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NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Newsletter: 28th November 2018
Tuesday 4th December 2018: Members Xmas evening with buffet, wine and other refreshments, £3 per head. Mark Stevenson, Archaeology Advisor (South London), National Planning Group, Historic England, will give a talk on ‘The Archaeology of a World Heritage Site: Greenwich’. All lectures to be held at Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
Tuesday 19th February 2019: ‘Excavations at Buntingford, Hertfordshire’, by Matt Jones, Project Officer, Pre-Construct Archaeology.
Tuesday 5th March 2019: ‘Excavations at North Stowe, Cambridgeshire’, by Alison Dickins, Project Manager, Archaeology Unit, University of Cambridge.
Tuesday 16th April 2019: ‘ What we can learn from excavated human remains’, Laura Dodd, KDK Archaeology.
Tuesday 21st May: Annual General Meeting. Gil Burleigh will present an illustrated report on the year’s fieldwork, including parch-mark sites revealed by drone photography during the summer 2018 drought and renewed test-pit excavations in Pirton.
Autumn 2019: ‘A multi-period excavated site at a quarry near Peterborough’, by Greg Farnworth Jones, Project Officer.
Kris Lockyear writes:
Dear All,
some of you might be interested in the one day conference on archaeological geophysics being held at the Geological Society in Piccadilly on the 4th December. See for details and a link. I am presenting a poster on our work at Verulamium. Cost is £25 concessions, £30 full with lunch and coffees.
Best wishes, Kris.
Dea Senuna: Treasure, Cult and Ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire book by Ralph Jackson and Gilbert Burleigh has been re-printed and is still available for sale at the BM (). It would make a nice Christmas present if you don’t have a copy yet!
The article on ‘Ashwell’s Lost Roman Goddess’, published in Hertfordshire Life magazine in July is now available online (minus one or two photographs):
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THE BRITISH MUSEUM
I object: Ian Hislop’s search for dissent
NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Newsletter: October 2018
We’re living a little bit hand to mouth at the moment as regards lectures/speakers. Our next lectures are:
Tuesday 30th October 2018: ‘Royston Cave and the Knights Templar, a talk by Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, Curator, North Hertfordshire Museum. Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
Tuesday 20th November 2018: ‘Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Pirton’ by Gil Burleigh. Letchworth Free Church hall 8 pm.
Tuesday 4th December 2018: Members Xmas evening with buffet, wine and other refreshments, £3 per head. Mark Stevenson, Archaeology Advisor (South London), National Planning Group, Historic England, will give a talk on ‘The Archaeology of a World Heritage Site: Greenwich’. Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
In the New Year so far we have lined up James Fairbairn of Oxford Archaeology East to talk on his excavations this year in Verulamium and Alison Dickins of Cambridge University Archaeological unit to talk about archaeology in Cambridgeshire (dates to be arranged). Our members, Dan Phillips and Kris Lockyear, have given me the names of some other potential speakers, and Sarah Talks has offered a talk. I’m grateful to all. Watch this space!
Kris Lockyear writes:
Dear All,
some of you might be interested in the one day conference on archaeological geophysics being held at the Geological Society in Piccadilly on the 4th December. See http://www.nsgg.org.uk/meetings/ for details and a link. I am presenting a poster on our work at Verulamium. Cost is £25 concessions, £30 full with lunch and coffees.
Best wishes, Kris.
