Lectures were suspended from March 2020 and resumed online-only from September 2020. For details of how to attend the online lectures for free by temporary, virtual subscription, follow this link
28 January 2020 – The Auckland Project: Bishop Auckland and excavations at Auckland Castle.
Since the demise of the mining industry, Bishop Auckland has been affected by economic and social decline. The Auckland Project aims to drive regeneration in the local community, to make for a vibrant community. This vision is built around Auckland (Bishop’s) Castle, whose thousand-year history is being unearthed and interpreted; art; nature; and theatre.
John Castling is a part-time PhD student at the Archaeology department of Durham University, researching the Roman, post-Roman and Early Medieval period of County Durham. He is also Curator of Archaeology and Social History at the Auckland Project, co-ordinating archaeological work at Auckland Castle and Binchester Roman Fort.
25 February 2020 – A Grand Tour of Roman Scotland
Though Scotland was never successfully conquered by the Roman Empire, the lands north of Hadrian’s Wall include many sites bearing witness to Rome’s attempts to impose their will over the whole of the island known today as Great Britain. A Grand Tour of Roman Scotland will introduce some of the 350-plus sites found across the country, from the well-preserved fort at Ardoch, to the fabled battle site of Mons Graupius. From camps to forts, from Walls to harbours, this talk will look at different aspects of life in the land of the ‘barbarians’.
Andrew Tibbs is undertaking a PhD in Durham University Department of Archaeology, focussing on Roman military installations in Northern Britain.
25 August 2020
Dr David Errickson will update TAS members on recent research in his new role at Cranfield University
29 September 2020 Deceptively Spacious: Durham Castle and the walls survey
The talk covers the former extent of the Castle and describes a detailed survey carried out a few years ago, ending with some views of what remains hidden today.
Richard Annis is a Senior Archaeologist with Durham University; and has worked on a wide variety of archaeological projects throughout the Northeast of England, Cumbria, Humberside, Yorkshire and Gloucestershire during the past 30 years
27 October 2020 Uncovering Rievaulx Abbey’s landscapes
An update on ongoing work by Durham University to understand the relationships between Rievaulx Abbey, landscape and people. Rievaulx’s relationships affected people at all levels of society, from King Henry II to individual peasants, and left complex traces on the landscape of Northern England from Teesside to South Yorkshire. The fresh interpretation of the landscape and documentary record is revealing that some of the long-accepted myths about a major Cistercian monastery now require revision.
This talk will recap the talk given by Freya Horsfield in April 2019, updated by the final stages of her doctoral research at Durham University
24 November 2020
Dr Stephen Sherlock will provide an update of his recent archaeological work
29 December 2020
Fun virtual informal event for TAS members – online!
26 January 2021 Creating a better place: the Environment Agency and Archaeology an Greatham Creek and elsewhere on Teesside
Re-arranged from March 2020 as a result of COVID-19.
The Environment Agency leads the response to floods. A breach of existing flood defences in 2013 caused significant damage to local industry and to homes in the village of Port Clarence. To mitigate against future flooding, the Environment Agency commissioned works to improve flood protection at Greatham South. The Environment Agency’s archaeologists screen projects such as this to check if historic or archaeological features will be affected; advise project managers on heritage issues; help ensure that heritage reports are fit for purpose; and – most importantly – help to ensure significant heritage assets are avoided where possible and a programme of enhancement is delivered.
Jennifer Morrison is a Senior Archaeologist with the Environment Agency. She will be joined for this talk by representatives of Northern Archaeological Associates, who carried out archaeological investigations in Greatham Creek in 2010-2012.
23 February 2021
The Saxon and Medieval Church in the lower Tees Valley
Robin Daniels, Archaeology Officer, Tees Archaeology
30 March 2021 The Battle of Fulford, 1066
Chas Jones
27 April 2021 – Bronze Age metals and mobility in Northeast England
Rearranged from May 2020 as a result of COVID-19.
Ben Roberts completed his PhD on the Origins And Early Development Of Metallurgy In Western Europe in early 2007. Since then, he was Curator for European Bronze Age collections at the British Museum (until 2012), and later his career has included a role as co-investigator on a major AHRC funded project the Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia.
Ben Roberts is Associate Professor in Durham University Department of Archaeology; co-Director of the HLF funded and crowdfunded ‘Barrowed Time’ project in Northwest England in collaboration with DigVentures and the Portable Antiquities Scheme; and is involved with numerous smaller projects in Britain ranging from a Beaker/Early Bronze Age barrow (Reffley Wood) to a Bronze Age shipwreck (Salcombe) to a Late Iron Age Hoard (Salisbury)
May 2021
June 2021
