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The Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society

Since 1863

For everyone interested in Yorkshire's past

Programme 2025: Key events


Prehistory Research Section events:

2025

May - Saturday 17th May 2025 - Members' Morning. Talks at 11am - 12.30pm

Venue: Conservatory Room at St George’s Centre, 60 Great George Street, LEEDS, LS1 3DL https://stgeorgescentreleeds.org.uk/
Entrance through the gates to the left of St George's Church steps.

To help plan the room space, it will be helpful to know numbers attending the talks, please reply to info.prehist@yahs.org.uk

Simon Campbell-Skelling
‘Prehistory under siege: The threatened prehistoric landscape of North West Leeds’
Clayton Wood and its neighbour, tiny Iveson Wood, are relatively little known woodlands in North West Leeds. Not only are they important environmental sites but also contain rare urban survivals of Bronze Age and later prehistoric settlements and field systems. There are two known scheduled sites in the area but also suggestions of a wider prehistoric landscape extending far beyond the boundaries of the scheduled areas. Worryingly, both the scheduled sites and the wider area face significant threats from development and damage by the public. This talk will focus on what is known of the site, what evidence there is for wider prehistoric settlement and suggestions for further research.

Paula Ware
‘Small Sites with Exceptional Results: How commercial archaeology contributes to archaeological research’
The talk will illustrate with examples of sites throughout Yorkshire where archaeological excavation has contributed to our understanding and with collaboration with academic institutions provided results of regional, national and international significance. Many of the sites were originally not considered more than ‘standard rural sites’ but it is often the earlier deposits that provide the compelling evidence that leads us to reconsider many aspects of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age societies. The advancement of scientific dating and DNA analysis provides us with tighter chronologies and insights into movement of populations.

Possible Archaeological Events for Your Diary:

N/A

Guest Lectures (open to all) 

Bradford University: School Archaeological and Forensic Science guest lectures series.

Lectures start at 5.30pm in Richmond Building (room E59) and as a webinar.

Please note - Your E-Mail Address:

The majority of members now receive their notices and newsflashes electronically. If your contact details have changed, please let me know, so that our address list remains up-to-date. If you wish to change the way you receive your section information, please drop me a line - either by email, or by post: John Cruse, 26 Logan Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 9AR

Above programme updated 22 April 2025

 

 

Roman Brough project brings immediate results

  • Posted On: 19 November 2018

Petuaria Theatre dedication stone (c) Bernard Sharp (CC BY-SA 2.0)The Petuaria ReVisited Community Project has been carrying out geophysical survey work on the playing fields to the south of the town - and have been immediately successful in finding clear signs of the Roman town.

Petuaria was the tribal centre of the Parisi, occupants of the region in Roman times. There was once a Roman fort with later stone defences with towers, discovered in the 1930s during excavations by Hull University. A unique stone inscription was found, now in the Hull and East Riding Museum, recording the presentation of a new stage for a theatre by Marcus Ulpius Januarius, a local councillor responsible for public buildings, around AD140. But where was the theatre? And why did Petuaria merit such an unusual indication of culture - the only Roman theatre known in Britain north of Colchester? Was it a rather special place?

The recently-launched local project is led by Society and Roman Antiquities Section member, Dr Peter Halkon, who is enthusiastic about the results: 'It is possible from David Staverley's GPR which is in 3D to perhaps reconstruct virtually some of those buildings. It gives us an opportunity to more or less walk over the playing field and in front of your eyes will come up the Roman buildings that you're walking through.'
 

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