Festival of Archaeology 2021
Our festival includes stories from across the county brought to you by film, live lunchtime talks at the museum, displays of local projects and collaborators and tours that you can take part in.
We are launching two fantastic digital projects - a virtual guided tour of Lindum Colonia (Roman Lincoln) and our new Virtual Immersive Environment scan of our main gallery!
The full schedule can be found both below and to the side of this page as a downloadable PDF.
Our Festival is part of the British Council of Archaeology Exploring Local Places theme and more details can be found here.
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Full Festival of Archaeology 2021 Schedule
Saturday 17th July – Festival of Archaeology 2021 launch
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 1, Roman Villa at The Collection Museum
Collection Museum Virtual
Sunday 18th July
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 2, The Lower Gate of the Upper City
Monday 19th July
Lunchtime Talk – The Archaeology of the Friendly Invasion, Dr Derwin Gregory. Pre-book tickets here.
(The university are also hosting a lecture for the Festival of Archaeology on 31st July 7pm by Dr Alan Malpass called 'Masterclass:'Barbed-Wire County' – Prisoner of War camps in Lincolnshire (1939-48)'. Find out more here. )
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 3, Castellum Aquae
Film release (10am) – Exploring Local Places using the Extensive Urban Survey
Tuesday 20th July
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 4, Newport Arch
Film release (10am) – Tales from the Rubble - Unearthing World War Two Prisoner of War Camps in Lincolnshire
Wednesday 21st July
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 5, The Forum
Film release (10am) – Desk Based Archaeology Survey Kids Tutorial
Thursday 22nd July
Lunchtime Talk – Exploring Farndon Fields, John Miller. Pre-book tickets here.
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 6, Mint Wall
Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer support – 1pm to 3pm
Film release (10am) – Out of the Ground - Looking after Lincolnshire's Archaeology
Friday 23rd July
Hidden Lindum Colonia site 7, Upper City West Gate (Lincoln Castle)
Archaeology Gallery talk, 'Prehistoric Lincolnshire - Exploring the finds and landscape' 11am and 2pm. Free event but please pre-book your tickets here.
Film release (10am) – Discovering Lincolnshire's Past with the Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer
Saturday 24th July
Hidden Lindum Colonia – all 7 sites
Finds Liaison Officer support - 12 noon to 3pm
Sunday 25th July
Archaeology Gallery talk, 'Roman Lincoln - Exploring the world around us through physical remains, art and the virtual world', 11am and 2pm. Free event but please pre-book your tickets here.
Collection Museum Virtual – Roman Gallery artefacts
Film release (10am) – Searching for Saxons
Monday 26th July
Lunchtime Talk – Hidden Lindum Colonia, Peter Lorimer. Pre-book tickets here.
Film release (10am) – Posterngate Uncovered
Tuesday 27th July
Film release (10am) – When the Road was a River – the Archaeology of a Spalding pub
Wednesday 28th July
Film release (10am) – Why do we draw artefacts?
Thursday 29th July
Lunchtime Talk – Old Salt, artist Laura Wilson in conversation with Tom Lane, archaeologist. Pre-book tickets here.
Lincolnshire Heritage Explorer support – 1pm - 3pm
Film release (10am) – What a load of old pots - if sherds had words!
Friday 30th July
Archaeology Gallery talk 'Early Medieval Lincoln - Exploring the finds and the surrounding area', 11am and 2pm. Free event but please pre-book tickets here.
Film release (10am) – Digging Old Dalby
Saturday 31st July
Film release (10am) – Back Garden Archaeology
Sunday 1st august
Archaeology Gallery talk, '1066 and later Medieval - Exploring the finds and landscape', 11am and 2pm. Free event but please pre-book your tickets here.
Film release (10am) –Treasures and Trinkets - how does our collection grow?
Finale - Films released during the Festival
All films shown digitally will also feature on a loop in the Auditorium during the festival.
Please also see details of the Lincoln Castle archaeology exhibition trail and Guided tours here.
PLUS For the Festival of Archaeology, Kevin Manvell of The Collection Museum has been exploring his local place. Find his desk based assessment guide and case study from Lincolnshire as a PDF on this page, so that you know how to get going! Watch the films from the festival too as the archaeological adventures shown all started with a desk based assessment!
And don't miss our Festival of Archaeology displays!
During the festival we are pleased to host displays from our fantastic collaborators. There will be information about their work and several films to showcase recent projects. These displays will be positioned within social distancing guidance within the gallery and orientation hall. The auditorium will also showcase project films throughout the two week festival on a rolling basis and details will be added to the festival schedule.
Festival of Archaeology Display Contributors:
Ancient Egypt and Middle East Society (AEMES)
AEMES are regular and welcome contributors to the archaeology festivals at The Collection and for this 2021theme have focussed upon the work of a Lincolnshire photographer. The Ancient Middle East Society was formed in Lincolnshire in 1987, to promote interest and knowledge of the history of this area. It was one of the first regional societies promoting study of the Ancient Middle East, and later changed its name to the Ancient Egypt and Middle East Society to reflect the growing local interest in this particular part of the ancient world.
The Society meets at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln and invites a variety of speakers, often leaders in their fields, to give talks on a variety of themes related to their expertise. AEMES hosts six sessions of two afternoon lectures per year, which are open to members of the public. The Society arranges regular museum and exhibition visits for its members, often accompanied by a session in the museum store where they are able to handle original artefacts.
The AEMES display at the 2021 will focus on the work of Harry Burton, who was born in Stamford and was the official photographer for Howard Carter’s excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun. This will be accompanied by AEMES own Nefertiti, a full sized replica bust of the famous queen carved by one of their members.
