TAS eNews | Autumn Programme : Conferences & Events : TAS 2013 AGM

Dear TAS Members and Friends,

This eNewsletter includes:

Editorial Review | Autumn Programme | 2013 AGM & Message from Blaise Vyner
Regional News | Conferences, Events & Involvement
Site Notes | The latest from Loftus
Bookshelf | Recommended Reads
About TAS | How to Join | eNews Archives

Welcome to your September eNewsletter and the start of our autumn lecture programme commencing with Dr Jim Innes of Durham University talking about the vegetational history of Fylingdales Moor, 7.15pm Tuesday 25 September* in Stockton Central Library. It's certainly been an exciting summer, with Romans popping up in the most unexpected places—see the last NewsFlash with great press coverage for Steve Sherlock and the Loftus volunteers. We're pleased to include a short summary here of the 2012 Loftus excavations kindly provided by Steve.

* Please note that the date published in the green paper programme is incorrect.
The flyer, below, has all the correct information.

Image | Dr Jim Innes (right) and Dr Jeff Blackford (Manchester University) after pollen coring a Late Mesolithic site with your eNews Editor at Westerdale in late August. Flints-in-peat. Beer at the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge. No snow, but Brrrr: it was T-shirt weather the following day! | Do you have any pictures to share in a newsletter?

Tees Archaeology released their latest newsletter this month with details about projects, both completed and ongoing, a November day school on the history and buildings of Stockton-on-Tees and a free exhibition on the history of British pottery also opening this month at the Museum of Hartlepool, including regional ceramic examples from the Bronze Age onwards—there's a summary and download link later in this eNewsletter.

Don't forget to check the recent eNewsflashes—there are always archive links to all previous items at the end of each newsletter. -Ed.

Another significant day conference that might be of interest to TAS members is happening at York in November and will cover archaeological work carried out in York through 2012. You can also register your interest in the new Ure-Swale Archaeology Forum (USAF) hosted by Dr Jan Harding at Newcastle University. Lastly, if you're heading to London this autumn you might want to visit the Bronze exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. It offers a rare, perhaps unique opportunity to view the Crosby Garrett Roman parade helmet discovered in Cumbria and now held in an anonymous private collection. Details for all these follow below.

TAS Autumn Programme

Do download this flyer*, pin it to noticeboards, and spread the word about TAS. There will be an Elgee Memorial Lecture (not hosted by TAS this year) in December too—details to follow later in the autumn.

January 2013 AGM | How you can help : A message from Blaise Vyner

The success, popularity and endurance of TAS relies on the energy of its members—our diverse interests, involvement and volunteering, our sense of being a community that cares about its heritage and supports ongoing efforts to learn more about our unique corner of England. The Committee helps coordinate the Society's shared enthusiasm but also needs your help! We're looking for new Committee members to join in 2013—this is a great opportunity to get more involved, whatever your experience or interests.

Don't be shy! If you'd like to know more about what's involved, make an application or offer a suggestion, Blaise—our chairperson—would be delighted to hear from you. Please send him an email at blaise@meander.demon.co.uk.

The 2013 AGM and Members Evening will take place at 7.15pm Tuesday 29 January at Stockton Library. This is a day dedicated to members—it's about a friendly celebration of what we've done, what we've enjoyed, and where we'd like to go. So if you would like to give a short, informal talk about what you've been working on or an area of particular interest to you—let Blaise know.

Fame by way of two full colour screens, a laser pointer and an eager audience is surely too good an opportunity to miss?

If anybody wants help putting powerpoint slides together, I'd be happy to assist! -Ed.

The juicy stuff is all below—do read on and enjoy...

*The flyer is in PDF format—you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer—most computers have it installed already. You can download it for free from www.adobe.com.

Conferences and Events

Tees Archaeology News

November Day School | Project Updates | New Exhibition

Tees Archaeology's fourth newsletter is now available to download. Read more about:

History and Buildings of Stockton-on-Tees | Day School | Sat 3 Nov 2012
Features keynote address by author and broadcaster John Grundy
ARC, Dovecot Street, Stockton | Booking is required
History of British Pottery | Exhibition | Sat 22 Sep 2012 to Sun 6 Jan 2013
Museum of Hartlepool | Free entry
Anglo-Saxon Norton skeleton project update
Hartlepool Medieval Town Wall project update and leaflet
Heritage of Hart project update and report

More Info | Download the newsletter | Visit the website

Archaeology in York 2012 Conference

Prehistoric Landscapes to the Archaeology of Railways

Sat 10 November | Day Conference | 10.00am-4.30pm

This exciting one-day conference will allow delegates to learn about some of the archaeological work that has been carried out in York during 2012. The subjects covered are diverse, from prehistoric landscapes to the archaeology of the railways in the 19th and 20th centuries. The speakers are all experts in their particular areas.

