Landscape archaeology is a vital tool for understanding how ancient peoples interacted with their environment, shaping and being shaped by the land they lived on.
Category: Reports
Jan 21
Guide – Empathic Archaeology: Building a Strong Straw Man
Empathic Archaeology: Building a Strong Straw Man Question Everything and Question Again When engaging in empathic archaeology, the process of creating and refining a straw man—a provisional model of the past—requires a delicate balance of imagination and rigor. The archaeologist’s imagination fills the skeleton of the straw man with ideas and concepts, but these must …
Jan 21
Guide – Empathic Archaeology: The Straw Man
At first glance, the idea of psychoanalyzing an “imaginary alien” might sound outlandish, but it perfectly mirrors the approach many archaeologists must take when trying to understand ancient cultures. These cultures are far removed from our own in time, and often in social structure, belief systems, and material culture.
Jan 21
Guide – Empathic Archaeology Introduction
Empathic archaeology is the practice of immersing oneself in the worldview of the people being studied, allowing archaeologists and researchers to interpret artifacts, structures, and landscapes through the lens of the individuals who created or used them.
Jan 21
Guide – Critical Thinking: Lack of Evidence Does Not Mean Evidence of Lack
In archaeology, the phrase “lack of evidence does not mean evidence of lack” is an important reminder that the absence of proof does not necessarily prove something does not exist or did not happen.
Jan 21
Guide – Using the best tools for research
For amateur researchers who don’t have access to extensive professional resources, there are still several methods and tools they can use to cross-check previous findings and apply a holistic approach. While they may never have access to every piece of data, they can still adopt strategies that lead to more accurate, well-rounded interpretations. Here are some practical approaches:
Jan 21
Guide – Congruence in Archaeological Interpretation: Holistic Analysis
In archaeology, congruence refers to the alignment or consistency between various elements of evidence, data, and interpretations. It is the principle that all parts of a research question should fit together seamlessly to offer a coherent and reliable understanding
Jan 21
Guide – Challenging Assumptions with Free Thinking
One of the most powerful tools in archaeology is not just digging deeper into the earth but digging deeper into our own thinking processes. In archaeological research, we often encounter assumptions—either based on prior data, outdated methodologies, or even cultural biases—that shape how we view and interpret the past.
Jan 21
Guide – Introduction to Critical Thinking in Archaeological Research
In the world of archaeology, as with all forms of inquiry, the pursuit of truth begins with the ability to think critically and independently. Archaeology is often seen as the science of uncovering the past, but it is equally the art of understanding how we approach and interpret evidence. In the case of the Brigantes Nation, a tribe whose history is riddled with gaps and assumptions, critical thinking is not only useful—it is essential.
Jan 19
Rome: The Emperors Claim to Divinity
The Emperors Claim to Divinity In Roman religion, the relationship between the emperors and the gods was complex and evolved over time. The concept of divinity in Roman imperial ideology became a central part of the Roman imperial cult and the emperor’s sacred authority. While there wasn’t a formalized concept of a “divine marriage” in …
PAS North Yorkshire
- NLM-3644D0 BUTTON POST MEDIEVAL 5 February 2025Silver probable button or cufflink fragment. Oval cast concavo-convex front from an object of probably composite construction with a small central apical boss which serves as the centre of a hexagonal floret. The floret is set between two doubled incised lines passing diagonally across the domed surface, with singly incised lines completing the enclosure of […]
- NLM-367AD7 BROOCH POST MEDIEVAL 5 February 2025Copper alloy brooch. An item of costume jewellery made by the bending of a hollow cylinder of round section into a simple loop whose overlapping ends are presumably brazed to each other; the open and obliquely angled ends of the tube are slightly expanded or flared and blind, being filled with concave insets. The form […]
- NLM-3615C9 DEBITAGE PALAEOLITHIC 5 February 2025Flint possible debitage. An irregular rounded nodule, heavily worn by natural agencies such as rolling by water and stained an orange-tan tint by exposure to or incorporation within ferruginous gravels. This was found near NLM-670938 though is less convincing as an artefact. Three or four large flakes may have been removed by hard-hammer working from […]
- NLM-35E1DF UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT UNKNOWN 5 February 2025Copper alloy unidentified object fragment. A tiny cast flat-sided billet of slightly wedge-shaped profile with one rounded and nicked end and with intermittently grooved or notched sides. Smoothed and rounded overall, as if by wear – perhaps a hint that this had served as part of a dress accessory and has been polished by its […]
- NLM-35C05B COIN ROMAN 5 February 2025Copper alloy coin fragment. Radiate or nummus indeterminate, probably of medium to large module, later Roman issue of 260-330, probably a regular issue.Obverse description: youthful bust right, clean-shaven.Obverse inscription: (----)OAGReverse description: male figure nude save for cloaked shoulders left, with right arm extended and appearing to hold the lead of a small dog – the […]
PAS West Yorkshire
- YORYM-8E1BC7 BUCKLE MEDIEVAL 28 January 2025A complete copper-alloy buckle of medieval date, c.AD 1250 -1500. Meols Type 2.The buckle is a single looped D-shape with a narrowed and recessed strap bar. A grooved pin rest is present on the upper surface of the outside edge of the loop. A circular sectioned pin is fitted around the bar by an open loop. A rectangular […]
- YORYM-8E4F89 BUCKLE MEDIEVAL 28 January 2025A complete copper-alloy buckle of medieval date, c.AD 1250-1500. Meols Type 1.The buckle is a single looped D-shape with a narrowed strap bar. The upper surface of the frame has been decorated with four groups of four parallel incised grooves. A rectangular sectioned pin is fitted around the bar by an open loop. A rectangular plate is looped […]
PAS South Yorkshire
- YORYM-8FC319 HARNESS PENDANT MEDIEVAL 28 January 2025An incomplete copper-alloy gilded zoomorphic harness pendant of medieval date, AD 1200 - 1400.The pendant comprises a D-shaped plate in the form of a forward-facing animal's head, probably a stag, with integral attachment loop. The upper surface is moulded with features including pellet eyes, an elongated raised muzzle, and rounded snout. The reverse is flat and undecorated. The attachment […]
- NMGW-C31C53 CHARIOT FITTING IRON AGE 24 January 2025Addendum to an Iron Age sacred lake assemblage: a Late Iron Age bridle-bit and terret (50 BC - AD 75)1. Two-link bridle-bit, Polden Hill Subtype, bronze, complete Dimensions: maximum length 238.0mm; external rein-ring diameters (1)73.8-74.0mm & (2) 73.5-74.7mm; internal rein-ring diameters (1) 55.6mm & (2) 56.3mm; thickness rein rings – side to side (1) 8.3-9.0mm & […]