The article on ‘Ashwell’s Lost Roman Goddess’, published in Hertfordshire Life magazine in July is now available online (minus one or two photographs): http://www.hertfordshirelife.co.uk/home/history-the-goddess-of-Ashwell-1-5646728
| Sacrilege! Leading archaeologist speaks out on centenary of Stonehenge gift Expressway legacy threat mars centenary of Stonehenge donation Friday 26th October was the centenary of the gift of Stonehenge to the nation by Sir Cecil and Lady Chubb. This weekend, English Heritage is marking the occasion with a specially commissioned tea party designed by Jeremy Deller and an installation of his work, “Sacrilege”, an almost life-sized inflatable Stonehenge. A joyous public celebration for some, but for many others it could mark impending sacrilege for the nation’s most famous World Heritage Site. A distinguished archaeologist speaks out against the Stonehenge tunnel Professor Mike Parker Pearson, leading expert in British Neolithic archaeology, speaks out about the Stonehenge tunnel in a newly released video to share his profound concerns. At barely 3km long the tunnel would be too short within a World Heritage Site that is more than 5km across, full of prehistoric monuments. Mike reminds us that the UNESCO World Heritage Site is “a designation of an entire landscape. It’s one of the few places, not just in Britain but in the World, where you can see a special, sacred landscape developed over thousands of years.” Professor Mike Parker Pearson “Stonehenge tunnel sets a bad precedent” http://https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=qLGBBTt1JnI Will the UK Government finally come to its senses and re-consider the A303 road-widening scheme and the damage it would do to our World Heritage Site? It isn’t too late to call a halt and heed the advice of UNESCO and other internationally acknowledged experts. A less damaging solution would properly and rightly protect the remarkable surroundings of Stonehenge about which we now know so much more than we did a hundred years ago. Short 1 minute clip of the video can be seen here Full briefing about A303 Stonehenge scheme |
| Sign up here to receive updates from the Planning Inspectorate and register your interest in having a say about the Stonehenge Tunnel scheme. |
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Ian Hislop’s search for dissent
6 September 2018 – 20 January 2019
Members free
We’ve invited Private Eye Editor Ian Hislop (you know, the one from Have I Got News For You) to have a rummage around in the stores. On his search, he’s hand-picked a range of intriguing objects that explore the idea of dissent, subversion and satire (but don’t worry, we made him wear gloves).
A wide variety of objects will be on display in the exhibition – from graffiti on a Babylonian brick to a banknote with hidden rude words, from satirical Turkish shadow puppets to a recently acquired ‘pussy’ hat worn on a women’s march. See what tales these objects tell – sometimes deadly serious, often humorous, always with conviction. Unlock the messages and symbols these people used, and get closer to understanding them. The British Museum doesn’t escape ridicule either – the joke has been on us on more than one occasion.
This history in 100(ish) objects shows that people have always challenged and undermined orthodox views in order to enable change. They even did so despite the establishment usually taking a pretty dim view – for most of history you could expect a gruesome punishment, up to and including death, for this kind of subversive behaviour. This suggests that maybe we are programmed to dissent – it’s just part of who we are. Ultimately, the exhibition will show that questioning authority, registering protest and generally objecting are an integral part of what makes us human.
Hitchin Town Hall, Brand Street, Hitchin
Our Fight for the Vote
13 October -1 December. Admission Free. Closed Mondays.
This exhibition tells the story of the brave women in our area who campaigned for their belief that women should be able to vote. Elizabeth Impey of Hitchin was arrested for ‘disorderly conduct’ in 1907 just for walking three abreast outside Parliament, whereas Letchworth’s Jane Short took a more militant approach. She had previously broken the windows of both Baldock and Hitchin Post Offices, was later imprisoned for arson. Lady Constance Lytton of Knebworth House was force-fed so harshly that her health never recovered.
North Herts. Museum is fortunate in having a collection of Mrs Impey’s suffragette letters and mementoes, including her Holloway badge, her Votes for Woman rosette and scarf, and an autograph book signed by famous suffragettes including Christabel Pankhurst, Annie Kenney and Millicent Fawcett. All three came to speak at Hitchin Town Hall, causing near riots in the town – on several occasions mounted police reinforcements had to be brought in from other parts of the county. The Impey’s house in Whinbush Road was once stormed by a large crowd of anti-suffragette men and women, and Mrs Impey was sent unpleasant anonymous postcards; the Edwardian version of a vicious Tweet.
The exhibition will be displaying photographs from our collection, as well as ones from the Museum of London. Step inside our recreated cell to get an idea of what being locked in Holloway was like. See contemporary banners and objects from our museum collection, find out the stories of local and national women fighting for the right to vote.
