CONFERENCE – Early Medieval Monasticism in the North Sea Zone: New Research and Fresh Perspectives
2015 marks the conclusion of a major AHRC-funded campaign of excavation at Lyminge, the first archaeological investigation to provide a detailed account of the origins and development of a royal monastery in the kingdom of Kent. The results shed light on many themes central to the interpretation of early medieval monastic foundations in their contemporary contexts.
The aim of the conference is to contextualise the results of this research by bringing together an international body of scholars to examine the theme of early medieval monasticism in the North Sea Zone from a variety of archaeological, historical and cross-disciplinary perspectives.
Sessions include: ‘Power and Place: the Politics of Monastic Foundation’, ‘What did Monasteries Look Like? Architecture and Layout’, and ‘Production, Consumption and Surplus: Monasteries as Economic Central Places’. The conference will conclude with a round table discussion to identify priorities for future research and opportunities for new scholarly collaboration. There is an optional excursion to Lyminge and other local sites on Friday afternoon followed by a keynote address by Professor John Blair and a wine reception.
Speakers are: Justine Bayley (London), John Blair (Oxford), John-Henry Clay (Durham), Rosemary Cramp (Durham), Rosamond Faith (Oxford), Zoe Knapp (Reading) Elizabeth Lorans (Tours), Mark McKerracher (Oxford), Tomás Ó Carragáin (Cork), David Petts (Durham), Gabor Thomas (Reading), Dries Tys (Brussels), Tony Wilmott (Historic England), Ian Wood (Leeds), Barbara Yorke (Winchester).
Conference registration fee is £42 which includes lunch and refreshments. The optional field trip to Lyminge is £10 per person. Please go to www.lymingearchaeology.org for details and registration. Please contact a.knox@reading.ac.uk with inquiries.
This conference is sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and project partners Kent Archaeological Society.
SMA On Instagram
Latest News
Previously undiscovered henge re-used in Anglo-Saxon and later periods, excavations find
Sacred Landscapes and Deep Time: Mobility, Memory, and Monasticism on Crowland Duncan Wright and Hugh Willmott have published a new article about their excavations at Anchor Church Field, which found a previously undiscovered prehistoric henge, reused in the Anglo-Saxon period and then by Crowland Abbey who built a hall and chapel on the site. Whilst
New SMA Council Members
Following our AGM on 4th December, we are delighted to welcome the following new members to the SMA Council: Honorary Treasurer – Dr. Helen Fenwick Honorary Secretary – Prof. Michael Lewis Vice President – Prof. Susan Oosthuizen Ordinary Members – Dr. Steve Ashby, Dr. Heidi Stoner and Dr. Rebecca Boyd Welcome aboard! We look forward
Medieval Archaeology issue 67.2 now available
I’m very pleased to announce that issue 67.2 of Medieval Archaeology has now been published online and the print copy should be arriving with members shortly. The content in this issue includes seven original articles focusing on new research from Britain, the Czech Republic, Italy, Denmark and Finland, covering both the early and late medieval
Society for Medieval Archaeology Annual General Meeting
All members of the society are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting, which will be held online on Monday, December 4, 2023, from 12:00-12:30. The meeting will be immediately followed by the Winter Symposium, where three talks will be given about recent research in medieval archaeology and changes to the Treasure Act. Online link: