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Lecture
Furniture history in Dumfries and Galloway
Stephen Jackson is Senior Curator, Furniture and Woodwork, at National Museums Scotland and the author of Scottish Furniture, 1500-1914. This new book charts the development of furniture making in Scotland and includes several items made in Dumfries and the wider region between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Stephen’s lecture will...Jackson, Stephen
Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish furniture, material culture, and furniture making
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Lecture
Scottish Furniture, 1500-1914
n March 2024, National Museums Scotland will publish Scottish Furniture, 1500-1914, the first comprehensive narrative account of furniture-making in Scotland. The author of this new book, Stephen Jackson, has been Senior Curator, Furniture and Woodwork at NMS for over twenty years. In this lecture he will speak about a range...Jackson, Stephen
furniture, Francis Brodie, woodwork, Scotland, arts movements, William Trotter, workshops, and Scottish Furniture
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Lecture
Burning down the house: exploring the phenomenon of Early Neolithic ‘halls’ and their destruction
Honours the achievements of Professor Ian Ralston, Emeritus Abercromby Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.Sheridan, J A
halls, Scotland, Early Neolithic buildings, destruction, and Britain and Ireland
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Lecture
Galloway Hoard: Where Did the Silver Come From?
The Galloway Hoard is dominated by silver. Cutting-edge science can now trace sources of silver with greater accuracy than ever before. What might this reveal about Viking trading and raiding? The Viking Age is known for its silver treasures. The Galloway Hoard, buried around AD 900, was discovered by metal-detecting...Maldonado, Adrián ; Kershaw, Jane ; Magnusson, Sally
science and archaeology, burial practices, The Galloway Hoard, Viking Age Scotland, and silver treasures
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Lecture
Aspects of Roman Scotland
Hunter, Fraser
Hoards and Roman Scotland
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Lecture
Arqueologías del colonialismo en Puerto Rico y Escocia
Las situaciones coloniales en ambos Espacios corresponden a contextualizaciones distintas. En Puerto Rico, responde a la invasion Europea de 1493. Port otra parte, en 793 se documenta la invasion Vikinga en las Islas Britanicas. Las vidas tanto de los Pictos, como los Tainos, han sido invisibilizidas en diversas documentaciones historicas....Maldonado, Adrián
Pictos, invasion Vikinga , Viking invasion, Picts, Escosia, and Early Medieval Scotland
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Lecture
War and diplomacy on Rome’s northern frontier
The Roman army provided the muscle for the most powerful empire in the ancient world. But this empire met its limits. The fearsome legions tried three times to conquer Scotland, and three times they withdrew. This epic tale of war and diplomacy, of advance and retreat, of divide and rule,...Hunter, Fraser
Roman conquest, archaeological finds, Roman Scotland, material culture, and Stirlingshire
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Lecture
The Last Days of Fortriu: Portmahomack in the Viking Age
Join Dr Adrián Maldonado from National Museums Scotland to hear the latest update on research around the archaeological site at Portmahomack. The archaeological excavations at Portmahomack which ran from 1996-2007 revealed what is now the best-known Pictish monastery. It was a thriving workshop, creating sacred metalwork, masterpieces of stone sculpture,...Maldonado, Adrián
workshop, archaeological excavations, Pictish kingdom, Pictish monastery, Fortriu, christian site, craftspeople , and Portmahomack
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Lecture
Getting away from it all – Marie de Guise’s Town House, Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh
As Principal Curator for Renaissance and Early Modern History, Anna played a major part in acquiring for the museum the four decorative oak roundels which once adorned the rooms of Marie de Guise’s residence in Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh. The roundels reveal much about the power and influence of Marie in...Groundwater, Anna
oak roundels, architecture, Renaissance , material culture, mansion, Marie de Guise, Scotland, Blyth’s Close, Edinburgh, and sculpture
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Lecture
Radar and the Air Defence System in Scotland
Ian was lead curator for the redevelopment of two hangars in 2016 with new, people-focused interpretation which has been well received by visitors and the museum sector. Ian is a graduate of the Universities of Stirling and Leicester and his main research interest is in the history of radar, which...Brown, Ian
