2019 Festival of Archaeology
You are invited to join us for the 2019 Festival of Archaeology, which will be hosted by the University of Liverpool’s Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology (ACE) between 13 and 28 July at the Victoria Gallery & Museum and the Garstang Museum on campus and Ness Gardens on the Wirral.
The festival, which is coordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, will showcase the best of British archaeology and will be a great opportunity for alumni and members of public to get engaged with archaeological projects taking place in the Department.
Lunchtime Lecture Series
Victoria Gallery & Museum
18 – 26 July
FREE - booking required for each event
The lunchtime lecture series offers a chance for the public to learn more about the variety of interesting research projects currently taking place in the Department. With talks from postgraduate students, early career researchers, lecturers and Museum staff the lectures are also a great way for current and prospective students to discover the potential career pathways open to those studying in these fields.
Submerged Worlds: Maritime Archaeology
Thursday 18 July, 12pm - 12:30pm
Any Old Iron?
Monday 22 July, 12pm - 1pm
Human Evolution’s Burning Question
Monday 22 July, 1pm - 2pm
Before Egypt Exhibition talk
Tuesday 23 July, 12pm - 1pm
How Did I Get Here?
Thursday 25 July, 12pm - 1pm
Unlocking the Secrets of the Mysteries of Mithras
Friday 26 July, 12pm - 1pm
Cracked it! Tool Use and the Field of Primate Archaeology
Friday 26 July, 12pm - 1pm
Garstang Family Saturdays
Garstang Museum, south campus
Saturday 13, 20 and 27 July, 10am - 2pm
FREE - No booking is required
The Garstang Museum is opening its doors for a family friendly Open Day with a variety of engaging educational talks and fun activities for everyone to enjoy.
Our expert-led object handling sessions will give the public the chance to interact with the museum's archaeology collection like never before. In this tactile session, the public can learn about how each of the objects was fabricated and their function in antiquity.
Our museum staff will be providing in-depth tours of the collection throughout the day, being guided through each of the fascinating objects on display. You can also get a glimpse of the Garstang Mummy and even see inside the wrappings with our display of x-ray images.
Children and grown-ups alike can try their hand at our make your own Cuneiform tablets activity and inscribe your name in terracotta clay using the ancient Ugarit alphabet. Not only is this activity a great deal of fun, but it serves as a lesson in the difficulties of translating phrases from one language to another. Since many of the usual sounds found in English don't exist in the Ugarit alphabet, students have to get creative when attempting to write their intended phrase.
The Family Saturday at the Garstang is set to be a full celebration, with a face painter and Egyptian dress-up box for those who wish to really get into the spirit of things.
No booking is required for this event.
Archaeology quiz
Victoria Gallery & Museum
Friday 26 July, 6.45pm - 9pm
£5 per ticket
Do you know your Indiana Jones from your John Garstang? Your Lara Croft from your Gertrude Bell? Then this is the quiz for you!
As part of the Festival of Archaeology, ACE will be hosting their first ever ACE quiz. With a mix of questions from archaeology, Egyptology and classics in popular culture to name that famous archaeologist, you needn’t be a professional to play.
Hosted by guest quizmaster Nicola Euston, Head of Museums and Galleries, will take place in the beautiful Victorian surroundings of the VG&M, with drinks available at the café bar.
Participants can either choose their own teams of six or come along on the night and let us decide your teams for you.
Doors open at 6:30 pm and the quiz will start promptly at 7pm, trowels at the ready!
Experimental Archaeology Day
Ness Botanic Gardens
Sunday 28 July, 11am – 3pm
Entrance fee to Ness Gardens applies, no booking is required
The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology is always pursuing innovative avenues of research and in recent years ACE has been developing numerous experimental archaeology projects.
Experimental archaeology can aid the understanding of ancient technologies by practically testing current theories and seeing if they work in real life.
In order to carry out any experimental research necessitating outdoor space, ACE acquired a plot of land at Ness Botanic Gardens. This site, which is located near to the Ness Henge is designated specifically to undertaking experimental archaeology projects.
Join ACE at Ness Botanic Gardens on Sunday 28 July where we will be carrying out two exciting experimental demonstrations; the first based on Bronze Age copper smelting and the second on early human fire use.
There will be a range of fun activities and demonstrations on site for all the family to enjoy.
No booking is required for this event.