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In celebration of the Society for Medieval Archaeology's 50th anniversary the first fifty volumes of Medieval Archaeology have been made available in digital form.

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THE SOCIETY FOR MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY exists to further the study of the period from the 5th to the 16th century A.D. by publishing a journal of international standing dealing primarily with the archaeological evidence, and by other means such as by holding regular meetings and arranging conferences. While maintaining a special concern for the medieval archaeology of Britain and Ireland, the society seeks to support and advance the international study of this period (as broadly defined above) in Europe. It also aims to serve as a medium for co-ordinating the work of archaeologists with that of historians and scholars in any other discipline relevant to this field.

Members receive Medieval Archaeology, the Society's journal (published annually), together with a twice-yearly newsletter.

We welcome Dr Niall Brady of The Discovery Programme , Ireland, as the new Newsletter editor and look forward to the next instalment of the Society for Medieval Archaeology's biannual newsletter. Please do contact Niall with your ideas for submissions, articles, images and updates from your projects. Currently, the last instalment to be uploaded to our website can be found here.
 

A ‘lost’ palace of the bishops of Winchester

Our current special feature is a contribution from Society Member Nicholas Riall who goes in search of the 'lost' palace of the bishops of Winchester. To read more, click here.

Winchester Palace 1828

RETROSPECT and PROSPECT

2007 marked the fiftieth birthday of the Society for Medieval Archaeology. It was on the afternoon of Tuesday 16th April 1957 at Burlington House, Piccadilly, that Donald Harden, the newly appointed Director of the London Museum , first outlined proposals for a new ‘society for Dark Age and Medieval Studies’. The idea was a simple one; a new society with a new journal, occasional meetings and an annual conference, all to be dedicated to the period ‘from the end of the Roman period until the end of the Middle Ages in Britain. To read more of Christopher Gerrard's article celebrating 50 years of The Society for Medieval Archaeology click here.

John Hurst Award

The Society for Medieval Archaeology awards the first John Hurst Award to the undergraduate dissertation that makes the most original contribution to medieval archaeology (from AD400 to 1500). Download an interview with one of the Society for Medieval Archaeology’s founding members from the Society of Antiquaries of London website.

The interview with John Hurst is the first in what will be a series of interviews that can be listened to online or downloaded and listened to on a computer or MP3 player, such as an iPod. He will be talking about his childhood interest in archaeology, his Cambridge education, his first excavations and his growing interest in deserted medieval villages at a time when historians were denying that they even existed. Click here to read more and find out more about the award here.

The Medieval Archaeology Gallery

As a special feature, the Society for Medieval Archaeology Website will be exhibiting a gallery of slideshows. Society members were asked to submit a series of images that depicted some of the fascinating work they have carried out in the field of Medieval Archaeology. More details about these members can be found on the projects page.
To launch this new feature we have chosen a wonderful selection of photographs exhibited with the kind permission of Historic Scotland. The Society for Medieval Archaeology welcomes more submissions and would like to build a collection of photographic, diagramatic and cartographic images that document the research work of Society members. If you have a selection of images or illustrations, accompanied by a short summary, web links and captions, please do contact us.
 CROWN COPYRIGHT REPRODUCED COURTESY OF HISTORIC SCOTLAND
 

 

Major residential conferences are held every other year, alternating with a one-day conference, usually held in London.

The Annual General Meeting, also held in London, in early December, is followed by the Annual Lecture, given by medieval archaeologists of international stature.

The Society administers a series of funds which award grants and bursaries to society members.

Click here to find out more. .

 

 
 

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