Radar in Scotland 1938-46, Radio Detection And Ranging (RADAR), early warning system, history of radar, and Radio Detection Finding (RDF)
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Lecture
A “kind of exploration or antiquity-dealing-business”: Egyptian archaeology and the Antiquities Trade 1880-1939
Egyptological historiography has often focussed on the apparent scientific heroism of archaeologists, obscuring the reality that many of the same heroes were also active in the antiquities market, buying, and selling objects freely. This lecture will discuss the results of research into the entanglement of archaeology and the market 1880-1939.... -
Lecture
The Neolithic Pottery from Street House
A conference will be held in the autumn of 2024 to present the evidence for the Early Neolithic salt production site at Street House, near Loftus. The site was discovered in 2014 during a programme of excavations. It is the only currently known salt ‘factory’ in Britain and the earliest...Sheridan, J A
Neolithic Pottery, Early Neolithic Britain, Analysis, archaeological excavations, and Street House
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Lecture
Street House in the Context of Early Neolithic Britain
A conference will be held in the autumn of 2024 to present the evidence for the Early Neolithic salt production site at Street House, near Loftus. The site was discovered in 2014 during a programme of excavations. It is the only currently known salt ‘factory’ in Britain and the earliest...Sheridan, J A
archaeological excavations, salt production, Street House, saltern, and Early Neolithic Britain
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Lecture
The Peebles Hoard: A Late Bronze Age discovery from the Scottish Borders
In June 2020, a metal detectorist found several peculiar bronze fittings near Peebles in the Scottish Borders. Subsequent excavation by the Treasure Trove Unit and National Museums Scotland revealed these to be part of a substantial Late Bronze Age hoard comprising unique bronze fittings and equipment with surviving organic material,...Freeman, Emily ; Knight, Matthew G
scabbard, metal detecting , bronze fittings , Late Brown Age, organic material, Treasure Trove, Peebles Hoard, and sword
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Lecture
Radar and air defence of Scotland during the Second World War
This talk will look at the growth of the air defences and their unknown achievements in defending the skies over Scotland. Much has been written about the role of radar and how, as part of an integrated air defence system, it helped win the Battle of Britain in 1940. However,...Brown, Ian
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Lecture
Beyond the Bubble: Taking Taxonomy Outside the Museum
Ashleigh Wiffen from the National Museums Scotland gave us brilliant examples of how we can take #taxonomy out of the museum and engage with a wider audience.Whiffin, Ashleigh
taxonomy , keynote talk, invertebrate collection, audience development, and external engagement
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Lecture
The Galloway Hoard: viking age treasure
Dr Adrian Maldonado joins us to speak about the Galloway Hoard, the world-famous viking-age treasure.Maldonado, Adrián
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Lecture
The Galloway Hoard: Why are there textiles in a Viking Age Hoard
Dr Susanna Harris will be speaking about her work on the Textiles of the Galloway Hoard. Susanna will be talking about her analysis and research of the textile components of this spectacular discovery, drawing on her AHRC funded project – in collaboration with the National Museum of Scotland – Unwrapping...Harris, Susanna
analytical discoveries, textiles, Galloway Hoard, wool, plant fibre and silk textiles, and research project
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Lecture
Waking the Dead: Inside the insect collection at National Museums Scotland
The phrase “insect collection” often conjures up images of Victorian naturalists chasing down rare butterflies with their nets and attaches a stigma to these important resources. The insect collections held in our museums are a vital resource for understanding how species are related to one another and how they are...Whiffin, Ashleigh
curatorial role, scientific research, insect collections, entomological specimens, National Museums Scotland, and National Museums Collection Centre
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Lecture
Old Kilpatrick in Early Christian Strathclyde
A church stood at Old Kilpatrick in the 12th century, but its origins are certainly much older. Its name and dedication are suggestive of an early medieval foundation, supported by the presence of 'Govan Style' sculpture found locallyMaldonado, Adrián
Old Kilpatrick, Early Medieval Scotland, early Christianity , Govan Stones , and Kingdom of Strathclyde
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Lecture
‘Some finds “of more than ordinary interest”: Exploring small socketed axeheads from northern Britain’
