Courses, Events, Teaching Aids
Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society A series of lectures on Thanet 2000BC to 2000AD to mark the 25th anniversary of the Society.
Wednesday 5th July Dark Age Archaeology of Thanet - the problem of the settlement sites and Thanet's great Jutish cemeteries.
Thursday 28th September Medieval and post-medieval archaeology in and around Thanet including the Church of All Saints, Shuart.
Monday 6th November Marine Archaeology - diving the wreck of the HMS Stirling Castle, lost in the Great Storm of 1703.
All lectures held at St. George's School, Westwood Road, Broadstairs, commencing at 8pm. Doors open at 7:15pm.
Ample free parking. Small exhibition on display. Admission £3.50 at the Door, £3.00 in advance.
Saturday 13th May The Society in association with the KAS presents an exhibition and illustrated lectures on the excavation of and finds from the Roman Villa site at Abbey Farm, Minster. To be held at Minster Village Hall, Minster-in-Thanet, nr Ramsgate. Free exhibition 10am-12 noon. Lectures 2pm to 5pm. The Development of Roman Villas by Keith Parfitt. The Roman Villa at Abbey Farm by David Perkins. Admission £5.00 at the door, £4.50 in advance. For further details and advance ticket sales please write to Events Secretary, Isle of Thanet Archaeological Society, Crampton Tower Yard, High Street, Broadstairs CT10 2AB. Cheques should be made payable to Thanet Archaeological Society and a SAE enclosed. Please indicate if you would like a map for either venue.
Kent Archaeological Field School Forthcoming Saturday and Sunday School for the public held at Faversham.
Further details from KAFS, School Farm Oast, Graveney Road, Faversham ME13 8UP. Tel: 0208 987 8827 or 0585 700 112.
20th to 29th May Excavation of a Medieval Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's summer palace at Teynham.
3rd June The Romans in Kent including a half day visit to Richborough Fort.
10th and 11th June Place names and the Landscape.
17th June Coins and the Archaeologist.
1st July Saxon Boat Building and the Graveney Boat.
8th July How to identify prehistoric flints.
15th July The Roman Villa, including a visit to Lullingstone.
22nd July to 6th August Excavation of a Roman Villa.
19th, 20th August Post Excavation Analysis.
The Prehistoric Society Saturday 3rd June The Prehistoric Archaeology of Kent: recent discoveries.
10:30am-5:30pm. Gustave Tuck Lecture theatre, University College London, Gower Street, London. Speakers will include John Williams, County Archaeologist, representatives of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust. Trust for Thanet Archaeology, Museum of London.
Tickets must be booked in advance, price £15, (£10 for members of the Prehistoric Society).
Please apply for tickets and send cheques (payable to The Prehistoric Society) to Tessa Machling, Prehistoric Society, Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY.
St. Paul's Church, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells.
St. Paul's Rusthall - Church, parish and people.
An exhibition to mark the 150th anniversary of the building of St. Paul's will be held in the Church Centre from Friday 16th June to Sunday 18th June. 10am to 7pm on the Friday and Saturday and 2pm to 6pm on the Sunday. There will also be a Flower Festival in the church itself. This will be open from Thursday 15th June through to Sunday 18th June.
Opening times are Thursday 2pm to 7pm, Friday 11am to 7pm, Saturday 11am to 1pm and Sunday 2pm to 6pm.
Admission is free.
University of Kent at Tonbridge and Canterbury It is possible to study archaeology at the UKC on either a full-time or part-time basis. Degree programmes are run on the University's Canterbury Campus in both Classical & Archaeological Studies and History & Archaeological Studies. Candidates can apply to follow the programmes on either a full or a part-time basis. Students choose combinations of courses drawn from the archaeology of Europe and the Mediterranean, and Ancient and Medieval History. These courses are usually held in the daytime.
Part-time programmes in Archaeological Studies specifically for mature students are also run at Certificate, Diploma and Degree level in the evenings, at both the University's Canterbury campus and its centre in Tonbridge. Students usually start with the certificate, then progress to diploma and finally degree level study. Courses range from prehistoric studies, the archaeology of ancient civilizations to that of the medieval world. There will be intakes in September 2000 to the Certificate at Tonbridge and to the Diploma and Degree at both Tonbridge and Canterbury.
