The Festival of British Archaeology is a fortnight-long festival coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA). It is an annual UK-wide festival, during which events take place across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. [1]
The Festival of British Archaeology is a fortnight-long festival coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA). It is an annual UK-wide festival, during which events take place across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. [1]
The festival began in 1990 as National Archaeology Day, for which 10 events were held. Initially it was linked in with European Heritage Days in September of each year. However, feedback from participants led to a decision by the Council for British Archaeology to separate from European Heritage Days and to move the event to July in order make the most of the fieldwork opportunities during the summer.[ citation needed ]
The festival increased to a weekend-long event in 2003 with 195 events, and in 2005 became a nine-day festival under the name National Archaeology Week. The Council for British Archaeology has now renamed National Archaeology Week as the Festival of Archaeology. Each year the festival will take place in July.
Since 2020 it is linked with the European Archaeology Days overseen by Inrap (French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research) under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture [2]
The festival is centred on the Council for British Archaeology's aim of widening participation in archaeology by encouraging people to visit sites of archaeological and historical interest, such as museums, heritage sites, and resource centres. [3]
Events are held locally and nationally by a wide variety of groups and societies. Events range from small local events to larger countywide events, and focus on different aspects of British Archaeology. The CBA coordinates the overall festival, but individual groups and societies are able to produce their own events locally and generate publicity for their events and groups. A number of other events run during the year to promote archaeology and history (see list below). In 2011 and 2013 the festival included the Day of Archaeology [4]
The profile of the Festival of Archaeology has grown in recent years. The festival has received national media coverage in newspapers such as The Guardian [5] and The Telegraph [1] and featured on BBC1's The One Show in 2007. High-profile figures such as Barbara Follett, [6] Phil Harding, and Julian Richards have been involved with the festival. In 2008 the children's magazine The Beano featured the Festival of Archaeology on their front cover.
Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, documents and other items associated with the production, manufacture, extraction, transport or construction of a product or range of products. The field of industrial archaeology incorporates a range of disciplines including archaeology, architecture, construction, engineering, historic preservation, museology, technology, urban planning and other specialties, in order to piece together the history of past industrial activities. The scientific interpretation of material evidence is often necessary, as the written record of many industrial techniques is often incomplete or nonexistent. Industrial archaeology includes both the examination of standing structures and sites that must be studied by an excavation.
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Daphne Barbara Follett is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stevenage from 1997 to 2010. During this time she held several parliamentary and ministerial positions.
The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations. It achieves this by promoting research, conservation and education, and by widening access to archaeology through effective communication and participation.
The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) was established in 1973 to promote the study of industrial archaeology and to encourage improved standards of recording, research, conservation and publication. It aims to support individuals and groups involved in those objectives and to represent the interests of industrial archaeology at a national level. It is a non-profit making registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, its registered office is care of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) is a charity registered in England and Wales and in Scotland and is a company limited by guarantee.
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Timothy Darvill OBE is an English archaeologist and author, best known for his publications on prehistoric Britain and his excavations in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. He is Professor of Archaeology in the Faculty of Science and Technology Bournemouth University in England. Timothy Darvill is recognised as one of the leading authorities on Stonehenge and the British Neolithic. In April 2008 he co-directed excavations within Stonehenge, together with Professor Geoffrey Wainwright and Dr Miles Russell, to examine the early stone structures on the site. The work featured heavily in a BBC Timewatch programme which examined the theory that Stonehenge was a prehistoric centre of healing. He was appointed OBE in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours.
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