Prehistory Research Section Members’s Morning with two speakers 11am - 12.30pm

Venue: St George's Cente, 60 Great St George Street, LEEDS, LS1 3DL

Two in-person talks.

Debbie Hallam: An Early Bronze Age gold lunula from Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales.

The recent discovery of a gold lunula near Grassington raises new questions about Early Bronze Age culture, belief systems, and long-distance connections within the Yorkshire Dales hinterland. In an area that is well known for 'stones and bones' it is a rare find indeed for the region. This talk will make comparisons with other known examples, whilst also examining the importance of the surrounding landscape context and why it might have been chosen for the deposition of a prestige artefact, during period 2400-2000 BC.

Benjamin Potts: What can a single carved stone in Adel reveal about prehistoric thought?

This talk uses the Adel Lozenge Stone as a starting point to explore Britain and Ireland's wider geometric tradition - from Avebury’s avenues to the Folkton and Burton Agnes drums. Drawing on archaeological evidence, systems thinking, and landscape analysis, we’ll examine how geometry, rather than figurative art, became a key language of prehistoric cosmology, and consider how and where the Adel stone, and Yorkshire, fits within this broader network of symbols.

Tea and coffee will be available from 10.45am.