The seminar will bring together a wide range of experts to examine and discuss Iron Age life in the area immediately surrounding Old Oswestry Hillfort.
Displays
The Old Oswestry Landscape and Archaeology Project, The Mellor Hillfort Project, The Caer Alyn Heritage Project, The Heather and Hillforts Project [Clwydian Hillforts], and Catuvellauni Iron Age Living History Group
Programme
10.30-10.50am Arrival and Tea/Coffee
10.50-11.00am Welcome and Housekeeping
11.00-11.40am Andy Wigley, Historic Environment Advisor, and Shropshire:
'Building Monuments, Constructing Communities: everyday life in and around Old
Oswestry hillfort'
The presentation will place Old Oswestry in a wider context by considering
the relationship between the Iron Age hillforts and smaller enclosures in the
central Welsh Marches. It will cover how these monuments may have been
constructed and how the communities that built them may have functioned
11.40-12.20pm Margaret Worthington, Porthywaen Study Centre:
'Levels of technology in Iron Age communities of the Northern Marches'
Looking back more than 2000 years to when most hillforts were built, we might
be forgiven for thinking these were primitive people. This presentation will
seek to show that their skills were sophisticated and well suited to their way
of life; Old Oswestry and the Northern Marches were occupied by busy,
well-organised people.
12.20-1.20 pm Lunch plus displays and/or videos
1.20-2.00 pm Shelagh Lewis, CBA West Midlands:
'Religion and Ritual in Iron Age Britain: a view from the Marches'
Belief systems and ritual activities are difficult to identify and interpret
but are fundamental to understanding early societies. New approaches and
recent discoveries are transforming our appreciation of the nature of
spirituality in Marcher Iron Age societies and beyond. This presentation will
review current evidence and consider future directions.
2.00-2.40 pm Bill Britnell, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust:
'A view from the Breiddin'
A review of the archaeological excavations that have taken place at the
Breiddin hillfort near Welshpool and what they have to tell us about when the
hillforts of the Welsh Marches were built, what they were used for, and the way
of life of the people that built them
2.40-3.00pm Tea/Coffee
3.00-3.40 pm Nicky Smith, English Heritage:
'Hen Dinas - City, or camp of men of war'? The evidence from archaeological
survey'
The results of English Heritage's recent archaeological survey of Old Oswestry
hillfort. These results will be examined in the context of previous survey and
excavation work and in the light of recent thinking in hillfort studies.
3.40-4.20pm Phil Cox: Caer Alyn Heritage Project
'Caer Alyn Hillfort – a continuing story'
Report and discussion covering the excavations and investigations at the
community based archaeological project based at Llay near Wrexham, and centred
on a low-lying promontory fort
4.20 Closing remarks.
Tickets
Tickets £7.50 include morning and afternoon tea/coffee and biscuits plus a
sandwich lunch with home made cookies. Vegetarian options will be available.
If you would like to attend the seminar please print and complete the
online booking form
and send it to the address below, together with payment.
Heather Hidden
Old Oswestry Landscape and Archaeology Project
Wern Weston Cottage
Weston Rhyn
Oswestry
SY10 7LJ