THE BRITISH LIBRARY
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms- Art, Word, War
Now to 19th February 2019.
600 years. 180 spectacular treasures. A once-in-a-generation exhibition.
Treasures from the British
Library’s own collection, including the beautifully illuminated Lindisfarne
Gospels, Beowulf
and Bede’s Ecclesiastical
History, sit alongside stunning finds from Sutton Hoo and the
Staffordshire Hoard. The world-famous Domesday Book offers its unrivalled
depiction of the landscape of late Anglo-Saxon England while Codex Amiatinus, a
giant Northumbrian Bible taken to Italy in 716, returns to England for the first
time in 1300 years.
The people of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms tell their story, in their own words.
Explore the beginnings of the English language and English literature. Read
some of the earliest-surviving words inscribed in English on objects large and
small. Come face-to-face with manuscripts of Old English poetry and prose and
the first letter written in English. Wonder at the wit and wisdom in the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Entrance £16, British Library Members Free. It is advisable to book in advance, on-line or 0207 412639
Subscriptions
2018/19 Subscriptions became due on 1st June 2018. Please renew. The Society cannot continue to function without all members’ subscriptions. In particular, lecturers’ fees and expenses and hall hire have to come from subscriptions. Lack of sufficient income from subscriptions may result in fewer lectures. It’s up to us members. Thank you to all who have paid your subscription and renewedyour membership.
Outstanding subscriptions may be paid in person at any meeting when membership cards can usually be issued also. Otherwise subscription cheques may be posted to Diane Burleigh, NHAS, 10 Cromwell Way, Pirton, Hitchin, Herts SG5 3RD.
Please note 2018/19 Membership cards are now available and may be collected at any of our lectures.
Adult £19, Family £24, Concessions (over 65, under 16), £10.
Non-members are welcome at any of our meetings. There will be a charge of £4 for entry.
Please renew your subscription otherwise you may be removed from our membership and circulation lists.
Thank you.
DOVER CASTLE, a defended site, high up on The White Cliffs, from the Iron Age up to World War Two, DOVER TOWN MUSEUM and the ROMAN PAINTED HOUSE.
Programme for the day:
7.30am: Pick up point in St. Mary’s Square, Hitchin
7.45am: Pick up point outside Letchworth Library, Broadway, Letchworth
10.00am: Arrive Dover Castle, at Constable’s Gate
10.00am – 4.00pm: Self guided visit of the Castle site of 80 acres:-
The Outer Bailey with the Roman Pharos of AD 50 and the Saxon church, St. Mary de Castro
The Inner Bailey with Henry 2nd’s Great Tower and its six newly refurbished medieval ‘Royal Rooms’, and, up a spiral staircase, a marvellous view across the town and out to sea
On the cliffs: The World War Two Secret Tunnels with two exhibition areas: ‘Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk’ and the ‘Underground Hospital’
On the Castle walls: Walks along the Battlements, with views across The English Channel
DOVER TOWN MUSEUM in Market Square to see the Bronze Age Boat, the oldest known sea-going vessel, on display in the 2nd floor gallery; free entry.
The ROMAN PAINTED HOUSE of c.AD 200, in New Street: adults 3.00, concessions 2.00.
4.00pm: Depart Dover Castle, from Constable’s Gate
6.15pm: Drop off point outside Letchworth Library, Broadway, Letchworth
6.30pm: Drop off point in St. Mary’s Square, Hitchin
***********************************************
The Castle is an outdoor site on a hill, with some steep slopes on its tarmac paths. The chalk Tunnels can be chilly! Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear. A ‘Land Train’, with two covered carriages, regularly circulates around the site, and one can hop on and off, for free!
The Castle entry price includes admission to the tours of The Secret Tunnels: 60 mins. for Operation Dynamo, and 20 mins. for the Underground Hospital. Entry is on a ‘1st come, 1st served’ free flow basis.
Refreshments are available at 3 locations on the Castle site: the NAAFI Restaurant, the Great Tower Café, and the Tunnels Tea Room. To save time and money, we advise you to bring a picnic lunch!
