Friday 8th, Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2017: National Heritage Open Days in Ashwell. Visit the fascinating Village Museum for free and go on interesting historic architectural walks led by local experts. For details see the attachments to this email.

Tuesday 26th September 2017: “The Icknield Way: ancient track or medieval fantasy?”, by Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, NHDC Archaeology Officer, in the Lucas Room, North Hertfordshire Museum, Brand St, Hitchin, 8pm.

Thursday 19th October 2017: An evening tour (starting 8 pm) of the completed galleries in the new North Hertfordshire Museum, Brand St, Hitchin, and a private view of the temporary exhibition about the work of the Hitchin-born artist, F L Griggs, illustrator, amongst many other things, of sixteen volumes in the “Highways & Byways” county series, published between 1899 and 1938. Most of the exhibits of his works will be from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, supplemented by watercolours and drawings from the little-known collection held by North Herts Museum.

November 2017 (date to be arranged): “Lamer Park, Hertfordshire”, by Dr Kris Lockyear, University College, University of London. Kris writes: “Lamer Park was a minor stately home, just north of Wheathampstead, and where I live. The house itself was demolished in 1949 but elements of the Richmond designed park survive. The talk is a mixture of landscape history (lots of historic maps), info about the family (including a interesting series of church monuments etc.), photos of the surviving elements of the house and park and so on.” (details of venue to follow).

Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th November 2017: There is another opportunity to learn about human skeletal remains using Iron Age and Romano-British inhumations excavated from cemeteries in Baldock, under the expert tuition of Dr. David Klingle, Osteoarchaeologist, on a weekend course (details attached).

December 2017 (date to be arranged): Members Christmas evening (details to follow).

January 2018: to be arranged.

February 2018: to be arranged.

March 2018: “The Cambridgeshire Dykes: new archaeological evidence”, by Richard Mortimer, Senior Archaeologist, Oxford Archaeology East. Once thought to have been constructed in the early Anglo-Saxon period, recent archaeological excavations now show them to have been first constructed in the Iron Age, just like the similar Hertfordshire series of dykes across the line of the Icknield Way, e.g. the Mile Ditches on Therfield Heath, Royston (date and venue to be arranged).

April 2018 (date and venue to be arranged): “Dea Senuna: treasure, cult and ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire”, by Ralph Jackson and Gilbert Burleigh. This talk will follow the publication in the New Year of the British Museum volume with the same title.

A review of the 2015 book “Archaeology in Hertfordshire: Recent Research” has been published in the national “Archaeological Journal” of the Royal Archaeological Institute. To read it, see the attachment above.

Update on the forthcoming British Museum publication of “Dea Senuna: treasure, cult and ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire”. The book is divided into two parts, each very detailed and very well illustrated. The first part, authored by Ralph Jackson and colleagues, is about the Roman temple treasure hoard found in 2002 at Ashwell End, including the two other similar hoards found in the 18th century at Barkway, Herts. and Stoney Stratford, Bucks. This first part is now complete including the layout for printing. The second part, authored by myself and colleagues, is about the archaeological excavations carried out around the treasure hoard find-spot between 2003 and 2006, and what they revealed about the context of the hoard. This second part is now very nearly complete too, requiring only a few more illustrations to be prepared. The layout for the printing of part two will be done by the editor next month. Once the whole report has been given a final check by the authors, it will be sent for printing. It is expected to be published by the end of 2017, although it may not be available in bookshops until early in the New Year.

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EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM: BP exhibition

Scythians
warriors of
ancient Siberia

14 September 2017 –
14 January 2018

#Scythians

Supported by BP BP logo

Book tickets
Members free

Organised with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia

scythian_horseman_mobile.jpg

2,500 years ago groups of formidable warriors roamed the vast open plains of Siberia. Feared, loathed, admired – but over time forgotten… Until now.

This major exhibition explores the story of the Scythians – nomadic tribes and masters of mounted warfare, who flourished between 900 and 200 BC. Their encounters with the Greeks, Assyrians and Persians were written into history but for centuries all trace of their culture was lost – buried beneath the ice.

More about the exhibition

Discoveries of ancient tombs have unearthed a wealth of Scythian treasures. Amazingly preserved in the permafrost, clothes and fabrics, food and weapons, spectacular gold jewellery – even mummified warriors and horses – are revealing the truth about these people’s lives. These incredible finds tell the story of a rich civilisation, which eventually stretched from its homeland in Siberia as far as the Black Sea and even the edge of China.

Many of the objects in this stunning exhibition are on loan from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Scientists and archaeologists are continuing to discover more about these warriors and bring their stories back to life.

Explore their lost world and discover the splendour, the sophistication and the sheer power of the mysterious Scythians.

scythian_who_304.jpg Who were the Scythians?

Scythians_audio_introduction.jpg The Scythians: an audio introduction

scythian_highlightobject_304.jpg Highlight objects

osteoarch course booking form.doc
osteoarchaeological workshop 18th-19th nov.pdf
Archaeology in Hertfordshire Recent Research A Festschrift for Tony Rook edited by Kris Lockyear.pdf
Ashwell HOD Basic Info.docx
Ashwell HOD Local Poster 2b.pdf

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