March to Reading Gaol on Saturday the 21st of March 12-2pm

Members of BAS Council will be leading a contingent to support this event. Please join us. There will be time to get back to RISC for the BAS lecture!

Meet outside the Hexagon at 12pm for a march through the town to Reading Gaol. To give the organisers an idea of numbers please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/march-to-reading-gaol-ticket…

We want to show the Ministry of Justice that Reading Gaol should stay open to the public as an arts and heritage site. It is too important to be redeveloped as luxury flats.

To show your support for the campaign to turn Reading by Gaol into an arts and heritage site please sign MP Matt Rodda’s petition here: http://bit.ly/2Or95Vc

Thank-you to the Save Reading Gaol team for organising the event.

Invitation from Archaeology in Marlow (a joint talk with Marlow Archaeology)

The Old Stones – the Megalithic Sites of Britain and Ireland

by Andy Burnham

Andy will present a ‘whistle stop’ tour with amazing photos of prehistoric sites from all over the UK. The talk is based around many of the fascinating themes, new discoveries and mysteries highlighted in the book ‘The Old Stones’, along with a look at lesser known but interesting sites in the local area.
‘The Old Stones’ is the mostcomprehensive and thought-provoking field guide ever published to the iconic standing stones and prehistoric places of Britain and Ireland, and was awarded Current Archaeology Book of the Year 2019.
Andy is the lead author, and also founder of the Megalithic Portal web resource.

8.00 p.m in the Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow, SL7 1DD

AIM & MAS Members £3.00, non-members £4.50
Free parking at the adjacent car park after 7.00p.m

For details of AIM’s other activities and how you can join, either log on to our website, www.archaeologyinmarlow.org.uk, or contact:

Developments on the Roman Berkshire project

Bring your own lunch; tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.  There will be a charge of £3 per person to cover the room costs. All welcome. Contact Andrew Hutt

1.00 pm for 1.30 pm at the RISC Centre, London Street, Reading RG1 4PS Google map reference

PARKING AT RISC: There have been changes to parking at the rear of the RISC building. Only certain bays are available and payment is by phone only. Please see notices for details.

Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? Identifying tool use in British Mesolithic woodworking

by Adam Turner, PhD student at Reading University

(this is a change to the previously advertised lecture)

Image: Captivating worked wood from 12m under the Solent at Bouldnor Cliff Bouldnor-Butser Mesolithic Woodworking Project

2.00 pm for 2.30 pm at the RISC Centre, London Street, Reading RG1 4PS Google map reference

PARKING AT RISC: There have been changes to parking at the rear of the RISC building. Only certain bays are available and payment is by phone only. Please see notices for details.

Archaeology in Berkshire 2020

This day school brings together professional archaeologists, archaeological societies and those interested in archaeology in Berkshire and surrounding counties to hear reports about the latest projects.

10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m St Nicolas Church Hall, Newbury RG14 5HG

All welcome. Cost £10 payable on the door

TIME	TITLE, SPEAKER & ORGANISATION
10.00	Welcome  Alison McQuitty, Chair, Berkshire Archaeological Society
10.05	Recent work in West Berkshire Sarah Orr, West Berkshire Council Senior Archaeologist
10.25	Recent discoveries in East Berkshire Fiona McDonald, East Berkshire Archaeological Officer
10.45	Berkshire Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Highlights Beth Asbury, Assistant Archaeologist (HER and Outreach), West Berkshire
11.10	COFFEE – 25 mins
11.35	The story of the 1950s excavations of Berkshire’s most important Saxon and early Norman settlement at Old Windsor. The excavator, the archive and the future! Roland Smith, Berkshire Archaeology
12.00	Silchester: The Roman Baths project Professor M. Fulford, University of Reading
12.25	LUNCH – 1 hour 15 minutes
13.40	Dendrochronological analysis, NewburyAndy Moir, Tree Ring
14.05	Boxford, Mud Hole Duncan Coe or Matt Nichol, Cotswold Archaeology
14.30	TEA – 25 mins
14.55	Medieval Tile Kilns, Silver Street, Reading TBA, Thames Valley Archaeological Services
15.20	Cold War Archaeology at AWE Piran Borlase-Hendry, AWE
15.45	Discoveries at Ankerwycke Priory Andrew Hutt, Berkshire Archaeological Society
16.10-16.20	Questions and Conclusions Alison McQuitty, Chair, Berkshire Archaeological Society

Parking for the disabled is adjacent to the hall and there are several public car parks. Newbury railway station is a 10 minute walk.

Bring a packed lunch or eat out in local restaurants and pubs.

Image: Aerial view of the excavations at Silchester baths site, July 2019 (University of Reading)

British Museum: Troy – myth and reality

The legend of Troy has endured for more than 3,000 years. The story of a great city, plunged into a 10-year war over the abduction of the most beautiful woman in the world, is irresistibly dramatic and tragic. This allure has sent adventurers and archaeologists in quest of the lost city, which is now widely believed to have existed.

But what of the heroes and the heartbroken, the women and the wanderers, who are said to have a played a part in the Trojan War? Why have they inspired so many retellings, from Homer to Shakespeare and Hollywood? Get closer to these captivating characters as you explore the breath-taking art that brings them to life, from dramatic ancient sculptures and exquisite vase paintings to powerful contemporary works.

You can also examine the fascinating archaeological evidence that proves there was a real Troy – and offers tantalising hints at the truth behind the mythical stories.

From Helen of Troy’s abduction to the deception of the Trojan Horse and the fall of the city, tread the line between myth and reality in this phenomenal new exhibition.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/troy.aspx

Berkshire Archaeological Journal volume 84 has just been published.

It is a multi-article issue covering a wide variety of reports from our county.

Members and subscribers will be receiving their copies by hand or by post. Further copies may be purchased from the society. See this page

West Berkshire Museum

Special Exhibition: Hoards

Bringing together for the first time, over 11 hoards from all over West Berkshire.  A chance to see buried treasure from prehistory to the medieval period, ranging from a hoard of Bronze Age Axes, Iron Age hoards of gold coins, Roman hoards of hundreds of coins, to a hoard of coins of Charles I and James I.  Explore the history of each hoard, find out how they were found, and consider why they were hidden and never retrieved.

Entry to West Berkshire Museum is free but donations are most welcomed.
Open: Wednesday – Sunday 10am -4pm

Image: The Crow Down Hoard, Acquired 2006

More info here

Special Exhibition: Hoards