In 2019 a miniature bronze socketed axehead was discovered near Morebattle, Scottish Borders. These enigmatic finds are rare in northern Britain and are often considered to date anywhere from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman period. The discovery at Morebattle prompted a research project analysing unusually small socketed axeheads... -
Lecture
War and diplomacy on the northern frontier: the impact of Rome on south-west Scotland and beyond
The story of Roman Scotland often gets told from the Roman point of view, with a focus on the army and its actions. But the legions did not simply march into an empty landscape. The Iron Age peoples of Scotland reacted to this invasion in many different ways, from outright...Hunter, Fraser
Roman Scotland, Iron Age, societies, fortifications, and frontiers
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Lecture
Putting metalwork in its place. An analysis of the Late Bronze Age and Earliest Iron Age finds from Somerset
An analysis of the Late Bronze Age and Earliest Iron Age finds from Somerset. During the Late Bronze Age and Earliest Iron Age (c.1150-600 BC), many bronze and gold objects were buried across Europe. This lecture will explore the meanings of metalwork deposition through the evidence from Somerset and investigate...Knight, Matthew G
Bronze Age, metal dispositionb, Somerset, finds, bronze , Iron Age , and gold
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Lecture
Skeleton Keys: Using Archaeology to Unlock Whithorn's Past’
For five years archaeologists have been investigating evidence of early medieval life in Whithorn. Now they can disclose some of the exciting insights they've achieved, bringing the past closer than ever before. What scientists and archaeologists are unearthing will revolutionise our understanding of the origins and spread of Christianity in...Maldonado, Adrián ; Curtis-Summers, Shirley
Early Medieval Scotland, Christianity , Whithorn, archaeology, and digital visualisation
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Lecture
The radiation of Nesospiza finches on the Tristan da Cunha Islands seminar
Ask anyone interested in birds for an example of adaptive radiations, and they will probably mention the Darwin’s Finches, the evolutionary rock stars of the Galápagos Islands. But did you know about the Nesospiza finches, endemic to Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic? Tristan is a small and very...Stervander , Martin
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Lecture
Mineralogy of the Mobile phone
Did you know that mobile phones use over fifty different chemical elements to work? Where do these come from and how are they used?Walcott, Rachel
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Lecture
Fair Isle Knitting: origins and authenticity
Curated by Philip Fimmano as part of New York Textile Month, this special online conference brings together speakers from around the globe, continuing our dedication to textile creativity and education by offering this exciting programme free to all students and teaching faculty.Wyld, Helen
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Lecture
Collecting and Curating Southeast Asian Art: In Conversation
This conversation between the two curators, Alexandra Green and Rosanna Nicolson, celebrates two exhibitions focusing on Southeast Asian art–“Burma to Myanmar” and “Theravada Buddhism”–concurrently showing at The British Museum and at National Museums of Scotland respectively. It highlights issues related to the formation of Asian art collections in the UK,... -
Lecture
Beyond Picts and Vikings: Northern mainland Scotland 800-1100
Adrian Maldonado speaking about the artefacts and carved stones from the end of the Pictish period and Viking Age in the northern mainland. This is a re-recording of a talk given person at Strathpeffer on 28th October 2023 for NOSAS's 25th anniversary celebrations.Maldonado, Adrián
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Lecture
Public History Roundtable contribution
The Renaissance and Early Modern Research Alliance (REMRA) promotes co-operation and cross-disciplinary research across the various centres and institutes of the University of the Highlands and Islands. The group is convened by Dr Kathrin Zickermann (UHI Centre for History) and consists of c.20 members of staff (including visiting professors and...Groundwater, Anna
Renaissance and Early Modern , Research Alliance, collaboration, and material culture
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Lecture
Materialising the Scottish Renaissance at National Museums Scotland
Dr Groundwater will talk about the material objects relating to the Renaissance.Groundwater, Anna
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Lecture
XRF Analysis, Alva cobalt, West Pans and Longton Hall Porcelain
Research conducted in 1993 by Middleton & Cowell at the British Museum suggests that cobalt used to decorate porcelain from William Littler’s venture at Longton Hall (1749-60) was chemically distinct from that used by him while at West Pans (1764-77). They considered that at least some West Pans cobalt was...Haggarty, George R ; Jones , Richard
