Archaeology

Events

Vikings in the North West conference

Saturday 22 November 2008 at Merseyside Maritime Museum

Places still available: Please note that, due to high demand for places, this conference has been moved to a larger location within the Merseyside Maritime Museum. Places are once again available for this event.

The Huxley Hoard of Viking silver, found in 2004, has been purchased jointly by National Museums Liverpool, Cheshire Museums and the Grosvenor Museum, Chester. This conference will focus on this fascinating new find and explore Vikings in North West England. The hoard itself will be on display in the Magical History Tour exhibition at Maritime Museum during the conference.

The conference will provide an opportunity to re-appraise the Viking period in the North West of England as the context for the deposition of the Huxley Hoard and other similar Viking finds.

Specialist speakers will discuss the hoard itself, as well as the political, economic and social context in the North West which led to the deposition of this and other hoards in the region.

This is a free conference. Please call the Maritime Museum Learning booking line on 0151 478 4441 to book your place.

Conference programme

• 10am Registration and coffee
• 10.15am Welcome to conference - Rob Philpott,
  Head of Field Archaeology, National Museums Liverpool
• 10.20am Morning session introduction - chair: Sir David Wilson, Former Director, British Museum
• 10.40am Viking incursions and settlement in the Dee/Mersey Basin- David Griffiths, Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Oxford OUDCE
• 11.20am Viking-age sculpture in Cheshire and Lancashire: an Irish element? - Richard Bailey, Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University
• 12 noon Viking hoards of the Northern Danelaw from Cuerdale to the Vale of York - Gareth Williams, Curator of Early Medieval Coinage, Department of Coins and Medals, British Museum
• 12.40pm Lunch
• 1.30pm Afternoon session introduction - chair: James Graham-Campbell, Emeritus Professor of Medieval Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, UCL
• 1.45pm The Huxley Hoard: a Viking treasure and the Treasure Act - Barry Ager, Curator, Continental Early Medieval Collection, British Museum
• 2.15pm Viking age commerce in north Wales: reflections from Anglesey - Mark Redknap, Curator of Medieval and Later Archaeology, National Museums Wales
• 2.55pm Hiberno-Scandinavian broad-band arm-rings - John Sheehan, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, University College Cork
• 3.25pm Coffee
• 3.45pm Gaelic-Scandinavian influence on north-western England - Fiona Edmonds, Lecturer in Celtic History, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic; University of Cambridge
• 4.25pm Discussion
• 4.50pm close

Past events

Open days in February 2008

Archaeological investigations at the M62 junction 6 improvements at Tarbock-Huyton, Merseyside

Open days were held on 1 and 2 February 2008 to present the results of the archaeological excavations undertaken through National Museums Liverpool on behalf of the Highways Agency in advance of the construction of the new link road at the junction of the M62 and M57 near Tarbock, Huyton and Whiston, Merseyside.

At the open days visitors had the opportunity to view some of the abundant material found in the 2007 excavations from the prehistoric, Roman and medieval periods, with posters explaining the background to the evidence on display. Ron Cowell, the director of the archaeological project, was on hand to answer questions.

The events were so well attended, with an estimated 900 to 1,000 visitors over the two days, that the opening hours were extended on the second day to accomodate everybody.

"It is indicative by the thanks the team received from members of the public leaving the exhibition that the majority had found their visit to be informative and enjoyable. As such I consider the event to have been very successful." Gary Hilton, Highways Agency

Medieval pottery from a settlement at the M62 junction site dating from around 1200-1400 AD