Archaeology Awards
Encyclopedia
The Archaeology Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating achievements in the field of Archaeology
.
, with the first ceremony hosted by Francis Pryor
, and attended by leading figures from the archaeology world, taking place in Cardiff, 2009. The ceremony itself was incorporated into the Archaeology Festival held at Cardiff University
, with speakers including television broadcaster and historian, Bettany Hughes
, who lectured on Helen of Troy. The awards are supported by English Heritage
, and the Royal Archaeological Institute
.
The first ever ceremony saw a generally positive reaction from the British archaeological community, including David Connelly of the British Archaeological Jobs Resource and Bryan Ward-Perkins of Oxford University. It was also reported in the press of many counties with nominated projects. As one article noted, 'Conesby moat... was shortlisted for a prestigious award with Current Archaeology... As part of their Archaeology Festival 2009 in Cardiff, the first-ever Current Archaeology Awards took place, with Conesby moat just one of five finalists in its category.'
The main prizes are awarded in the following five categories: The Jeffrey May Award (for best new article by a new writer for Current Archaeology or Current World Archaeology); Book of the Year; Research Project of the Year; Rescue Dig of the Year; and Archaeologist of the Year.
The Jeffrey May Award is named in honour of the late head of archaeology at the University of Nottingham
and major contributor to Current Archaeology, 'who oversaw a decade's work at Dragonby in Lincolnshire'. His obituary in The Times notes that 'He followed the principle that the aim of archaeology was not to solve problems for one’s own satisfaction or to impress colleagues, but to provide accurate information about the past for the enlightenment of all.'
The 2010 ceremony, brought in conjunction with the Portable Antiquities Scheme
, was hosted by Current World Archaeology
columnist Brian Fagan
of the University of California
, with support from the Ermine Street Guard. 2010 also saw the scope broadened to incorporate awards from other major archaeological organisations, representing work from amateur to academic and professional endeavours. This included the Awards for the Presentation of Heritage Research, sponsored by English Heritage, Historic Scotland
, Cadw
, the Royal Archaeology Institute and government bodies from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Nominees for the 'Rescue Dig of the Year' included two Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) projects: 'This Wooden O: Discovering Shakespeare’s First Theatre' and 'Water-power in Medieval Greenwich'. The category was won by 'The Staffordshire Hoard'.
The 'Staffordshire Hoard' team's win was featured in an article by the Art Fund. On accepting the prize, Dr Kevin Leahy stated: 'This was very much a joint award, to be shared by the many people and organisations who had worked hard on the project.' As reported by the Birmingham News Room, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Sport, Cllr Martin Mullaney, 'congratulated the Staffordshire Hoard team after it scooped a top archaeology award'.
The 2011 ceremony was held at the British Museum
, on Saturday 26 February. In January 2011, it was reported by the York Press that local team 'On-Site Archaeology' had been nominated in the 'Rescue Dig of the Year' category. Other nominees in the category included the 'Lanton Quarry' site, excavated by Archaeological Research Services LTD. Nominees in the Book of the Year category included European Influence on Celtic Art by Lloyd Laing and The Planning of Roman Roads and Walls in Northern England by John Poulter. The year's winners were voted for by readers and announced at the ceremony, as part of Archaeology Live 2011. The annual conference was attended by noted figures from the international archaeology community, including Lisa Westcott, editor of Current Archaeology, Nick Ashton, Curator of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, British Museum, and Dr Keith Robinson of the Sedgeford Aerodrome Project.
The ceremony was preceded by the Awards of the Presentation of Heritage Research, celebrating 'ground-breaking and innovative research from all aspects of heritage', held in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre the previous day.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
.
Summary
The Archaeology Awards was founded by the British magazine Current ArchaeologyCurrent Archaeology
- Summary :Current Archaeology describes itself as the "United Kingdom's best selling archaeology magazine", a claim substantiated by British Archaeological Jobs and Resources online, which labels the title 'Britain's favourite archaeology magazine'. It was founded in 1967 by Andrew Selkirk, a...
, with the first ceremony hosted by Francis Pryor
Francis Pryor
thumb|180px|Francis Pryor discusses the excavation during the filming of a 2007 dig for [[Time Team]] with series editor Michael Douglas ....
, and attended by leading figures from the archaeology world, taking place in Cardiff, 2009. The ceremony itself was incorporated into the Archaeology Festival held at Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
, with speakers including television broadcaster and historian, Bettany Hughes
Bettany Hughes
Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes...
, who lectured on Helen of Troy. The awards are supported by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, and the Royal Archaeological Institute
Royal Archaeological Institute
The Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is a learned society, established in 1844, primarily devoted to the publication of the Archaeological Journal, a production of archaeological news that has been in print since 1844....
.
