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EXHIBITION
Pirates
National Maritime Museum, London, 29 March 2025-4 January 2026
http://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/pirates
This upcoming exhibition from Royal Museums Greenwich explores the changing depictions of pirates through the ages and reveals the brutal reality behind the fiction. Pirates follows the global history of piracy from the South China Sea to the coast of North Africa, illuminating real-life figures like Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read, as well as examining the perception of piracy in popular culture, from Captain Pugwash to Captain Jack Sparrow. The exhibition is recommended for ages 10+. Tickets cost £15 for adults, £11.25 for students, and £7.50 for children.
CONFERENCES
Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland 2025 Conference
Connacht Hotel, Galway City, 4-5 April 2025
http://www.iai.ie/2024/12/11/iai-conference-2025
In 2025, the theme of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland’s annual conference is ‘Fragmented Past: Letting in the Light’. This two-day event will be full of exciting recent archaeological projects and research. There will also be a space for posters and time allocated for attendees to discuss poster presentations with their authors, while the IAI’s AGM and annual quiz night will both be held on the Friday evening. Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite and cost €35 for IAI members or €65 for non-members.
ASE’s 50th Anniversary Conference
CityCoast Centre, Portslade , 5 April 2025
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology-south-east/engagement/ase-50
This day conference near Brighton celebrates Archaeology South-East’s 50th anniversary, and will showcase the organisation’s work, past and present, as well as looking forward to the next 50 years. The event is open to anyone interested in the archaeology of the south-east and the role that ASE has played in unravelling the mysteries of the region’s past. The programme will include keynote talks from leading archaeologists, and displays showcasing recent finds and innovative techniques. Tickets cost £30, or £40 including lunch; both ticket options include the closing wine reception.
LECTURE
The Conversation
St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, Until 6 May 2025
http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/the-conversation
The Conversation is a new programme of talks taking place every Tuesday at the church just off Trafalgar Square. Several upcoming events will appeal to history fans, including Helen Castor and Nicholas Hytner exploring the political rivalries between Richard II and Henry IV (18 March), Bettany Hughes discussing her latest book The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (25 March), and Tom Holland examining the lives of the rulers of ancient Rome (8 April). Tickets cost £15 in person, but the talks are also being livestreamed (£10).
EVENT
Supporting the Roof in Pre-improvement Vernacular Buildings in Scotland
Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore, 5 April 2025
http://www.nosas.co.uk/supporting-the-roof
This NOSAS seminar brings together speakers from across Scotland tdiscuss the ways that roofs were supported in pre-improvement vernacular buildings in Scotland. Cruck-framed construction has been a traditional method of doing this in Scotland, but what about in areas where there is little archaeological evidence of cruck-frames? What preceded crucks? And why were they superseded in the late 18th and early 19th centuries? The seminar will include a guided tour of the museum in the afternoon. Tickets cost £15 for NOSAS members and £20 for others.
HERITAGE FROM HOME
VIRTUAL VISITS
• Manchester Digital Collections, UK
http://www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk
Find out more about cultural collections and research projects at the University of Manchester with this online platform, spanning thousands of years and an array of world cultures.
• Deutsches Historisches Museum, Germany
Discover nearly 800,000 objects from the collections of the German Historical Museum in Berlin with the DHM’s newly revised and expanded online database.
• The Temple of Artemis at Sardis, Turkey
https://mused.com/guided/285/temple-of-artemis-sardis-turkey
Explore the ancient Temple of Artemis at Sardis, one of the world’s largest Ionic temples, and learn about its history with this guided virtual tour.
• Prittlewell Princely Burial, UK
http://www.prittlewellprincelyburial.org
Learn about the famous Anglo-Saxon princely burial that was discovered at Prittlewell in 2003 (see CA 190 and 352) and explore a reconstruction of the chamber with these online resources from MOLA.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
• HistoryScapes
Discover a new immersive app launched by the National Trust, which brings their estates’ histories to life through the eyes of ordinary people..
• UNESCO in the UK
Explore the new website for UNESCO in the UK, featuring an ‘Our Sites’ section presenting the full network of UNESCO sites across the UK, a collection of over 250 downloadable resources, and much more.
• The World Turned Upside Down
http://www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/podcast
Delve into the British Civil Wars with this podcast series. Recent episodes feature expert historians such as David Flintham, Nadine Akkerman, and Stephen K Roberts discussing their research on a variety of subjects.
• Royal Museums Greenwich blog
http://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blogs
Go behind the scenes at Royal Museums Greenwich with blog posts written by curators, conservators, astronomers, and the library and archive team.
FAMILY FUN
• Art Links
https://artlinks.metmuseum.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has launched a new online game that invites players to identify connections between works of art from The Met’s collection.
• The Voyage Game
http://www.sea.museum/en/learn/resource/the-voyage-game
Find out about the reasons for, and challenges of, convict transportation from Britain to Australia in the 19th century with this online game from the Australian National Maritime Museum.
• Pompeii: The New Dig
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00277bg/pompeii-the-new-dig-house-of-treasures
The latest episode of Pompeii: The New Dig, ‘House of Treasures’, reveals fresh findings from excavations at the site, featuring an opulent home belonging to one of the city’s wealthiest inhabitants.
• Mysteries of… Stonehenge
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/mysteries-of
This instalment of Channel 4’s Mysteries of… series explores the myriad myths and mysteries surrounding Stonehenge, perhaps most recognisable of all the world’s
Go digging!
In later spring and summer, we are planning to run some special spreads featuring projects that offer digging opportunities to the public. If you would like to highlight an upcoming excavation to our readers in one of our future ‘Digs’ sections, please get in touch at cp@currentpublishing.com.
