Next conference
Archaeology without a Grant
Is it possible to do archaeology without a grant? The next conference of the Council for Independent Archaeology will be devoted to this subject and will explore all aspects of archaeology carried out without a grant.
Hackleton Village Hall, where the conference will be held
The conference will be held on Saturday, 15 September 2012 at the village hall of Hackleton, near Northampton, which has great advantage of being only just off the M1 motorway. The conference will be hosted courtesy of the Upper Nene Archaeological Society, whose chairman, Roy Friendship-Taylor lives in the village of Hackleton.
There is a general belief in archaeology today that archaeology is all about money and that it is not possible to do any archaeology with first raising a lot of money to fund your excavations. Indeed most ‘community’ archaeology these days consists of first raising money — often from the Heritage Lottery Fund and then bringing in professional archaeologist to direct your project for you. All archaeology today seems to be done on money, but the conference will consider archaeology done without a grant — archaeology done for love not money
At the conference you will be able to hear about Excavations carried out without a Grant; how to carry out a resistivity survey without a grant; and how to publish your excavations without a grant.
Roy and Liz Friendship Taylor on their excavations at the Piddington Roman Villa
It will also be possible to visit the nearby excavations at the Roman Villa of Piddington where the Upper Nene Archaeological Society has been excavating for 33 years — without a grant. It will also be possible to visit their museum — which admittedly needed a grant to set it up — but is now a fine example of a museum owned and run by a local society.
Piddington Museum, in an old Wesleyan chapel
The programme is not yet finalised but the slots of 20 minutes each are filling up fast. If you would like to tell us about your project of archaeology without a grant (grants of under £5000 are not counted under the de minimis rule) then please e-mail either the Treasurer of the Council for Independent archaeology, Keith Foster, or the Secretary, Kevan Fadden.
To reserve your place at the conference (tickets are expected to cost between £15 and £25 to include lunch), please email Keith Foster.
Model of the Piddington Roman villa, in the Piddington Museum.
Andrew Selkirk, Webmaster
16th March 2012