Our coach will have a toilet on board.
SOCIETY FINANCES: Your Committee would very much like to fill all the 33 seats on the coach, and thus earn some income for the Society. We do urge all members to come! Non- members are welcome to come too, thus, please do ask your family, friends, and neighbours to join us!
Download the booking form (PDF format): NHAS7
Dea Senuna: Treasure, Cult and Ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire
“Dea Senuna: Treasure, Cult and Ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire” by Ralph Jackson and Gilbert Burleigh was published by The British Museum on Monday 19th March 2018, here are some of the points made in Ralph Jackson’s and my text:
“The Ashwell Hoard is an unprecedented find both in Britain and in the wider Roman world. In Britain there has been no equivalent discovery of ‘temple treasure’ within living memory. It is paralleled only by the 18th-century finds from Barkway, Hertfordshire (1743) and Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire (1789) and, less directly, by that said to be from Backworth, Tyne and Wear, found around the year 1811. In contrast to the Ashwell Hoard those three finds preserve almost no information concerning their discovery or archaeological context. In terms of its finding circumstances, then, the Ashwell Hoard is exceptional even amongst the small number of precious metal votive hoards from Roman Britain. But it is exceptional in other ways, too, most notably in the inclusion of a silver figurine, unique gold jewellery and votive plaques of gold and by the proportionately large number of plaques with votive inscriptions and with die-stamped figural decoration. The silver figurine of Senuna, a hitherto unknown native British goddess, is unparalleled in Roman Britain………If the dedication of a large, high-quality, silver-gilt figurine is evidence of a votary of some means amongst the followers of Senuna so, too, and even more so, is the gold jewellery, which may be interpreted as a suite. It is a very rare survival outside Rome itself. Numerically, the greater part of the Ashwell Hoard is the collection of 20 gold and silver votive leaf plaques, which, in form and number, are a unique survival. The importance of the hoard, whose ‘new’ goddess caught the imagination of the public as well as the academic world, was such that it demanded an archaeological investigation of the find-spot. Its discovery triggered the fieldwork that illuminated the immediate setting of the hoard and then expanded that setting into the wider landscape. The progressive results of fieldwalking, geophysical surveys and excavations led to a fuller understanding of the circumstances surrounding the choice of site for the burial of the hoard, of the nature and use of the site itself and of its relationship to surrounding structures, settlements and natural landscape features. Almost the first find from the excavations was the missing silver pedestal from the silver-gilt figurine, a key find, and, better still, inscribed. In reconnecting the image of the female deity to the dedicatory vow, inscribed for the votary Flavia Cunoris, it instantly multiplied the meanings and hugely enhanced the significance of an already important object. That discovery set the tone for the excavations, which went on to reveal not a formal temple building, as initially suspected, but a unique and fascinating open-air ritual site, where feasting, religious activity and ritual deposition took place over a long period of time, seemingly extending as far back as the Bronze Age.”
Dea Senuna: Treasure, Cult and Ritual at Ashwell, Hertfordshire” is now officially published and copies are available for sale at the British Museum http://www.britishmuseumshoponline.org/invt/cmc91947
From: Diane Burleigh
Sent: Monday, September 4, 2017 3:45 PM
To: dianeburleigh
Cc: grb
Subject: NHAS News & Events
Apologies to you all, for some unknown reason the circular dated 19th October could not be sent from my email server. Let’s hope this month’s is successful!
Wednesday 15th November 2017: “ 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.” Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
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).
Tuesday 5th December 2017: Members Christmas evening. Wine, cheese, and other treats, £3 per person. “From Hadrian’s Wall to Greek and Roman Sicily – further adventures on archaeological travels”, by Gil Burleigh. Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
January 2018: to be arranged.
February 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.
