Today I start my journey to the British School at Rome (BSR). In all my previous years of being an archaeologist (since 2001!) I have had many adventures to far off places and this will not be the first time I have been to Rome. This studentship, however, is possibly the most prestigious position I have obtained and it wasn’t […]
Comfortable and correctly fitting PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for fuller, smaller, taller, chestier and shorter folks (essentially anyone who isn’t straight shaped) has been an ongoing topic of contention for many years. Beyond the dismissively waved hands of those saying “why should women get different clothing if they want equality?” (by the way, any people wanting to safety clothing to […]
Good Morning All, We would like to draw your attention to the following FREE ONLINE COURSE starting on 18th March. Futurelearn: VIRTUAL ROME Prof. Matthew Nicholls (St. John’s College Oxford and University of Reading) and a cohort of experts, will be guiding you through Matthew’s fantastic virtual model of the city. Watch the short videos, learn about Roman history, ask […]
Before the winter break, I attended a short seminar on the use of comics in the heritage sector. PhD student Katy Whitaker gave an interesting and informative introduction into the use of comics to educate, illustrate and emotively communicate historical messages. Beyond the initial exploration of colour use and artistic styles, Whitaker drew on the work of fellow colleagues: Prima […]
In a follow-up post to my recent entry regarding the Neighbouring Bill, this is worth a read. Before you read this article, it is important to understand that the jury is still out on this issue and that the Guardian has deliberately articulated this article in a storytime fashion, nevertheless, this is an important topic that needs to be highlighted. […]
Introduction At the entrance of the Ure Museum, University of Reading, stands a freestanding statue depicting the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite and her son Eros (Figure 1). The Aphrodite of Cyrene stands 1.07m tall (including the plinth) and is thought to date from the second century CE. The posture of this piece is a Roman adaptation of a famous original […]
An interesting piece in the Guardian Newspaper today. I may not agree with everything that’s written but I think it’s important that the media is looking beyond accusations on scaremongering and attempting to cover some of the issues that a departure from the EU may bring. One aspect beyond funding, that is often not approached, are the conservation laws. Some […]
Final week and pack down The final week of this evaluation dig at Dunyvaig Castle produced a high profile find (see earlier blog), gained the interest of newspapers both national and local, helped educate hundreds of primary and secondary Islay school children, whilst uncovering some fantastically preserved stratigraphy. Trench 1 GPS- recorded the location of seal, cleaned the floor surface […]
The trenches have been working full steam ahead this week with the new students settling into their roles and gaining confidence in recently acquired skills. Layers have been cleaned, photographed, planned, sampled and levelled in all three trenches. Trench 1 had a wonderful discovery of a seal bearing the name of John Campbell of Cawdor. This name has belonged to […]
The press release is now out and so I can finally share with you all some wonderful news! We have found the seal of John Campbell of Cawdor! With an engraved date of either 1598 or 1593 (the jury is still out), this seal is an exquisite archaeological find that is both rare and highly informative. Either date would corroborate […]