Issy's Archaeological Adventures

Finishing university for me was a steady series of finals. Finally submitting my dissertation. Attending the final lecture and seminar for each of my modules. A final (slightly sleep-deprived) deadline cluster. Slowly saying goodbye to staff and friends over a number of weeks as events in which we would see each other trickled away. Gradually going into the department less and less as fewer of my friends were working there, or I had fewer books to return to the library. It was lovely to have the time to explore Manchester in a way I had not been able to before, but there was a sense of melancholy in many of these experiences as I was unsure when I would next be back in this city or seeing these people.  I had a wonderful time at home enjoying the sun of late June whilst waiting for my final degree marks. Once these came in I was also (finally) able to set into the motion of starting to York as the submission of my transcript changed my offer from conditional to that magical status ...

I may have finished my degree, but archaeology has still been a central part of my summer so far.  Along with several friends, I attended a brilliant workshop on 'flint' knapping (we used glass) delivered by one of my teachers from Manchester. This was part of the Chorlton Arts Festival and was in the beautiful location of a plant nursery. I definitely still have a way to go with my knapping skills, but I ended the workshop with a lovely glass arrowhead that now sits pride of place on my bookcase. I also stumbled across an amazing food market and had quite possibly the best arancini I've ever had (it was filled with pesto and delicious).  At the beginning of June, I went down to Cambridge to attend the Prehistoric Society's Europa conference in honour of this year's Europa prize winner Professor Marie Louise Stig-Sorrensen. In recognition of her work, this conference focused on 'Peopling the Past', with papers ranging from pioneering genetics studies to expl...

 Searching for stones is definitely a good way to describe my summer. I have been incredibly lucky this year to have had the opportunity to go to the west coast of Scotland three times over my summer. The first was a lovely family holiday, which included getting lost in a bog looking for the remains of an old clachan (pre-clearance township), and just making it to Iona to see the famous abbey before the ferry was stopped for the only day we were on Mull! Later in the summer, I had the privilege of attending a 'String Ceilidh' on Skye, which was an amazing way to meet the local community that exists beyond the tourist sites and shops. This evening of insights into people's deep lived experience and connection to the and they called home as well as talks by prominent textile archaeologists is one I will not soon forget! Whilst on Skye I also had the chance to visit the Museum of Island Life, which gave a fascinating window into the life of island crofters over the last couple...