Find more information about AEMES here
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) Archaeology department
We are delighted to showcase the display from the local university Archaeology department. Dr Derwin Gregory, specialises in post-medieval landscapes and modern conflict archaeology and is giving one our lunchtime talks entitled 'The Archaeology of the Friendly Invasion' at 12 noon on Monday 19th July. For more details, see above.
BGU are also promoting their own online talk 'Barbed-Wire County' Prisoner of War Camps in Lincolnshire (1939-48) during the festival 19.00, 31st July. For more information, please visit their website here.
Farndon Archaeological Research Institute (F.A.R.I) and Ice age Journeys
We welcome FARI and Ice Age Journeys back to the festival and in their own words about being involved at the Collection - 'Our visits are becoming a regular feature and hope they can continue as they are so enjoyable.'
Farndon fields near Newark on Trent is an internationally important open air Late Upper Palaeolithic site.
John Miller is also giving one of our Festival lunchtime talks (22nd July) and he has been involved with investigating, recording, and interpreting the archaeology from this site from its inception. Ian Ross has also recently delivered a talk that you can find here.
The display will showcase some of their project details, photographs and artefacts and will be a brilliant insight into this Palaeolithic archaeology and geology in the East Midlands.
Find out more information here.
Heritage Environment Skills (HES) Project
We welcome the HES project back to the festival with input from their trainee Kate Tyler. Historic Environment Skills is a National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project that is in its fourth year of offering hands on training in skills needed to maintain and protect the historic environment. The idea behind the project was to offer a practical solution to a skills shortage in the historic environment by providing a way for people new to the sector to learn on the job. Delivered through a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council's Heritage Skills Centre, Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire and Lincoln Cathedral, they have or are supporting 25 trainees who are focusing on a range of skills sets such as fieldwork archaeology, building conservation, specialist building crafts such as stone masonry and digital heritage engagement.
Kate's traineeship is focused on increasing heritage engagement in Lincolnshire through digital means including creating promotional videos, social media content, photography and photogrammetry. Through the traineeship, she will be working closely with various different groups within Heritage Lincolnshire to get a really varied experience of working in the heritage industry. She is very interested in 'how digital technologies and innovations can increase our understanding of our own heritage and the heritage of other communities.' This display will include examples of digital work alongside the image displays and objects.
An example of Kate's recent digital work can be found here.
For more information about the Historic Environment skills Project see here and here.
Heritage Explorer
The Historic Environment team will display details of their new website - the Heritage Explorer. Lincolnshire is a county rich in fascinating history and archaeology, with incredible stories to tell from the past. The display will show you how to use the site to Explore local places.
Richard Watts, Senior Historic Environment Officer (Records) will be on site in the museum to support your research - come along at following times:
Thursday 22nd July - 1pm - 3pm
Thursday 29th July - 11am - 1pm
Lincoln Archaeology Group (LAG)
LAG are a friendly and motivated group of volunteers who work together on archaeology projects in Lincoln and around Lincolnshire. We come from a wide variety of ages, backgrounds and experiences. They work with local communities and professional archaeologists to investigate, record and research all things archaeological. Individuals are encouraged and supported to pursue special interests such as Roman ceramics or medieval metalwork.
We work with other archaeology and heritage groups locally and nationally to exchange ideas and experience. Please come along and find out how you can get involved.
Find out more here.
Find Liaison Officer
Dr Lisa Brundle is the Finds Liaison Officer for Lincolnshire as part of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), hosted by Lincolnshire County Council. Her role is to identify and record archaeological finds found by members of the public – you can find out more about what's been found in your local area here.
Every year hundreds of finds of archaeological interest are found by metal-detectorists, gardeners and walkers and each piece helps build a better picture of the past. Finds range from prehistoric stone hand axes to post-medieval coin hoards. Through the PAS we have re-written distribution patterns, identified new objects types and previously unknown archaeological sites such as the early Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Cammeringham in West Lindsey (finds from which will be available to see at the display).
Dr Lisa Brundle will be on site in the museum to chat with you about your own finds at the following time
Saturday 24th July - 12 noon - 3pm
Society for Lincolnshire Heritage and Archaeology (SLHA)
SLHA promotes an interest in all aspects of Lincolnshire's heritage. some of their many activities include:
• Arranges lectures and other events about Lincolnshire’s history and archaeology
• Publishes journals, magazines and books
• Runs a bookshop in the heart of Lincoln
• Facilitates research and fieldwork
• Works with local groups throughout the historic county
Find out more here.
Spirit of Sutterby
Spirit of Sutterby is a Lincolnshire Wolds Community Heritage Project that began in 2013, originally fostered, funded and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Heritage Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service.
When arriving in Sutterby you can see a signpost; a few houses; a small church; a hard working agricultural landscape of tractor and barn. Now step back - look again…for here under the grass and plough is another landscape – one of heritage, of people, of owls, of lichens and of hidden marl. Stop and listen – the church has a story to tell - tiny, ancient and humble, with a door that is always open.
The project has a programme of events and workshops covering a wide range of subjects and interests from archaeology to owl pellets! You can find more information here and perhaps you too might want to be involved!
Lincolnshire Wolds Heritage
Another welcome regular to our festival is The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service. The service works in partnership with its Joint Advisory Committee and other groups and individuals to:
- Protect and enhance the landscape and its distinctive features
- Encourage community interest and involvement
- Raise awareness of the Lincolnshire Wolds
- Promote sustainable development and appropriate enjoyment
The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service are always happy to receive comments, or perhaps you would like to receive our free Higher Ground e-bulletin? Please visit our website here for further details.