Tuesday 20th March 2018: “The Cambridgeshire Dykes: new archaeological evidence”, by Richard Mortimer, Senior Project Manager, 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. Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
Tuesday 17th April 2018: “A Late Saxon Village at Stotfold, Beds.” by Wes Keir, Project Officer, Albion Archaeology. This site was excavated a few years ago in advance of a massive housing development. The investigations revealed the most extensive and complete Late Saxon village excavated in England. Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
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 rare Roman temple treasure hoard found in 2002 at Ashwell End, including the two similar hoards found in the 18th century at Barkway, Herts. and Stony Stratford, Bucks, neither of which have been fully published before. 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. The results revealed a unique open-air sacrificial and feasting site, associated with a number of probable temples, containing evidence of cult practices with profound implications for other temple sites. This second part is now complete too. The layout for the printing of part two is being done by the editor at the moment. I am expecting the proofs for checking in the coming week. Once the whole report has been given a final check by the authors, illustrator and editor 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. You may order copies in advance of publication now at Amazon or Oxbow Bookshops online where I believe discounts on the publication price are offered.
EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM: BP exhibition
Scythians
warriors of
ancient Siberia
14 September 2017 –
14 January 2018
#Scythians
Supported by BP 
Organised with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
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.
The Scythians: an audio introduction
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
Poster.Lamerpark1.pdf
From: Diane Burleigh
Sent: Monday, September 4, 2017 3:45 PM
To: dianeburleigh
Cc: grb
Subject: NHAS News & Events
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.
Wednesday 15th November 2017: “ 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.” Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
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).
Tuesday 5th December 2017: Members Christmas evening (details to follow). Letchworth Free Church hall, 8 pm.
January 2018: to be arranged.
February 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.
March 2018: “The Cambridgeshire Dykes: new archaeological evidence”, by Richard Mortimer, Senior Project Manager, 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): “A Late Saxon Village at Stotfold, Beds.” by Wes Keir, Project Officer, Albion Archaeology. This site was excavated a few years ago in advance of a massive housing development. The investigations revealed the most extensive and complete Late Saxon village excavated in England.and
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.
For your delectation, I’ve attached a photograph of your Society Committee at one of their regular meetings, hard at work in the Red Lion, Preston. I’ve been on the Committee since 1974 and I believe this is the first photograph of any of our Committees since the Society was founded in 1960. One for the Society’s archive!
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 rare Roman temple treasure hoard found in 2002 at Ashwell End, including the two similar hoards found in the 18th century at Barkway, Herts. and Stony Stratford, Bucks, neither of which have been fully published before. 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.
EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM: BP exhibition
Scythians
warriors of
ancient Siberia
14 September 2017 –
14 January 2018
#Scythians
Supported by BP
Organised with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
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.
The Scythians: an audio introduction
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
Poster.Ick Way1.pdf
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.
EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM: BP exhibition
Scythians
warriors of
ancient Siberia
14 September 2017 –
14 January 2018
#Scythians
Supported by BP
Organised with the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
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.
The Scythians: an audio introduction
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
From: Ros Allwood <Ros.Allwood@north-herts.gov.uk>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Sent: Tue, 1 Aug 2017 14:03
Subject: Tours of North Hertfordshire Museum
North Hertfordshire Museum
‘Behind the Scenes’ Museum Tours
Part of the new North Hertfordshire Museum is almost complete, so we are now giving free ‘Behind the Scenes’ tours of the two main galleries, ‘Discovering North Herts.’ and ‘Living in North Herts.’. The tours will start on 7 August, and will run from 2pm – 3pm on Mondays, 10am -11am on Wednesdays, and 5pm – 6pm on Thursdays. Places are limited to 12 people per tour and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The tours will run weekly until the museum is open. Please note that for these tours, access to the upper floor is by stairs.
Booking for the tours is on the Eventbrite booking site: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/north-hertfordshire-museum-tours-tickets-36303186809
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards,
Ros Allwood
Cultural Services Manager
Mobile: 07727 698456
Direct Dial: 01462 474236
North Hertfordshire Museum
Brand Street
Hitchin
Hertfordshire
SG5 1JE
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Our chairman, Diane Burleigh’s, piece about the continuing delays to the opening of the new North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin, published in the “Speaker’s Corner” section of the Comet newspaper. See attached file.