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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
September

Saturday 6th September 2025 in-person talk at 2pm – 3.15pm       FULLY BOOKED - NO TICKETS AVAILABLE
Joint meeting of the Prehistoric Society and Prehistory Research Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society. In person meeting open to all, guests are welcome.

Venue: Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH

Dr. Sophia Adams, The British Museum
The massive Melsonby Iron Age hoard: from bits of bits to wheels and wagons

The Melsonby hoard is a vast deposit of Late Iron Age horse harness and vehicle remains found in North Yorkshire and recently declared Treasure. Discovered and reported by detectorist Peter Heads, it was investigated by Durham University and The British Museum, with support from Historic England. The excavation revealed an incredibly well-preserved metalwork assemblage. When the find was made public in spring 2025 the story quickly spread, captivating audiences across the globe. Consisting of the ironwork from at least seven vehicles, ornate harness pieces, cauldrons, spears and more, this 2000-year-old deposit is astounding. In this presentation we will explore the discovery together, marvelling at the objects, peering through x-rays and revealing how these items were buried and how they are creating the opportunity to review past understandings in new light.

Sophia Adams PhD, FSA, is curator of the First Millennium European and Roman Conquest period Collections at The British Museum. She first joined the museum in 2009 as a PhD student (with the BM and the University of Leicester) and returned in 2021 following post-doctoral research projects at SUERC, the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol. Sophia has published collaborative research on specific artefacts, from The Enderby shield to Bronze Age bronze moulds, and wider contextual studies including the social context of later prehistoric metalworking.

Register for a free ticket: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/yahs/t-zzvjlro

Any enquiries to: info.prehist@yahs.org.uk

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 4th August 2025

 

 

PRS 25th March meeting - Members Morning CANCELLED, Afternoon talk and AGM via Zoom only

  • Posted On: 16 February 2023
PLEASE NOTE MEMBERS MORNING CANCELLED. AFTERNOON TALK AND AGM FOR PRS MEMBERS VIA ZOOM ONLY

 

Saturday 25th March 2023
11 am – 12.15 pm: Members’ Morning
10.45 am tea/ coffee available, talks start 11 am

Sites in the upland landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors will be explored by PRS members, in two short talks followed by Q&A. This face-to-face meeting is open to all, but will not be online via Zoom. Download a flyer here. Please email info.prehist@yahs.org.uk if you will be attending to allow for catering.

Yvonne Luke: ‘A Druid's Temple near Ribblehead?: The Sleights Pasture Prehistoric Monument Complex

Blaise Vyner: ‘The cross-ridge dyke on John Cross Rigg, Fylingdales Moor

 
Talk also online via Zoom: 2 pm

Anna Bloxam, Assistant Professor in Archaeology, Dept Classics & Archaeology, University of Nottingham will talk on 'Yorkshire’s unusual Beaker burials: what can period-atypical funerary practices tell us about British prehistory?'

The Neolithic to Bronze Age transition in Britain is synonymous with the arrival of the Beaker people. Seen archaeologically through their standardised burial practices and distinctive material culture, their arrival heralds a period of sweeping cultural change across Britain – or so the traditional narrative goes. Recent DNA studies have lent support to the idea of dramatic change and population replacement over the period, but does the archaeology still fit this story? This talk sets out the evidence for overlooked burial practices in Yorkshire during the Beaker period, how they relate to other atypical practices from across Britain, and how this diverse set of strange and unexpected archaeological sites can shed new light on the nature of prehistoric cultural change.

This face-to-face talk is open to all and also online via Zoom. Download a flyer here.
Any enquiries to info.prehist@yahs.org.uk Please register in advance for Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkd-iprz0pE9fQljVD75eOV_Rw9XmH7eTR

 
AGM: c. 3.15 pm

Prehistory Research Section AGM for members only. This face-to-face meeting will not be available online via Zoom. Paperwork for the meeting and requests for nominations for posts will be sent out in late February. Any enquiries to Hon. Secretary John Cruse at john.cruse1@btinternet.com

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