Archaeology

To contact the Archaeology Group : Delian Backhouse Fry - email delianfry(at)hotmail.com or Tel: 01983 853292.

The Archaeology Group currently has a lively programme of mainly outdoor walks in the spring and summer, and indoor talks during the autumn and winter, and we aim to maintain as high a standard as possible. We interpret archaeology as widely as possible and cover as many aspects of the subject as we can, but this will depend on the interests and specialities of our members at any one period, as well as those of resident archaeologists and other specialists on the Island. We are always looking for new members or guest speakers who can make fresh contributions and add new insights.

The Mudlarks website keeps everyone up to date with current activities within the group.

We often work within the wider Archaeological Community and some of these other organisations can be found here.

Prospective newcomers are welcome to come along to a few meetings to 'try them out'. For the Meetings Calendar please click here

In addition, Group members are often invited to join fieldwalking, excavation, community and experimental archaeology projects, depending on availability at any one time. In recent years, these have included fieldwalking all over the Island, extensive involvement with the excavations at Brading Roman Villa, and the Island's Neolithic Farming project.

Currently the Society has been invited to participate in an Historic Lanes & Tracks survey by the County Archaeology Service, as part of its HEAP project, or Historic Environment Action Plan. This involves a two-fold approach, a desktop survey researching historic records and maps, as well as a survey of historic lanes and trackways out in the field.

Meetings

Some of our recent meetings -

Archaeology Meetings 2004

Archaeology Meetings 2005

Archaeology Meetings 2006

Archaeological Walks

Recent walks with local experts have included:

Barrows and other archaeological features in Brighstone Forest and Gallibury Down
The barrows of Mottistone Down
The mediaeval landscape of Parkhurst Forest and surrounding area
The palaeo-archaeology of Priory Bay
Archaeological and geological features of Bembridge Down
Shorwell barrows, landscape and place-names

Archaeological Talks and Discussions

Recent talks by local and guest speakers have included:

The Island's Archaeology: recent projects and discoveries
Anglo-Saxons of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Anglo-Saxon runes and their meanings
The seabed in prehistory
The Romano-British settlement of the West Wight coastline
Romano-British water cults
Holy wells
Techniques used in excavation and the history of archaeological recording
Archaeological sites in Crete
Graeco-Roman mystery religions
Interpreting the mosaics of Brading Roman Villa
The mediaeval Wild Man of the Woods
Canute: Emperor of the North
Exploring the Great Well at Carisbrooke Castle
Norse myth and religion
The Island's first farmers
Druids ancient and modern
Caves and their contents: exploration & interpretation
Metal detecting
The County Sites and Monuments Record
Prehistoric ritual and religion