mosaic had to be tilted to fit through the doors of the museum for the exhibition, and a bronze statue of Empress Livia squeezed through with just 2cm to spare. Tricky stuff. The exhibition reminds us that the artefacts aren’t just objects, they were someone’s possessions, like the carbonised baby’s wooden cradle, and the carbonised table that also appears in a wall fresco.
Carbonised crib from Herculaneum, © Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill then guided us through Herculaneum, where just 5 hectares have been excavated to date, about a tenth of the area dug so far at Pompeii. Although both cities were wiped out by the volcanic eruption, there were doomed in different ways. Pompeii was suffocated by the initial ash, but Herculaneum was covered by the pyroclastic flows. Different ends, different effects (the organic material was preserved much better in Herculaneum), and different excavation methods are required for a total of ’450 million truckloads’ of material covering the two cities. In Pompeii, pumice pebbles can be excavated, but Herculaneum is covered in solid rock. Much more difficult to excavate! But Herculaneum is in decline through neglect – hence the Herculaneum Conservation Project, but water management is a big problem, with regular flooding so reconstructing the drains is important as the Romans knew how to keep their city dry.
Sarah Court then took to the stage, all the way from Italy, to tell us more about the outreach aspects of the Conservation Project. The excavations initially created generations of local employment, but the area around Herculaneum is now very poor with high unemployment and very little tourism so far. The Project is involving the local community again, giving them a sense of pride and ownership in an area that could again be engulfed by another eruption at any time! Many locals feel that tourism is the only hope for their town, and local schoolchildren are being used as ‘ambassadors’, in a ‘peer learning’ scheme.
The session was closed with a Q&A section, where debate centred around the possible ‘Disneyfication’ of the area and moves to prevent this happening whilst still providing a sustainable future for the region. After which, the conference broke off for lunch before the final sessions of the two day event…
To Be Continued.
We continue our review of this year’s Current Archaeology Live conference, held on March 1-2 at Senate House, in London.
After a pleasant lunch in the cafe in the park at Russell Square, I returned to the melee at the Archaeology Fair. The second-hand bookstall was proving popular, as were all the other stalls ranged around the room. But all too soon the bell summoned us back to the lecture room for the afternoon sessions.
Session 3. Researching Roman Britain
Now, I’m far from being a Romanist – it’s all far too modern for me! – but I found much of interest in this session. Are those damn Romans assimilating me into their empire? Matt Symonds was certainly in raptures during this session!
First up was Keith Parfitt, from Canterbury Archaeology Trust, to tell us about a Rescue Dig at Folkestone Villa. The villa was first excavated by Winbolt in the 1920′s and last dug in 1957 when it was backfilled. The site is now in danger from coastal erosion – where it was recorded as far as 200 feet from the cliff edge, parts are no more than 8 feet from the edge! As Keith said, “cliffs don’t crumble, they go in chunks”, so the next collapse will likely take some of the villa with it. It’s possible the villa may once have been a trading post, as much as half-a mile inland. There have been some fascinating finds, both at the site and at the bottom of the cliff on the shoreline below, including a beautiful Iron Age gold coin – a photo of which drew gasps from the audience, and a lovely signet ring gem, found trodden into the gravel in the yard of the villa.
Andrew Birley then attempted to summarise 5 years work at Vindolanda in 25 minutes… Vindolanda contains a long sequence of forts on a single site – as many as 11 – with other forts nearby too, so an impossible task to fit it all in, but he made a brave attempt. The last 5 years have concentrated on the 3rd century site, where two pieces of painted glass, excavated in different areas of the site were found to fit together perfectly. Amazing stuff. Many of the finds at Vindolanda are so well preserved because of its isolation – there were no medieval settlements here to rob out the stone, although some Saxon strap ends built into the fabric of the wall indicate the length of the occupation. One sombre find was the grave of a murdered Roman child, born in North Africa and buried under the garrison floor. Among other finds have been some pieces matching parts of the Crosby Garrett helmet – suggesting mass-production of components?
To finish the session, Ian Haynes told us about recent work at Maryport, Cumbria. In particular looking at new ideas about the largest collection of Roman altars in Britain and a reappraisal of the 1870 pit discoveries. It is now felt that the altars were not ritually buried as originally thought, but may have been used to support the timber posts of later buildings.