The conference is aimed at full-time archaeologists, members of community archaeology groups and history societies, students and members of the public who are interested in the heritage of this special city. You will be able to meet, exchange information, make new contacts, create new networks and extend existing ones.

The conference will tell delegates about the huge range of exciting archaeological fieldwork and research that has been carried out by archaeologists and historic buildings specialists during 2012. Highlights of the 2012 conference will include an opportunity to hear about the exciting work that is being carried out on York’s railway heritage. This Includes the excavation and recording of three railway roundhouses and an assessment of the buildings that once stood or still stand between the Railway Station and Water End.

The fee for the conference is £15 | Booking Required | please use this booking form

Includes tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival and in the afternoon and delegate pack. Lunch is not provided. There is a cafeteria on-site at York St John and there are several cafes and sandwich shops close by.

Programme

10.00 | Registration and coffee
10.30 | Welcome and Introduction Cllr Sonja Crisp Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture, Tourism and Social In-clusion, City of York Council
10.40 | Excavations at All Saints Peaseholme Green, Haymarket Car Park, York 2012, Ben Reeves and Arran John-son, York Archaeological Trust
11.10 | Archaeological Investigations at Heslington East: a summary and key implications, Cath Neal, University of York
11.40 | Human Remains from All Saints Fishergate, Lauren McIntyre, University of Sheffield
12.10 | Discussion
12.30 | LUNCH Please note, lunch is not provided. There is a cafeteria on site and several sandwich shops and cafes nearby
13.30 | Investigations at York Engineers’ Triangle, Phil Emery, Ramboll
14.00 | An Assessment of Historic Buildings on the York Central Site, Alison Sinclair, Bill Fawcett, John Ives
14.30 | Discussion
14.45 | Tea
15.15 | Excavations in the Colonia, West Offices, City of York Council’s new HQ, Tim Robinson, On-Site Archaeology (TBC)
15.45 | Delivering Public Benefit: an HER for the 21st century, John Oxley, City of York Council
16.15 | Discussion
16.30 | Close

Ure-Swale Archaeology Forum (USAF)

Do you want to get involved?

The Ure-Swale Archaeology Forum (USAF) consists of a group of archaeologists, heritage organisations and non-professionals who share an interest in, and concern for, the prehistoric and historic archaeology of the Ure-Swale river catchment in Yorkshire, UK.

This area includes a range of outstanding archaeological sites and historic landscapes, including the Thornborough henge complex, Roman Catterick, and the remarkable medieval landscapes of Swaledale and Wensleydale. Our activity couples research—including fieldwork, documentary histories, and the creation of exciting research agendas—with the public promotion and better management of this archaeology.

It is currently coordinated by Dr Jan Harding via a Newcastle University Virtual Research Environment. Please contact him if you are interested in getting involved.

Bronze at the Royal Academy of Arts

Visiting London this Autumn?

Until Sun 9 Dec 2012 | Exhibition : Burlington House | Booking required

"A rush of treasures... Moving and inspiring" - The Guardian

"A journey which will take visitors from 5,000 years ago to the present day, via some of the greatest names in art history" - The Times

This exhibition is a celebration of bronze on a scale never attempted before. Discover the compelling stories behind some of the world’s greatest masterpieces, from Ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan bronzes, to era-defining Medieval and Renaissance treasures and works by iconic figures such as Rodin, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Henry Moore and Louise Bourgeois.

Tickets | £14 Adults : £13 Seniors : £9 Students : £4 Children : Under 7s free | Booking

More Info | Exhibition website | BBC info about Crosby Garrett helmet

Site Notes

2012 Excavations at Loftus

by Dr Stephen Sherlock

Steve Sherlock

Since 2004 excavations have been undertaken annually at Street House, north of Loftus, Redcar & Cleveland (Sherlock 2005; 2012). In the first few years the excavations were designed to examine evidence for Iron Age activity (300BC-100AD) centred upon an enclosure that showed as a cropmark in a field of ripening corn. The excavations have demonstrated that the area around Street House had been significant as a location for settlement, farming and burial for thousands of years.

Background
Between 1979 and the mid 1980s excavations by Blaise Vyner found a Neolithic long cairn (Vyner 1984) and a small henge (Vyner 1988), this is in addition to the work by William Hornsby and others in the 1920s and 1930s who investigated Bronze Age sites in the immediate area (Hornsby et al 1917; 1920; 1920a). These excavations span a period from 3300BC to c. 1500BC and the excavations of the Iron Age settlement comprise 16 buildings with evidence for salt working around c. 50BC-100AD.

This Year's Excavations
The 2012 season of excavations, just completed, were focused on two areas:

Trench H is near the long cairn excavated by Blaise Vyner and have revealed a stone platform sited in a hollow defined by several gullies or shallow trenches and a series of postholes. The date of this site is as yet unknown (as of 7 Sep) although I await the results from scientific analysis of objects excavated in the last week.
The second Trench, J, has a Romano-British building made with substantial stones and thought to date from c. 4th century AD based on pottery found in the first few days. The site is part of an agricultural estate, these are often called villas when they have mosaics and bath house although these features have not been found at Street House. A further part of this Romano-British site was excavated 80m to the north in 2008.