Applications are welcome from anyone who wishes to study archaeology at university level. Mature students need not have formal academic qualifications to be admitted to any of the programmes if the candidate can demonstrate commitment to the discipline and the aptitude to study at the appropriate level.
For further information, please contact the Unit for Regional Learning, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NP Tel: 01227 823507 E-mail: part-time@ukc.ac.uk GCSE ARCHAEOLOGY IN ADULT EDUCATION Introduction: For nearly four years the present writer has been teaching GCSE Archaeology at the Medway Adult Education Centre, where a 100% pass rate has been achieved. It is hoped (and expected) that present students, taking the exam in June, will keep up this tradition. Although at the time of writing a final decision has not been made, it is hoped that in the new academic year (beginning September 2000) the subject will also be offered with the Canterbury and Swale Adult Education Service.
With programmes such as The Time Team and Meet the Ancestors being shown on television archaeology has recently been enjoying a renaissance in its popularity. Twenty years excavation experience as both a part-time and full-time archaeologist on a wide variety of sites, dating from the Neolithic to the Second World War, has shown the present writer that archaeology is not as easy as it's made to appear on these programmes. This is true whether the work is undertaken on-site or in the classroom. Also what is not emphasized on television is that most archaeology is very mundane and is one of the factors that leads to a very high site drop out rate. This factor is something that again the present writer puts great stress upon.
This one-year course can be undertaken as a non-exam adult education class, but for those students who intend to undertake the exam commitment to, as well as enthusiasm for, the subject is required. The course is open to everyone over the age of 15 and no previous detailed knowledge is expected.
The syllabus is divided into three papers: Paper 1. Archaeological skills and techniques. Five questions to be answered of which two are compulsory. For this paper we will look at the different ways that archaeologists might go about examining a site, from small 'watching briefs' up to large scale open area excavations covering many tens of acres. Non-excavation techniques, the best known of which is aerial photography will also be studied. As most of the exam questions are based upon illustrations great emphasis is put upon study photographs, plans and section drawings.
Paper 2. Archaeology of the British Isles, divided into four sections: Prehistory; Roman; migration and Medieval; Post-medieval Three questions to be answered. We only look at the first two sections in the classroom, but students are free to follow any interests they may have within the other two periods.
Paper 3. Individual projects. Two assignments each of about 2000 words.
a. Basic survey of a monument: As in previous years it is hoped to obtain permission to survey Little Kits Coty near Maidstone. This project will involve detailed measuring of the stones with a 1:50 plan being drawn by each student. A text description is also undertaken along with the placing of the monument into the wider scene (geographical, geological, social and economic).
b. Experimental Archaeology: making and firing of a 'prehistoric' Beaker pot. As well as describing and discussing the actual pot making and firing process and the problems attached, students will again be expected to discuss the wider archaeological scene.
The course: A series of slide based lectures are interspersed with informal discussion. As the course progresses photocopied handouts of sites and monuments will be used to test the knowledge of students. Two out-of-county field trips are undertaken. The first of which is the tutor's annual ten-mile hike around the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age monuments of the Avebury area. This usually sorts the men from the boys and the women from the girls - unlike with other tutors there is no pub-crawl on my field trips - archaeology is about 'doing' not talking or (despite rumours to the contrary) drinking. The second trip when we visit Butser Experimental Iron Age Farm and Bignor Roman Villa is more easy going. There are also a couple of local walks around Kentish sites.
For more information about GCSE Archaeology in each area contact: For MEDWAY area: Joan Wheddon Medway Adult Education Centre Eastgate Rochester, Kent (01634) 845359 For CANTERBURY AND SWALE area: Richard Dunn.
Kent Adult Education Canterbury Centre St. John's Place Canterbury, Kent.
(01227) 451017 Note: GCE A Level Medieval History is also undertaken In one year at Medway. We concentrate on the Anglo-Saxon period for this country and the development of the Kingdom of France for European history. Again no previous detailed knowledge is assumed. Students usually learn some of the 'naughty bits' in the class as well as the 'blood and guts'. The workload for this course is horrendous but as with the archaeology it can be undertaken as a non-exam adult education course.
GCE A Level Ancient History has previously been undertaken in one year and achieved a 100% pass rate and I fully expect all present students undertaking this Medieval course exam to pass. If they do they all get taken out to a Chinese meal. If they don't we all go and get drunk.
Alan Ward February 2000