Longton Hall , XRF analysis, Scottish ceramic collections, cobalt porcelain decoration, William Littler, West Pans, and Alva silver mines
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Lecture
The Crack of Doom: Viking-Age hoards before the hacksilver horizon
Viking-age hacksilver hoards (c. 880 – 1050) consist mainly of silver bullion, attesting to the rise of a metal-weight market economy. However, across Britain, there is a brief window of time in which the rate of hoard deposition begins to accelerate, but before hacksilver becomes the dominant component. In light...Maldonado, Adrián
Galloway Hoard, Cheshire hoards, Chester, Wirral, Early Medieval , and Viking Age
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Lecture
Buying Power: British Archaeology and the Antiquities Market in Egypt and Sudan 1880–1939
Where did the ancient Egyptian collections in National Museums Scotland come from? How did they get here? Join Dr Dan Potter to discover the untold stories behind these enduringly popular collections. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries museums and individuals competed to collect the ‘best’ ancient Egyptian objects.... -
Lecture
Moray's Contribution to Pangaea and Triassic Park
Join Dr Nick Fraser as he explored Moray's Contribution to Pangaea and Triassic Park. The Triassic was a critical time for the evolution of life on Earth. This period witnessed the first appearance of some of the most successful animals that ever lived, including lizards, dinosaurs, turtles and crocodilians, the...Fraser, Nicholas C
fossils, Elgin reptiles, palaeontology, Triassic period, and evolution
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Lecture
Scottish agate collecting through the lens of the National Museums Scotland collection
Agates have fascinated people for thousands of years and have particular cultural relevance for Scotland through their use creating pebble jewellery. This talk will cover agate formation, why Scotland is so prolific for agate hunting and show some of the best agate collecting locations through the lens of the significant...Brown, Emily
Scottish agates, mineral collections, and National Museum of Scotland
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Lecture
Decolonial futures for ancestral remains in Scotland Forum
In Edinburgh University’s Anatomical Museum, there are nearly 1700 ancestral remains displaced from over 55 countries across the world. Often former students stole these people from burial grounds and battlefields and sent them to anatomy professors in Scotland. Taken illicitly, their descendants are often unaware that their ancestors still reside...Alberti, S J M M
Edinburgh, anatomy , repatriation, museum collections, Aberdeen, colonial legacies, and provenance
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Lecture
The Power of Glass
The conference will examine the artistic movements prevailing during that period and frame modern and contemporary glass art as a global phenomenon.Kelly, Jessamy ; Rothwell, Sarah
glass art, modern, and contemporary
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Lecture
The Galloway Hoard
As part of Glasgow’s Doors Open Festival, organised by Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, Dr Martin Goldberg will be coming to talk to us about the Galloway Hoard! Martin is Senior Curator, Early Medieval and Viking Collections at National Museums Scotland and a long-time supporter of the Govan Stones Project.Goldberg, Martin
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Lecture
Geology to jewellery: sourcing and crafting Scottish metals and gems in the nineteenth century
From the late eighteenth century, jewellers in Scotland used precious metals and colourful stone to craft little luxuries that were bought, gifted and worn by men, women and children. This paper explores how jewellers and lapidaries responded and contributed to developing knowledge about geology and mineralogy through the things they...Laurenson, Sarah
jewellery, geology, jewellers, mineralogy, precious stones, lapidaries, and Scotland
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Lecture
St Moluag's Monastery on Lismore - a Rival to St Columba's Monastery on Iona
Community excavation on Lismore has identified an Early Christian monastic site which includes an enclosed cemetery, one oval stone building and evidence for a specialised craft workshop area in which fine pieces of jewellery and other intricately decorated objects were made, antler was worked, leather was embossed and stone was...Ellis, Clare ; Cruickshanks, Gemma
Isle of Lismore, St. Moluag, monastic site, Pictish settlement, Christian missionary, archaeological research, and community excavation
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Lecture
Highland dress and fashionable culture in Georgian Britain
