During Scottish Archaeology Month, get hands-on with the fascinating archaeology collections in the care of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums, Aberdeenshire Museums and the University of Aberdeen University Collections.
Come along and enjoy short talks introducing the archaeological research being carried out in the North East.
What's happening on the day . . .
University of Aberdeen, University Collections
Come and meet a team from the University of Aberdeen University Collections who will have a selection of archaeological objects for visitors to handle. Hold a piece of history in your hand and join in on a mini archaeological dig!
Treasure Trove
Have you found any archaeological objects? Do you wonder how objects found in the ground make their way into Scotland's amazing museums? The Treasure Trove Unit is responsible for recording and assessing the significance of all archaeological finds made in Scotland. Come along to meet some of the Unit and find out about our work. If you have any finds to report, you can arrange an appointment during the day using this link, Aberdeen Finds Day.
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums
The team from Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums will have a selection of objects from the collections for you to explore. Come along and learn more about the medieval past lurking under your feet in the city centre.
Aberdeenshire Museums
Find out all about the new Museum of Aberdeenshire being developed for Peterhead. Planned to open in 2027 (with Levelling Up and National Lottery Heritage funding), it will feature thousands of objects from across the council’s museum collections, including a wide range of archaeological material. There will also be dedicated spaces for temporary exhibitions and events. Come and see the plans and share your thoughts on what should be on display.
Mesolithic Deeside
Mesolithic Deeside is a group of archaeologists, students and local volunteers investigating the river Dee area 10,000 years ago. They field walk along the river accurately locating all finds, map them and commission reports to date and describe them. Come along and learn more about what the team have found during their work investigating the prehistoric past of the region and see what tools looked like before metals were made.
Mid Grampian Mesolithic
Mid Grampian Mesolithic was founded in January 2023. Our mission is to search for evidence for Mesolithic and other prehistoric people who lived in the Mid Grampian region, to foster a passion for archaeology and the past environment, and to have fun doing it!
Talks
We will be hosting a series of talks from a range of speakers including a representative from Treasure Trove and local archaeologist Ali Cameron. Staff members from the University of Aberdeen Department of Archaeology will be talking about exciting new research exploring what we can learn about how people used to live from human remains and other archaeological material.
11:30
Kate Britton, Sarah Barakat, Will Mills (University of Aberdeen)
- PALaEoScot: new approaches to Scotland’s oldest archaeology
- In this talk, University of Aberdeen researchers will introduce you to the illusive Ice Age archaeology of Scotland. Explore the evidence for Scotland’s Palaeolithic people, the landscapes they encountered and the fearsome beasts they shared their world with.
12:30
Rebecca Crozier (University of Aberdeen)
- Ritual Violence or Violent ritual? Disentangling death narratives in the Orcadian Neolithic.
- This talk will present new evidence for violent, and fatal, interactions in the Orcadian Neolithic. But is this connected to raw, interpersonal aggression, or are we seeing something more darkly ritualised?
13:30
Ali Cameron (Cameron Archaeology)
- The Book of Deer
- The Book of Deer is a pocket gospel, with eighty-six folios and seven full-page illustrations manufactured about 850-1000. There are seven addenda written into the manuscript, in the earliest evidence of Scots Gaelic, by different monks. An archaeological project started in 2017 set out to discover the site of the Monastery where these Gaelic notes were added to the book. This talk will outline this project and discuss what was found.
14:30
Antony Lee (Treasure Trove)
- Treasure Trove in Scotland
- A fascinating run though the Scottish Treasure Trove system for reporting archaeological finds and an update on recent local finds from Aberdeenshire.
