Current Archaeology’s February Listings: exhibitions, events, and heritage from home

This article is from Current Archaeology issue 432

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EVENT

Open Weekend at Sizewell C

Yoxford Village Hall, Suffolk
21 & 22 February 
https://cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk/events/event-sizewell-c-archaeology-open-day-yoxford-village-hall

Oxford Cotswold Archaeology will be hosting two open days to showcase the finds and initial information already discovered during excavations as part of the Sizewell C development site. This event will explore a selection of the finds. Discover more about the excavations along the Sizewell Link Road, including the early medieval barrow cemetery, and hear directly from the archaeologists involved. There is no need to book, and the event is free to attend.

LECTURE

Circular Arguments? Developing new understandings of the Neolithic monument of Avebury 

Bristol M Shed
12 March 
http://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/m-shed/avebury

This lecture by Professors Mark Gilling and Joshua Pollard will discuss new interpretations of the Avebury monument following new fieldwork and archive investigations. Although it is one of the pre-eminent monumental landscapes in Europe and has been subject to more than 400 years of study, there is still much to be discovered about this site. The event is ‘pay what you can’, but tickets must be pre-booked. You can also attend the lecture online on Zoom; details will be sent by email on booking.

CONFERENCE

Archaeology in Wiltshire Conference 2026

Corn Exchange, Devizes
22 March 
http://www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/news-articles/event/archaeology-in-wiltshire-conference-2026/

Join the conference to hear the latest in archaeological news from the county, including talks from Sophie Hawke about Portable Antiquities Scheme finds, Joshua Pollard and Ben Chan about fieldwork at Avebury and environs, and Richard Osgood on Operation Nightingale at Tedworth Mausoleum. There will also be stands from a range of organisations. The event has sold out in previous years, so booking in advance is essential. The cost is £40, with concessions for member of the Wiltshire Museum and for students.

COURSES

Lime Mortar: principles and practices

Engine Shed, Stirling
17 March 
http://www.engineshed.scot/whats-on/events/?eventId=a3916a50-ba46-4ee9-a59b-b0d700eccdaf

This one-day learning opportunity – geared toward students, graduates, heritage professionals, and building practitioners – will teach about the basic principles of processing raw limestone or shell into mortar and plaster, and will also share the current best practices and innovative techniques used to identify (and replicate) parts for conservation and repair projects. Tickets cost £45, with concessions available for Historic Scotland members and students. There are also virtual tickets available for £30.

Topographic Survey Training Course

King John’s Palace and Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
13-17 April
http://www.mercian-as.co.uk/fieldschool.html#toposurv

This course, run by Mercian Archaeological Services, will teach the skills used on excavations and other sites for locating features using GPS and total Station. The course will also enable participants to learn the complex skills of archaeological topographic survey, recording a site with a combination of both objects and subjective survey methods. The classroom training will take place at King John’s Palace and fieldwork will take place at the Palace as well as at a site in Sherwood Forest. The cost is £375 per person.

HERITAGE FROM HOME

VIRTUAL VISITS

• Taming the Desert: resilience, religion, and ancestors in ancient Peru 

https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=2ZHkMWAimhS

Explore the Moche and Nasca cultures in an interactive virtual tour of this exhibition, presented by the Fowler Museum at UCLA. 

• Museum der Kulturen Basel

http://www.mkb.ch/de/museum/virtuelles-museum.html

No need to travel to Switzerland to explore the Museum der Kulturen Basel. Here you can take virtual guided tours and download craft projects related to the objects and stories in the museum.

• A Golden Age of Architecture: rare Elizabethan and early Jacobean drawings by Thorpe and the Smythsons

http://www.soane.org/exhibitions/golden-age-architecture

This online exhibition from the Sir John Soane’s Museum London explores the work of eminent Elizabethean and Jacobean architects: John Thorpe, and Robert Smythson and his son John.  

• Women of the Welfare Landscape

https://merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/women-of-the-welfare-landscape/

The Museum of English Rural Life presents an online exhibition about Brenda Colvin and the garden design business she started in 1922 – now the longest-running landscape firm in the country.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Pits, Pots and People: evidence for Beaker activity at Sizewell C

https://tinyurl.com/yuvz6nk8

This free online webinar on 25 February from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology discusses early Bronze Age archaeology at Sizewell C. 

• Tutankhamun Spatial Archive

https://tutankhamun.griffith.ox.ac.uk

Explore Tutankhamun’s tomb through the excavation records of Howard Carter and his team in the 1920s. 

• Evening with National Trust Archaeologists 

https://tinyurl.com/4xmnyaa2

On 3 March, join this free webinar to hear all about the latest work from National Trust archaeologists. 

• National Heritage List for England

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list

Explore this up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England. 

FAMILY FUN

• Digging for Britain  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014hl0d

The latest season of Digging for Britain has begun. Catch up on the latest archaeological discoveries in Britain. 

• Greeking Out

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/greeking-out

A podcast from National Geographic Kids that retells stories of ancient Greece and its mythology. 

• Inside Archaeology

http://www.youtube.com/@Inside_Archaeology/featured

This YouTube channel covers a range of topics, including interviews with archaeologists from all over the world and a monthly news show about the latest groundbreaking discoveries.

• DIY Archaeology Dig for Kids 

http://www.livewellplaytogether.com/diy-archaeology-dig-for-kids-a-fun-ancient-history-activity/

This DIY archaeology dig for kids is a fun, hands-on way to make ancient history come alive, as kids dig for their own artefacts and learn about the tools that archaeologists use.

• The Sutton Hoo Dig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovPuXeqNGhA

Time Team have compiled all of their recent episodes on their 2024 Sutton Hoo dig into one feature-length episode for you to enjoy.