Plymouth Archaeology Society (PAS) Winter Lectures are open to all to attend with PAS members, University staff and students (with valid ID) and all school students admitted free. Visitors are very welcome but are asked to contribute £4 towards expenses.
All lectures start at 19:00. There is no need to book – just turn up on the evening. Please email enquiries@plymarchsoc.org.uk with any queries.
Monday 7 October: The excavation of Penpoll tidemill (Restronguet) – a glimpse into the industrial revolution in Cornwall and its environmental impact today (speaker: Nicholas Johnson MBE)
The excavation of this small tidal bone mill in 2019, by local volunteers, supported by Cornwall Heritage Trust and Cornwall Archaeological Society has allowed us to glimpse: the extraordinary world of mining, and smelting; the export and import of huge quantities of copper, coal and timber through new mineral ports; the massive sedimentation and pollution of rivers; and clear evidence for accelerating sea-level rise.
The excavation of this small tidal bone mill in 2019, by local volunteers, supported by Cornwall Heritage Trust and Cornwall Archaeological Society has allowed us to glimpse: the extraordinary world of mining, and smelting; the export and import of huge quantities of copper, coal and timber through new mineral ports; the massive sedimentation and pollution of rivers; and clear evidence for accelerating sea-level rise.
About the speaker
Nicholas Johnson MBE was head of the archaeological service in Cornwall from 1975 to 2010. As well as directing and taking part in the surveys of the archaeological landscapes on Bodmin Moor and West Penwith, he helped in the development of new methods of defining, characterising, and explaining the history and the significance of our historic landscapes. Perhaps most notably, he led the team that achieved World Heritage Site status for Cornish Mining in 2006. He now enjoys the history of his home patch in Devoran.
Nicholas Johnson MBE was head of the archaeological service in Cornwall from 1975 to 2010. As well as directing and taking part in the surveys of the archaeological landscapes on Bodmin Moor and West Penwith, he helped in the development of new methods of defining, characterising, and explaining the history and the significance of our historic landscapes. Perhaps most notably, he led the team that achieved World Heritage Site status for Cornish Mining in 2006. He now enjoys the history of his home patch in Devoran.
Monday 4 November: Medieval and post-medieval pottery in Devon and Cornwall – a new resource for fabric identification (speaker: Kate Berlewen)
Monday 2 December: details tbc
Monday 3 February: details tbc
Monday 3 March: The Royal Clarence Hotel and other lost buildings in Exeter (speaker: Dr Todd Gray)
Monday 7 April: Reconstructing religion – the archaeology of late antique Christianity in Samahij, Bahrain (speaker: Professor Timothy Insoll FBA, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter)
The historical records of the Church of the East (Nestorian Church) refer to the existence of a Bishop in the diocese of Meshmahig or Mâšmahîg in the islands of Bahrain, as in the synods of 410 and 576. However, no material or archaeological trace of a Christian presence was found until 2019 when the remains of a large building were uncovered beneath a mound in the village cemetery at Samahij – a name that is likely a corruption of Meshmahig.
The historical records of the Church of the East (Nestorian Church) refer to the existence of a Bishop in the diocese of Meshmahig or Mâšmahîg in the islands of Bahrain, as in the synods of 410 and 576. However, no material or archaeological trace of a Christian presence was found until 2019 when the remains of a large building were uncovered beneath a mound in the village cemetery at Samahij – a name that is likely a corruption of Meshmahig.
This talk will present the results of the excavations, consider the trade and life of the people, and discuss the evidence that identifies the occupants as Christian, and how this differs from subsequent archaeological indicators of Islam. It will end by considering how research results have been received and are being presented in this Muslim majority country.