Fashion and textile historian Dr Rosie Waine tells the story of the remarkable transformation of Highland dress from warrior culture to the colourful world of fashion in Georgian Britain. A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION As a living tradition, Highland dress is deeply rooted in the history of Scotland. Once associated with the...Waine, Rosie
fashion , Highland dress, material culture, and Georgian Scotland
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Lecture
A temple for the sun-god: remarkable finds from Roman Inveresk
Dr Fraser Hunter, Principle Curator of Iron Age and Roman Collections at the National Museum of Scotland, returns to the 1722 Waggonway Heritage Centre to give a lecture on the Roman finds at Inveresk, including clues which point to a Temple of Mithras.Hunter, Fraser
Mithras, Roman Scotland, stone altar , and Inveresk
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Lecture
The Calton Hill Observatories and their Edinburgh Audiences
This talk takes a look at the history of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, and the longer story of popular astronomy on its Calton Hill site. Rather than focusing solely on the astronomers, it will widen the scope to those who supported, used and otherwise experienced the work of these observatories...Higgitt, Rebekah
Calton Hill, Edinburgh, popular astronomy , and Royal Observatory Edinburgh
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Lecture
Hamilton Palace and the Dukes of Hamilton and their Collections
The speaker, Dr Godfrey Evans is part of the Virtual Hamilton Palace trust which is digitally recreating the house and its collections. According to the trust’s website: ‘During the nineteenth century, the 10th Duke's collecting activities made the Palace internationally famous, a veritable treasure trove of amazing paintings, furniture and...Evans, Godfrey
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Lecture
David Ramsay, the King’s Chief Clockmaker
This lecture is presented by Dr Tacye Phillipson (National Museums Scotland) and Dr John C. Taylor OBE (horologist and inventor), and delivered in conjunction with the National Museums Scotland. Dr Phillipson provides an overview of the variety and development of clockwork during the 17th century. Dr Taylor uncovers the innovation...Phillipson, Tacye ; Taylor, John C
David Ramsay, c1585-1660, master, Worshipful Clockmakers Company, London , Chief Clockmaker, clockwork , Scottish watchmaker, and King James I and VI
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Lecture
Displaying ‘National’ Antiquities in the mid-19th century: Scotland, England and Ireland
This lecture will compare the mid-19th century classification and display strategies of the museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland with the British Museum and the museum of the Royal Irish Academy. Museum displays ‘perform’ meaning through labels, catalogues and physical arrangements. A comparison of such displays reveals the...Holder, Julie
classification and display strategies, Ireland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, England, 19th century, British Museum, Royal Irish Academy, and Scotland
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Lecture
Feasting with Latinus: the earliest Christians of Whithorn
The excavations led by the late Peter Hill at Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway are widely understood as revealing one of the earliest monasteries in Britain. New analysis and dating evidence by the Cold Case Whithorn project is forcing a rethink of the earliest phases of the sequence. A poorly-understood late... -
Lecture
'The Viking-age Reuse of Insular Metalwork From Northern Britain'
The looting of Christian shrines and reliquaries in the Viking Age is so well-documented that it has been reduced to a cartoonish vision of pillaging heathens. A close look at the evidence for such ‘looting’ tells a different story – or rather a number of different stories. A recent reassessment... -
Lecture
Re-framing Mary: audience-focused collecting and display
During the life of the RSE project, and following the acquisition of the Mary Queen of Scots casket, National Museums Scotland re-framed the narrative it tells of Mary in the Chambers Street museum. This talk explores the museum’s role in mediating narratives of Mary’s life and impact, to argue that...Groundwater, Anna
casket, material culture, Mary, Queen of Scots, and museum collecting, interpretation and display
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Lecture
Highland Style: Fashioning Highland Dress, c.1745-1845
he period c.1745-1845 was a revolutionary chapter in the history of Highland dress. With the advent of the European Romantic movement, this once regional costume was revived and reinvented to reflect the changing times and preoccupations of its wearers. Associated with the warrior culture of Gaelic society, by the close...Waine, Rosie
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Lecture
The Traprain Treasure – latest research on a remarkable Roman silver hoard
