FINDING FRANKS: Augustus Wollaston Franks and the British Museum (1851-97) - Some lesser known sources
Marjorie Caygill
Thursday 27 February 2020
6-7 pm, UCL Institute of Archaeology Room 209

Chronicling the life of British Museum Keeper Augustus Wollaston Franks and his importance to the history of the Museum.

 'I took a man over, & began to dig': Catherine Downes' excavation of Roman Warminster, 1786
Madeleine Pelling (York)
19 February 2020
6-7 pm, UCL Institute of Archaeology Room 209

Exploring the history of this 18th century #trowelblazer's excavations which uncovered a Roman mosaic, and revealing the history of women in archaeology at this time. 

From Shells to Ivory: Hugh Nevill's colonial collecting in Sri Lanka
1 May 2019, 6-7pm
Room 612, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Sushma Jansari (The British Museum) will discuss the life of Hugh Nevill, a 19th century collector of artefacts from Sri Lanka. Some of Nevill's collection is now held in the British Museum.

A Surveillance Sensibility? The imperial security state and the 'amateur' films of Sir C. P. Skrine, Government of India diplomat in Iran
14 March 2019, 6-7 pm
Room 612 UCL Institute of Archaeology

Jonathan Westaway (University of Central Lancashire) will screen Skrine's films showing archaeological sites in Iran, discuss the historical context and value of these films, and explore Skrine's career. 

​Meira Gold (Cambridge) discusses the role of geology in early Egyptology through mid-19th century excavations at Memphis and Heliopolis.

Ghosts and Fragments in the archive of O. G. S. Crawford
22 January 2019, 6-7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Martyn Barber (Historic England) discusses his research into the archives of British archaeologist Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford (1886-1957).

Hieroglyphs from the Trenches: Thomas Eric Peet and WW1
28 November 2018, 6-7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Clare Lewis (UCL Institute of Archaeology) discusses the wartime experiences of Thomas Eric Peet, an Egyptologist who joined the British army in 1915. This experience is revealed through his correspondence home - including letters to his daughter illustrated by animated hieroglyphs. 

From skull measurements to ancient DNA: putting John Thurnam’s collection of antiquities in their prehistoric and archaeological context
24 April 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Neil Wilkin (The British Museum) explores the life and intellectual context of 19th century antiquarian and physician John Thurnam, whose collection of artefacts relating to the prehistory of Britain was sold after his death to the British Museum. Through his interest in ancient human remains, he drew conclusions about race and identity; a history that reflects an enduring interest in the DNA of ancient peoples and how that interest ties into modern concerns.

Neil Wilkin's blog post discussing various strands of the talk can be found here.

In the footsteps of maverick Orientalists: Exploring the Royal Asiatic Society Archive

13 March 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Nancy Charley (RAS archivist) and Ed Weech (RAS Librarian) discuss key British Orientalists: Thomas Manning (1772-1840); Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) and Lady Isabel Burton (1831-1896); and Oscar Eckenstein (1859-1921).

An Introduction to the Central Archive at the British Museum
Francesca Hillier (Archivist, The British Museum)
22 February 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Francesca will discuss the Museum's Central Archive, housing important documents relating to the Museum's history and the history of its collections.

Screening Verulamium: Institute of Archaeology films from the 1950s
22 November 2017, 6pm - 7 pm
Room 609, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Amara Thornton and Caitlin O'Grady (UCL Institute of Archaeology) will introduce a screening of two short Institute of Archaeology films from the 1950s showing excavation and conservation at the site of the Roman city of Verulamium (St Albans, Hertfordshire).

The Kentucky Mummy: Encountering Antiquity in 19th Century America
9 November 2017, 6 pm –7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

James E. Snead (California State University, Northridge) will discuss the history of an iconic find, and how it affected both the beginnings of scientific archaeology and popular culture in the United States.

Discovering archaeology sources at UCL
6 June 2017, 6-7 pm
UCL Institute of Archaeology, Room 612

Colin Penman & Robert Winckworth (UCL Records, Archives and Special Collections)

An overview of the array of material in UCL's archives relating to the history of archaeology - from university administrative records and historic student lists to personal correspondence of archaeologists.

The Arab Bureau: Archaeologists and Spies in the Middle East during the First World War
16 May 2016
6-6.30pm, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Juliette Desplat (The National Archives)

Juliette Desplat will discuss the Cairo-based Arab Bureau as part of the context of First World War intelligence operations, and the role of archaeologists in its history. 

Following the talk will be the opening of the Different Perspectives exhibition at the Petrie Museum, which draws on the research of the Heritage Lottery Fund-funded Different Perspectives project.

'A young man's radicalism': V. Gordon Childe, socialist and war-resister, 1914-1925
26 April 2017
6-7 pm, Room 612, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Dr Katie Meheux (UCL Institute of Archaeology) discusses the early life of archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe. Drawing on her research into his student days at Oxford, she investigates his early radicalisation.  Further details here.

Sagas & Socialism: William Morris in Iceland
14 March 2017, 6-7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Tina Paphitis (UCL Institute of Archaeology) will discuss Morris' travels through Iceland in the 1870s, the allure of archaeology, and his passion for Icelandic Sagas.

Further details here.

Postcards as Archives: "Excavating" Popular Archaeology at the Turn of the Century
8 March 2017, 6-7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Katy Soar (Royal Holloway) will discuss the history of picture postcards showing Arthur Evans' excavations at Knossos, on Crete, during the Edwardian period.

Further details here.

Exploring Memories: Museum Postcards 1900-1930
UCL Institute of Archaeology, Room 612
6 pm-7 pm Tuesday 31 January

Jamie Larkin (Birkbeck) tells the story of a quintessential museum commodity - the postcard.  Drawing on his extensive research in museum archives, he will chart the evolution of museum giftshops and their picture postcards in the early 20th century.

Musketeers, Curvy ladies, and Victorian crowd-funders: Beyond Beauty exhibition and the complexities of the past and present of ancient Egypt

UCL Institute of Archaeology, Room 410
16 November 2016, 5.15-6.15 pm

In the first seminar of the year join Heba Abd el-Gawad as she reflects on her experiences co-curating the popular "Beyond Beauty" exhibition at Two Temple Place in London, and the importance of the history of archaeology to local collecting histories and local museums in Britain.

A full abstract can be found on the Network webpage HERE.