The first ever ceremony saw a generally positive reaction from the British archaeological community, including David Connelly of the British Archaeological Jobs Resource and Bryan Ward-Perkins of Oxford University. It was also reported in the press of many counties with nominated projects. As one article noted, 'Conesby moat... was shortlisted for a prestigious award with Current Archaeology... As part of their Archaeology Festival 2009 in Cardiff, the first-ever Current Archaeology Awards took place, with Conesby moat just one of five finalists in its category.'
The main prizes are awarded in the following five categories: The Jeffrey May Award (for best new article by a new writer for Current Archaeology or Current World Archaeology); Book of the Year; Research Project of the Year; Rescue Dig of the Year; and Archaeologist of the Year.
The Jeffrey May Award is named in honour of the late head of archaeology at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
and major contributor to Current Archaeology, 'who oversaw a decade's work at Dragonby in Lincolnshire'. His obituary in The Times notes that 'He followed the principle that the aim of archaeology was not to solve problems for one’s own satisfaction or to impress colleagues, but to provide accurate information about the past for the enlightenment of all.'
The 2010 ceremony, brought in conjunction with the Portable Antiquities Scheme
Portable Antiquities Scheme
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a voluntary programme run by the United Kingdom government to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest found by members of the public...
, was hosted by Current World Archaeology
Current World Archaeology
Current World Archaeology is a magazine devoted to archaeology spanning the globe.- Summary :The magazine focuses particularly on Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Near East, and Greece and Rome, although the whole world is covered...
columnist Brian Fagan
Brian Fagan
Brian Murray Fagan is a prolific author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.-Biography:...
of the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, with support from the Ermine Street Guard. 2010 also saw the scope broadened to incorporate awards from other major archaeological organisations, representing work from amateur to academic and professional endeavours. This included the Awards for the Presentation of Heritage Research, sponsored by English Heritage, Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
, Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
, the Royal Archaeology Institute and government bodies from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Nominees for the 'Rescue Dig of the Year' included two Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) projects: 'This Wooden O: Discovering Shakespeare’s First Theatre' and 'Water-power in Medieval Greenwich'. The category was won by 'The Staffordshire Hoard'.
The 'Staffordshire Hoard' team's win was featured in an article by the Art Fund. On accepting the prize, Dr Kevin Leahy stated: 'This was very much a joint award, to be shared by the many people and organisations who had worked hard on the project.' As reported by the Birmingham News Room, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Sport, Cllr Martin Mullaney, 'congratulated the Staffordshire Hoard team after it scooped a top archaeology award'.
The 2011 ceremony was held at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, on Saturday 26 February. In January 2011, it was reported by the York Press that local team 'On-Site Archaeology' had been nominated in the 'Rescue Dig of the Year' category. Other nominees in the category included the 'Lanton Quarry' site, excavated by Archaeological Research Services LTD. Nominees in the Book of the Year category included European Influence on Celtic Art by Lloyd Laing and The Planning of Roman Roads and Walls in Northern England by John Poulter. The year's winners were voted for by readers and announced at the ceremony, as part of Archaeology Live 2011. The annual conference was attended by noted figures from the international archaeology community, including Lisa Westcott, editor of Current Archaeology, Nick Ashton, Curator of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, British Museum, and Dr Keith Robinson of the Sedgeford Aerodrome Project.
The ceremony was preceded by the Awards of the Presentation of Heritage Research, celebrating 'ground-breaking and innovative research from all aspects of heritage', held in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre the previous day.
Honours List
| Year | The Jeffrey May Award | Book of the Year | Research Project of the Year | Rescue Dig of the Year | Archaeologist of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lynda Howard | Julian Bowsher and Pat Miller, The Rose and the Globe | The Ness of Brodgar Ness of Brodgar Ness of Brodgar is an archaeological site covering excavated from 2003 onwards between the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site near Loch of Harray, Orkney, in Scotland... |
The Frome Hoard Frome Hoard The Frome Hoard is a hoard of 52,503 Roman coins found in April 2010 by metal detectorist Dave Crisp near Frome in Somerset, England. The coins were contained in a ceramic pot in diameter, and date from AD 253 to 305. Most of the coins are made from debased silver or bronze... |
Sam Moorhead |
| 2010 | Adam Daubney | Barry Cunliffe Barry Cunliffe Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe, CBE, known professionally as Barry Cunliffe is a former Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford, a position held from 1972 to 2007... , Europe Between The Oceans |
Bluestonehenge Bluestonehenge "Bluestonehenge" or "Bluehenge" is a prehistoric henge and stone circle monument that was discovered by the Stonehenge Riverside Project about south-east of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England... |
The Staffordshire Hoard Staffordshire Hoard The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork . Discovered in a field near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England on 5 July 2009, it consists of some 3,500 items that are nearly all martial in character... |
Mike Parker Pearson |
| 2009 | Sue Beasley | Roger White, Britannia Prima | South Shields | The Chiseldon Cauldrons | David Breeze |