Winter Lecture Programme 2026 - 2027
++-+
Our Meeting Place
Devonport Lecture Theatre
Portland Square Building
University of Plymouth
Plymouth
PL4 8ER
Our lectures are normally held at 7:00 pm in the Devonport Lecture Theatre of the Portland Square Building, University of Plymouth. PAS members, University staff & students, with valid ID, and all school students are admitted free. All others are welcome but asked to contribute £5 towards our expenses.
5 October 2026
Celebrating 20 Years: The Cornwall & West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site
Bill Horner, FSA ; Devon Historic Environment Manager and County Archaeologist
2 November 2026
New Research Excavations at Tintagel, Cornwall 2016-2017
Jacqueline Nowakowski, FSA - Director of Tintagel Castle Archaeology Research Project (TCARP)
1 February 2027
Arthur's Stone: A Neolithic Monumental Complex in Herefordshire
Prof Julian Thomas, FSA University of Manchester
1 March 2027
Faces from the Grave - The Beautiful and Mysterious Mummy Portraits of Roman Egypt
Dr Geri Parlby, Independent art historian
5 April 2027
Trading Places: exploring the Bronze Age Salcombe shipwrecks and the pan-European metals trade
Dr Ben Roberts, FSA Durham University
7 December 2026
On the Edge of the World: Excavations at Channel Farm, Ilfracombe
Dr Naomi Payne, FSA AC Archaeology
The Cornwall & West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site, stretching from St Just to Tavistock, defines a cultural landscape of extraordinary significance. This talk will focus on the part within Devon and will look at how the site has been managed over the last 20 years.
Tintagel was a major coastal citadel and focus for a unique high-status settlement dating from the 5th to 6th centuries AD. New research excavations have revealed major insights into connectivity between post-Roman Britain, the western Atlantic seaboard and the Eastern Mediterranean which has the potential to transform current understanding of its’ role and significance.
The excavation of an early post-medieval farmstead at Channel Farm, south of Ilfracombe, produced a large assemblage of North Devon pottery & a small but interesting group of imported wares. These and other finds will be used to paint a picture of life close to the North Devon ports at this time.
Arthur's Stone is a well-known chambered tomb in the Golden Valley of Herefordshire but was poorly understood. Excavations over the past six years have demonstrated that the tomb was a multi-phase structure, attached to a timber avenue, which formed the focus for a complex of hitherto unknown monuments which were built up over a period of several centuries.
Look into the extraordinary eyes of these funerary portraits from Roman Egypt and you meet the faces of real people who lived just decades after the death of Christ. Their striking realism and direct gaze bring ancient Egyptians vividly to life, while also providing a unique record of Roman-era fashion, hairstyles and jewellery.
The ongoing discoveries of two major Bronze Age seabed assemblages are changing our understanding of prehistoric trade across Europe. Recent analyses of the artefacts have revealed a network connecting southwest England to northern France, Iberia, Italy and the southern Levant.
With thanks to our supporters:
The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth
The Box, Museum Gallery Archive
General enquiries
© Plymouth Archaeology Society 2025