Session 4. Keynote Speaker
After a tea break, Neil Faulkner introduced the Keynote Speaker, Martin Carver (who has previously featured in our Inside the Mind series). Martin’s talk, entitled ‘Around the World with a Pointed Trowel’ took us on a whirlwind tour of archaeological digs in different countries: Turkey, Senegal, Sweden, Iceland, Cambodia, Japan etc. showing that different terrains can’t be excavated by standard means and techniques. Each site has unique problems to overcome, such as the comparison of excavation techniques used for permafrost versus a jungle terrain or the use of ‘CSI archaeology’ to analyse chemical properties of soil to identify the usage of different parts of a site. Moving on to talk about the social context and problems of looting, local communities need to feel important to value their heritage and stop looting. Closing thoughts from Martin Carver: every site has its own personality. ‘Design, not dogma, is what makes archaeology happen,’ and ‘Local archaeological societies are local experts and must be included in archaeology design’.
After a short break, during which everyone decanted into the Fair hall, it was time for the awards. Firstly the World Archaeology Photo of the Year winner was announced: Sophie Hay was the worthy winner.
Then a special award, The Royal Archaeological Institute presented a special award for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, for the best report on archaeological achievements in the last 60 years. The worthy winners were Cornwall Archaeological Society, for their work at Carn Brea.
The Current Archaeology Awards, voted for by the magazine readership were then presented. The winners were as follows:
- Book of the Year: Roman Camps in Britain, by Rebecca Jones
- Rescue Dig of the Year: Folkstone: Roman Villa or Iron Age oppidum?
- Research Project of the year: Richard III: The search for the last Plantagenet king.
- Archaeologist of the Year: Phil Harding
The awards were in the form of flint arrowheads, which particularly pleased that well known knapper, Phil Harding
Phil Harding, can’t believe his luck!
The worthy winners , from l: Phil Harding, Richard Buckley (King Richard III), Keith Parfitt (Folkstone), Rebecca Jones.
And that was that. Drinks and nibbles were accompanied by some wonderful medieval music by Duo Parva Antiqua as the first day of the conference came to a close. Back tomorrow for more!
To Be Continued.
Current Archaeology Live is an event hosted annually by Current Archaeology magazine since 2008, and incorporating the Current Archaeology Awards. Once again, this year’s event was held in the prestigious Senate House building in London, reputed to be one of the inspirations for Orwell’s ’1984′ from his time working here. I was fortunate to be invited along once again this year to ‘live tweet’ the event across the two days.
Senate House – Wikimedia Commons
As previously, the format across the two days was roughly chronological, kicking off with the Prehistoric, moving through Roman and Medieval sessions up to Early Modern, with sessions on Rescue Archaeology and World Archaeology thrown in for good measure.
Matthew Symonds and Julian Richards
Session 1. In Search of the Prehistoric
Matt Symonds gave the customary Health and Safety speech after welcoming everyone, and introduced Julian Richards of Meet the Ancestors infamy, which as he said “was a very long time ago now”. Julian then passed the stage to Nick Card who told the audience all about the ongoing excavations on the Ness of Brodgar, including spectacular geofizz results, and Aerial-Cam photos of the site. It seems, even where test pits were dug away from any known anomalies archaeology was still present! Radio-carbon dated to around the same age as Stonehenge, some of the structures have been very impressively preserved – walls up to 1m high still complete, and a boundary wall that was over 6m thick in places – wider than Hadrian’s wall some three millennia later!
The second speaker was from an excavation in complete contrast: Mark Knight told us about the ‘deep space archaeology’ at Must Farm, in Cambridgeshire. The excavation of this largely Bronze Age site is taking place several metres below the current sea level, near to Flag Fen. Unlike Orkney, there is no stone here, but several log boats have been found, perfectly preserved in the anaerobic sediments. Whilst previous Fenland archaeology has concentrated on the relatively ‘high’ ground in what is essentially a flat area today, extraction of clay for brick-making has allowed a view of the previous, earlier topology, and this is now being investigated. Tracking the beds of old rivers, wattle and stake fence lines have been found, with thousands of animal hoof prints preserved in the mud alongside. Fish traps and spears with metal blades have been among the finds here, along with a total of nine log boats so far, from just a 250m section of old watercourse. In fact, the scale of varied, well preserved finds, including evidence of repair work on traps, fences and boats suggests that this use is typical along the length of the old watercourse, and not just a fluke.
