Author: Admin

Autumn 2019 – Call for papers

/ Admin

After ‘Gathering Time’: new perspectives on enclosures of the earlier 4th millennium BC

4th November 2019
British Museum, London

It seems fair to say that we know more about causewayed enclosures than any other type of Neolithic site. This is particularly down to the research by Alasdair Whittle, Alex Bayliss and Frances Healy published as Gathering Time (2011), which built on a rich corpus of previous work to develop detailed chronological models for these sites and in effect to write a history of the Early Neolithic.

But of course this does not mean we should go away and do something else. There remains much we still want to know. Having a high-quality framework for understanding opens up different, more detailed questions about these sites, especially as new enclosures continue to be discovered across southern Britain.

So what do we want to know about enclosures after Gathering Time? How much do the new discoveries add to the picture of their distribution, currency, purpose and use?

We are especially keen to receive contributions that deal with the following contextual questions:

  • how do enclosures fit into Neolithic landscapes of settlement, movement, clearance and herding?
  • what is happening in the parts of Britain where such monuments are not found?
  • and what do we know of the broader European milieu from which enclosures emerged?

We already have a good range of speakers discussing causewayed enclosures themselves, but offers of papers, shorter presentations or posters that address the wider context are still very welcome. Please contact jonathan.last@historicengland.org.uk by 19th July 2019.

Spring Meeting 2018 – East Waterford & South Kilkenny 11-13 May 2018

/ Admin

This year’s Spring Meeting will take place in East Waterford & South Kilkenny, SE Ireland, starting on Friday 11 May and concluding on Sunday 13 May. The meeting will be using as a base the seaside town of Tramore.

Friday 11 May. We will meet at O’Shea’s Hotel, Tramore, from 7pm for short introductory talks. There will be finger food and wine.

Saturday 12 May. 9 am assemble car park opposite Majestic Hotel for visit to sites in East Waterford; subject to landowners’ permission we will visit the small passage tombs of Harristown, Matthewstown and Carriglong. Portal tombs at Knockeen and Gaulstown. Rhyolite stone source at Monvoy, Henge enclosure at Castletown. Viewing of promontory forts along the Copper Coast (see www.coppercoastgeopark.com).

Sunday 13 May. 9.30 am depart for South Kilkenny: visit portal tomb at Kilmogue/Harristown, passage tomb with megalithic art at Knockroe and possibly passage tomb at Baunfree. Possibly continue to Brownes Hill portal tomb near Carlow for drop off to buses and trains ex Carlow to Dublin

For details of sites see http://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/

The fee for attending this weekend will be 70 euros, or £65. This includes a space on a minibus over the weekend and Friday evening reception refreshments. Payment details contained on the booking form.

 

Getting there

Car: Two hours from Cork airport and about 2.5 from Dublin airport, the latter with a particularly good motorway, though the first 40 km leaving Dublin can be slow on Friday evenings.

Train: Dublin Heuston Station to Waterford (www.irishrail.ie) Last train 18.35.

Buses ex Dublin: Bus Eireann (www.buseireann.ie) and J. J. Kavanagh (www.jjkavanagh.ie) run from Dublin airport to Waterford and some of the Kavanaghs run right to Tramore. Dublin Coach (www.dublincoach.ie) runs from Dublin to Waterford but requires a change for Dublin airport

Buses ex Cork: Dublin Coach and Bus Eireann run to Waterford

Waterford Quays to Tramore: buses with Bus Eireann every 30 minutes.

Base/Accommodation: see www.tramore.ie Tramore has one 4* hotel, the Majestic, and a 3* O’Shea’s, plus a number of B&B both regular and Air, and a good hostel. It’s an old established seaside place, with chip shops, promenade and funfairs, and also a new Japanese Garden. There are other places to stay in the area, but the new Waterford Greenway has brought an influx of tourists so early booking is advised.

To book your place, simply completed the attached form on the right of this page and send to the address at the bottom of page two.