The Roman Treasure from Traprain Law Excavated on Traprain Law in May 1919, this was one of the most spectacular discoveries of Roman silver ever made in Europe – and the biggest hoard found to date of ‘hacksilver’: 23kg, battered, crushed and chopped-up silver vessels. An international team of scholars...Hunter, Fraser
Late Roman Hoard, Traprain Law, East Lothian, hacksilver, elite tableware, and Silver Treasure
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Lecture
Metal Detecting and Treasure Trove in Scotland
Did you know that in Scotland, archaeological artefacts found by members of the public are considered 'Treasure Trove' and can be claimed to enable them to end up in museums. But what is Treasure Trove, and how do you make sure you're following the rules and metal detecting responsibly, in...Flynn, Sophie
Scotland, metal detecting, portable antiquities, recording and processing finds, and Treasure Trove Unit
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Lecture
Viking Panic? Looking for the 9-12th centuries in Argyll
The story of early medieval Argyll is told through overarching narratives: the arrival of the Scots of Dál Riata; incoming missionaries in the age of saints; and the invasions of the Vikings. A recent reassessment of the National Museums Scotland collections from this period emphasises how material culture tells a... -
Lecture
Sacrifice, scrap or something else? Practices of metalwork deposition in Late Bronze Age Britain and Ireland
Throughout the Bronze Age, large quantities of metal artefacts were deposited across Europe. Interpretations often centre around whether these deposits may have been sacrificial offerings to deities or else discarded scrap metal intended for recycling. These grand ideas mask the individual decisions local communities made when depositing their objects, such...Knight, Matthew
recycle, archaeology, Bronze Age Europe, metal depositpion, worship, and sacrificial objects
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Lecture
The Challenges of a Photography Curator
Geoff Belknap is Keeper of the Department of Science and Technology at National Museums Scotland. His talk will offer some ‘behind the scenes’ evidence of the challenges and considerations that have to be borne in mind when caring for a national collection. He has unparalleled experience of working with photography,...Belknap, Geoffrey
photography collections, National Museums Scotland, and conservation
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Lecture
Revealing and Connecting African Collections in Scottish Museums
The project will establish a collaborative network to enable collection holders to engage with museums in Africa and the Caribbean and people of African and Caribbean descent in Scotland. These partnerships will explore provenance, colonial histories and legacies and the relevance of the collections to descendent and diaspora community interests...Giblin, John ; Grout, Nikki
African collections review, Scottish museums, and partnership project
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Lecture
The Art of Tapestry
On day 1 you will hear from experts in the field and find out more about the Burrell Collection tapestries and Medieval and Renaissance Tapestries in general. We will also document and discuss the artistic value, nature, and identity of 21st century tapestry as a distinctive Scottish art form with...Wyld, Helen
Renaissance , Medieval , and European Tapestries
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Lecture
Instruments, Institutions and Individuals: The Local Networks of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, in the 19th Century
Dr Rebekah Higgitt has been Principal Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland since August 2020. She was previously Senior Lecturer in History of Science at the University of Kent and Curator of History of Science at Royal Museums Greenwich, having done her PhD at Imperial College London and postdoctoral...Higgitt, Rebekah
19th century, scientific instruments, Edinburgh, Astronomy, and Royal Observatory
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Lecture
‘Two Enlightenment collections of scientific instruments in Hanoverian Britain’
Research into scientific instrument collections over the past forty years has shown that it is only relatively recently that instruments have been collected for antiquarian reasons. This lecture will discuss two long-dispersed collections owned by two Scottish noblemen, and attempt to characterise the reasons for their contents. Both collectors were...Morrison-Low, Alison
microscope, astronomical device, scientific instruments, collectors, and museum collections
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Lecture
Preserving What Is Valued
Heather Richardson discusses historic examples of repair and mending in the collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum and National Museums of Scotland in her presentation, “Preserving What Is Valued”Richardson, Heather