To finish off the prehistoric session, Niall Sharples of Cardiff University spoke of his experiences at the recent excavations at Ham Hill, ‘the largest hillfort in Britain’. Ham Hill is four times the size of Maiden Castle, at 88ha., but little is known so far of its chronology. Much of the hill has been quarried away (starting with the Romans), or wooded, but part of the northern ramparts have been excavated, and show a possible neolithic origin with flint rubble. Much Bronze Age metalwork was found, suggesting consolidation work on a pre-existing ‘important place’, later with massive 3-phase expansion in the Iron Age. Looking at the possible population, a total of 54 grain storage pits have been found, estimates put the total occupancy at around the 1500 mark. The summer of 2013 will see the last season of excavations for now.
A coffee break allowed the first glimpse of the ‘Archaeology Fair’ – a series of stalls affording an opportunity to purchase a selection of books, archaeology-related jewelry and tools, and to speak to various providers of archaeological services. The Fair proved to be very popular over the two days.
Session 2. Rescuing the Past
This session included three talks about rescue digs, in London, Ipswich and Ireland. First up was Don Walker talking about the finds at St Mary Spital, in London, a cemetery site of mass fatalities in use between 1120 and 1539. Expecting to find around 4000 skeletons, almost 11000 were excavated, and the final total may have been as high as 18000. The cemetery included 143 mass graves, where the bodies had been interred neatly, not just thrown in. Examination of the bones showed two main phases of mass burial. Lack of trauma and radiocarbon dating ruled out battle casualties and the Black Death. One possible cause is a starvation event, which leaves little conclusive evidence in the bones. Historical sources record odd weather patterns and pestilence in the mid 13th century – harvest failure causing starvation? There is evidence for a volcanic eruption around this time bringing climate change.
Next up were Richard Brown and Andy Shelley, to tell us about the excavations at Stoke Quay in Ipswich – a 25 week excavation and post-ex fully supported by the developers. Stoke Quay is south of the Orwell, and medieval Ipswich was mainly to the north, so Stoke Quay could be considered as suburban. Most previous excavations in Ipswich (over a 30 year period) have been to the north of the river, so this waas a good opportunity. What was found was not only a Saxon cemetery with over 1100 bodies, but also a much earlier barrow cemetery too – a possible ‘burial landscape’, “similar to nearby Sutton Hoo, but without the riches”. Low value grave goods were found, including Seax and wooden staffs, over 100 boxes of pottery fragments and more than 500 boxes of animal bones. The excavation has provided an ongoing research potential for the evolution of Ipswich and study of burial rites across a wide period.
Finally, leading into lunch, Ronan Swan from the Irish National Road Scheme (NRA) spoke about the archaeological investigations carried out by the unit. With a vast range of over 15000 sites in the country, the three main approaches are preservation by avoidance, preservation in situ, or by record. Which is useed is determined by a host of varied factors. In the last 20 years, the Irish road system has expanded dramatically, and this has offered many archaeological opportunities. As it’s so difficult to avoid sites in Ireland, archaeologists were included in the road design teams. A quick slide tour of four sites was given, showing the range involved: Mesolithic fish traps found below Neolithic burnt mounds in Neath, Edercloon, Co Longford found wooden trackways in use from the Neolithic through to the Iron Age, Mitchelstown in Cork uncovered Bronze Age pottery, and Johnstown in Meath, a multi-period site with burials from the late Iron Age through the medieval period. In a nice ‘show and tell’, a model of a Mitchelstown pot with an odd face on it was passed around the audience. The model had been produced using a 3D printer, and a cast of the pot was also available to view.
The Show and Tell brought the morning sessions to an end, and we broke for lunch after Matt had thanked the morning’s speakers, and cracked an awful joke about the pot being the original ‘ugly mug’!
To Be Continued…