What has been found this year is a large paved area with a room 10m x 6m and a second smaller room to the east with a paved area leading from room 1 (see the picture). Work is ongoing to plan and record these exciting developments in the history and prehistory of Loftus.

Image | 2012 Excavations : Late Roman paved area | S.J. Sherlock

Acknowledgements
The excavations are undertaken with the support and interest of the landowners Alan Bothroyd at Upton Farm and Tony Garbutt at Street House Farm. The excavations benefit greatly from the material support of A one+ Integrated Highway Services and Redcar & Cleveland Council. The excavations are being undertaken by members of Teesside Archaeological Society and local volunteers.

7 September 2012

References
Hornsby, W. & Laverick, J.D., 1920. British barrows round Boulby. Yorkshire Archaeol J 25: 48-52.
Hornsby, W. & Laverick, J.D., 1920a. The British remains at Hinderwell Beacon. Yorkshire Archaeol J 25: 445-47.
Hornsby, W. & Stanton, R., 1917. British Barrows near Brotton. Yorkshire Archaeol J 24: 263-68.
Sherlock, S.J., 2005. The initial excavation of a cropmark enclosure at Street House Farm, Loftus, north-east Yorkshire. Teesside Archaeol Soc Bulletin 10: 42-3.
Sherlock, S.J., 2012. Late Prehistoric Settlement in the Tees Valley and North-East England. Tees Archaeology Mon 5. Hartlepool: Tees Archaeology.
Vyner, B.E., 1984. The excavation of a Neolithic cairn at Street House, Loftus, Cleveland. Proc Prehistoric Soc 50: 151-96.
Vyner, B.E. 1988. The Street House Wossit: The Excavation of a Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Palisaded Ritual Monument at Street House, Loftus, Cleveland. Proc Prehistoric Soc 54: 173-202.

Bookshelf

The Handbook of British Archaeology

Fully updated 2008 edition

This second edition edited by Roy and Lesley Adkins is widely available from around £17.50 online | Softback 532pp, b/w illus. | Published by Constable ISBN-13: 978-1-84529-606-3, ISBN-10: 1-84529-606-0 | Read more

A fully updated and revised edition of this best-selling guide to British Archaeology. For over 25 years The Handbook of British Archaeology has been the foremost guide to archaeological methods, artefacts and monuments, providing clear explanations of all specialist terms used by archaeologists.

This completely revised and updated edition is packed with the latest information and now includes the most recent developments in archaeological science. Meticulously researched, every section has been extensively updated by a team of experts.

There are chapters devoted to each of the archaeological periods found in Britain, as well as two chapters on techniques and the nature of archaeological remains. All the common artefacts, types of sites and current theories and methods are covered. The growing interest in post-medieval and industrial archaeology is fully explored in a brand new section dealing with these crucial periods.

Hundreds of new illustrations enable instant comparison and identification of objects and monuments—from Palaeolithic handaxes to post-medieval gravestones. Several maps pinpoint the key sites, and other features include an extensive bibliography and a detailed index.

The Handbook of British Archaeology is the most comprehensive resource book available and is essential for anyone with an interest in the subject—from field archaeologists and academics to students, heritage professionals, Time Team followers and amateur enthusiasts.

About TAS

The Teesside Archaeological Society is an enthusiastic, friendly group who share an interest in the archaeological heritage of the Tees Valley, Cleveland and the surrounding area.

Our rich heritage extends back to the Mesolithic—the 9th millennium BC—with a distinctively north-east take on every way-marker since those distant hunter-gatherers. Our journey spans Neolithic, Copper, Bronze, Iron and Roman eras—yes we have villas, Saxon royalty and Viking hogbacks, Medieval towns, castles, monastic places and pre-Industrial—right up to our more recent past.

We welcome everybody who shares an interest, no matter what level of experience or expertise. There are monthly presentations on the last Tuesday, a summer field trip, an annual bulletin publication and the chance to find out more about field projects, educational events and community activities.

How to join

Annual membership is a bargain at £12 individual or £20 joint membership, due on 1 January each year. You can pay by post using the application form or at one of our meetings—look out for Mick Butler (Treasurer) or any Committee member.

The TAS Committee

Chairman	Blaise Vyner	Publicity	Joan Weighell
Secretary	Linda Davies	Publications	Jenny Parker
Treasurer	Mick Butler	Refreshments	Carole Tyson

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Best Regards,
Spencer Carter | TAS Email Communications

The Committee welcomes your feedback,
questions, suggestions and news.

Love the rich, distinctive heritage of north-east England