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Archaeology Lectures, Events, and Exhibitions – October 2021

Now that museums and heritage sites around the UK are reopening and in-person events are beginning to be held again, we wanted to highlight some of the ‘real life’ exhibitions, lectures, and activities coming up. However, if you’re still looking for ways to get your archaeology fix at home, CWA's Amy Brunskill also has a selection of online museums tours, resources, activities, and more to keep you busy.

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EXHIBITIONS

Peru: a journey in time

11 November 2021-20 February 2022
British Museum

www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/peru-journey-time
The British Museum’s new exhibition, marking the bicentennial of Peru’s independence, presents the history, beliefs, and cultural achievements of its inhabitants from the 3rd millennium BC up to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century AD, and explores their legacy in the centuries that followed. The exhibition features objects from the British Museum’s collection as well as pieces borrowed from Peru, in combination with photography and videos of iconic sites. Adult tickets cost £15, with concession prices available.

Image: © 2021 The Trustees of the British Museum.

The Slate Landscape of North West Wales – a bid for World Heritage Status

Until 31 December 2021
National Slate Museum, Wales
https://museum.wales/slate/whatson/11382/ The-Slate-Landscape-of-North-West-Wales— a-bid-for-World-Heritage-Status/

The story of the Slate Landscape of North West Wales and its recent recognition as Wales’ fourth UNESCO World Heritage Site (see CA 379) is the subject of an exhibition that has recently opened at the National Slate Museum. The exhibition highlights the areas included in the bid and showcases the landscape’s journey from an upland agricultural society to the world leader for the production and export of slate. Entry is free.


Mohini Chandra: Paradise Lost

Until 6 November 2021
MIRROR, Plymouth College of Art
https://mirrorplymouth.com/whats-on/mohini-paradise-lost

This new exhibition at Plymouth College of Art explores the history of shipwrecks in the city of Plymouth and their connection to empire, slavery, and indenture through a new body of work by Dr Mohini Chandra, bringing together a mixture of photography, moving image, and historical artefacts. Mohini’s work reflects the complex movement of people and objects within the colonised world, while reflecting on her own ancestors’ journeys aboard indenture ships. Admission is free.

LECTURES

Rhind Lectures 2021: Untimely Ends

22-24 October 2021
www.socantscot.org/event/rhind-lectures-2021

The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland presents its first hybrid event with the 2021 Rhind Lectures, which will be taking place in the National Museum Scotland Auditorium and online. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Untimely Ends’, with six lectures presented by Professor John Hunter exploring how we think about death in the past compared to the way we treat it in the present. Tickets for both online and in-person attendance are free.

EVENT

In the Footsteps of Mudlarks

Dates throughout October 2021
London
https://thames-explorer.org.uk/foreshore-walks/exploration-events/

Thames Explorer Trust has begun running their two-hour tours of London’s foreshores again. Experienced staff will guide you in your foreshore exploration, helping you find and identify archaeological evidence of London’s past as revealed by the River Thames, from smoking pipes and pottery to bones. Tickets cost £25 and children must be accompanied by an adult (minimum age is 8 years).

HERITAGE FROM HOME

Virtual visits

• Bloomberg Connects
www.bloombergconnects.org
Download the Bloomberg Connects app to explore museums, galleries, and cultural heritage sites around the world, from Sir John Soane’s Museum in London to the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

• Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/whats-on/tours
Explore the Asian Civilisations Museum with virtual tours of galleries and exhibitions, and 3D models of objects from the collections, along with videos and photographs on the ACM Facebook and Instagram pages.

Photo: Jamie Heath.

• Mausoleum of Augustus, Italy
www.mausoleodiaugusto.it/en
Take a virtual tour of the final resting place of Emperor Augustus in Rome, the largest circular tomb in the world. Find out about the structure’s recent restoration and see how it would have looked when it was first constructed.

• Elmswell Farm, UK
https://digventures.com/elmswell-farm/timeline/
Discover more about this Roman site in East Yorkshire through the Dig Timeline from DigVentures, with daily updates and photographs from the recent excavations, guided video tours, a radio interview, and 3D models.

Learning in Lockdown

• Sussex School of Archaeology and History
www.sussexarchaeology.org
Discover a selection of new online offerings including weekly courses, day schools, and lectures from Sussex School of Archaeology, which has now expanded its remit to cover aspects of local history as well.

• Wales Online YAC
https://membermojo.co.uk/wales_online_yac
The first nationwide, fully online branch of the Young Archaeologists’ Club offers young people (8-16 years old) the opportunity to get involved in history, archaeology, and heritage in a digital environment.

• Horrible Histories Podcast
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09rtxr5
Enjoy this new podcast from the team behind the Horrible Histories TV series, which brings together figures from history and imagines what they would do with their own podcasts.

• English Heritage TikTok
www.tiktok.com/@english.heritage
Learn more about stories from England’s history and visit heritage sites around the UK with these short, informative, and entertaining videos from English Heritage.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, DeFacto.

Family fun

• Pompeii Trader
www.sea.museum/explore/apps-and-games/pompeii-trader
Discover what life was like in a busy Roman port and learn about the objects imported and exported across the Roman Empire with this online game from the Australian National Maritime Museum.

• Terrible Trades
www.vam.ac.uk/terribletrades
Find out what it took to become a master craftsman in the past with this online game from the Victoria & Albert Museum, which lets you try your hand at becoming a tanner, embroiderer, or gilder.

• A House Through Time
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09l64y9
Enjoy the new series of A House Through Time, in which David Olusoga explores local history through the stories of the people who lived in one house. This season examines the past of a house in Leeds.

• Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World
www.channel4.com/ programmes/bettany-hughes-treasures-of-the-world
Join Bettany Hughes as she explores famous treasures and new archaeological discoveries across the world. Recent episodes visit Greece, Malta, and Gibraltar.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

• Bring on the Battle
www.rct.uk/resources/game-bring-on-the-battle-childrens-activity
Learn more about the people who built Windsor Castle 900 years ago, and try your hand at things like archery and dodging burning oil in this game, which lets you imagine you are a soldier trying to conquer the Castle.