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The Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society

Since 1863

For everyone interested in Yorkshire's past

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  2. Prehistory Research
  3. Section programme

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

 

 

FULLY BOOKED - Annual joint meeting of the Prehistory Research Section and The Prehistoric Society.

  • Posted On: 22 June 2023
Saturday 2nd September 2023
Annual joint meeting of the Prehistory Research Section and The Prehistoric Society. 2pm - 3:15pm 

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

Thoresby Room, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH

This meeting is open to members and the general public. See attached flyer.

Register for a free ticket in advance via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/prehistoric-henges-in-yorkshire-beyond-a-talk-by-dr-alex-gibson-tickets-647131737447

Dr. Alex Gibson, a leading expert, who in 2022 was awarded the Grahame Clark Medal for his significant contributions to the study of British prehistory, especially the Neolithic and
Bronze Age, will talk about ‘Prehistoric henges in Yorkshire and beyond: recent research’.

Henge monuments are enigmatic circular monuments dating from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, approximately 3000 – 1500 BC. They are part of a growing fixation with circularity as witnessed by contemporary circles of stone and wood as well as circular burial monuments. Generally with internal ditches, these monuments are unsuited to defence, none have produced evidence for settlement, and they are presumed (probably correctly) to be sites for the acting of religious or ritual ceremonies. These ritual enclosures vary considerably in size and complexity and their functions are difficult to determine. Recent research is suggesting that some sites had a long history of use and modification and what we see now is more or less the final stage of a monument that has been visited for several centuries. Some have had timber or stone elements, some occur in groups, some have single entrances, others may have two or four. Some are slight, others, like Avebury, are truly monumental. With the Thornborough Henges now being taken into public ownership, and with recent research and excavation in Wharfedale, this talk will be a journey from Orkney to Wessex and will look at new dating evidence, recent excavations, the reinterpretation of antiquarian records, the possibility of human sacrifice and to what extent the Yorkshire henges fit the emerging national trends.

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

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