TheArchaeology Division is part of English Heritage's Conservation Department and provides archaeological expertise and advice to the organisation. The Division consists of three parts: The Ancient Monuments Laboratory which provides advice and research on archaeological science and the conservation of archaeology and collections;the Central Archaeology Service which advises and monitors all aspects of archaeology as well as initiating archaeological projects of national importance; and the Monuments Protection Programme which reviews England's archaeological resource to determine the most appropriate ways of managing it for the future.

If you are looking for more general information about the activities of English Heritage, you may also wish to visit our main corporate website.

What's New

• A Model for the Description of Archaeological Archives: This document describes the model used by the Centre for Archaeology to describe its archaeological archives and is being disseminated, with a request for comment, in order to stimulate discussion on this important topic.
• Whitby Abbey Headland Project (WAHP) - Southern Anglian Enclosure (SAE) The first season of excavation at Whitby Abbey on the area of the Southern Anglian Enclosure has now been completed. General information about Whitby Abbey and the excavations - including an on-line version of the Research Project Design - can be accessed from this link.

Further updates and news will be added as the excavations progress. Update 3: August 1999 - Now Available
• Timber structure at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. After recording work has been carried out, the timber structure popularly known as "Seahenge" is due to be lifted by archaeologists in Norfolk, beginning at around Midday on 15/06/1999. A Webcam will be set up to record the operation. Subject to local tides and other logistical factors, it is hoped to provide, via this link, a series of "live" images that update approximately every minute. Further information about the earlier stages of the Holme excavation project, funded by Archaeology Commissions, is also available from the project summary pages at: Project Summary 1998/99- A timber structure at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk.
• Archaeology Commissions - Project Summaries. 1999 project summaries now available. Background information and a summary of work carried out on a number of projects funded through the Archaeology Commissions programme. Links to new projects will be added to the list as WWW summaries become available.
• Avebury WHS The New Avebury WHS Management Plan is Now Available on-line. English Heritage, as the lead body developing Management Plans for World Heritage Sitesin England, funded a collaborative project which developed the Management Plan for Avebury between September 1996 and August 1998.
• Environmental Archaeological Bibliography. This bibliography is now on-line, see the entry below under Periodically Updated Resources.

 

Publications and Consultation Documents

• Management of Archaeological Projects (MAP2) The standard reference document for the planning of archaeological projects.
• The 1996-7 Archaeology Review. The Archaeology Review is an annual publication summarising the archaeological work of English Heritage. This on-line copy will be updated as new information becomes available about the archaeological sites we are involved with. Last year's review is still available from the Archaeology Review main page. We are also compiling usage statistics for the review.
• MARS - Monuments At Risk Survey. The English Heritage strategy document produced in response to the MARS report and further information on the MARS project.
• Monument Class Descriptions: The Monument Class Description (MCD) is a key tool, developed and used by the Monuments Protection Programme, in the evaluation of monuments. To date a group of circa 225 MCDs has been prepared and one of the aims of their dissemination on the WWW is to facilitate their expansion, and further enhancement.
• Archaeology and English Heritage: Agenda for the future The draft Research Agenda is now available in portable document format (pdf) to read on-line, print or download.
• Research and Archaeology: a framework for the Eastern Counties 1. resource assessment. Archaeologists in the eastern counties have drawn up the first of the regional research frameworks. The document isn't actually provided online here but this page gives information about obtaining the publication.
• Electronic versions of our Scientific and Technical Guidelines, These look best when viewed with browsers that can cope with Netscape HTML enhancements.
• No 2: Archaeometallurgy in archaeological projects
• No 4: Guidelines for the care of waterlogged archaeological leather
• Hypertext Geophysical Survey Reports. Most surveys undertaken by the Archaeometry Branch of the AML since 1993 are now available online

Periodically Updated Resources

• Environmental Archaeological Bibliography. An online bibliographic database containing over 10,000 reports concerned with environmental archaeology. The reports cover all biological, pedological and geological work on material from archaeological sites.
• The Geophysical Survey Database. An on line database of information about geophysical surveys undertaken for archaeological purposes in England. Presently contains around 2000 entries. For most surveys undertaken by the Archaeometry Branch of the AML since 1993, hypertext copies of the reports are available.
• Ancient Monuments Laboratory Latest Available report summaries on line An on-line version of the most recent issue of our six monthly listing of AML reports. This lists all reports produced by laboratory staff in the period covered and incorporates summaries of each report. Publications by staff during the period are also listed.
• Ancient Technology Section's Scanning Electron Microscope Sample of the Month

Presentations of Archaeology Division Work

• Whitby Abbey Headland Project (WAHP) - Southern Anglian Enclosure (SAE) The first season of excavation at Whitby Abbey on the area of the Southern Anglian Enclosure has now started. General information about Whitby Abbey and the excavations - including an on-line version of the Research Project Design - can be accessed from this link. Further updates and news will be added as the excavations progress.
• World Heritage Sites and GIS: An introduction to the use by the CentralArchaeology Service of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in themanagement of World Heritage Sites (WHS).
• Virtual Stonehenge. The 3D visualisation of Stonehenge has been improved. Travel through virtual time and walk through the Stonehenge landscape at different periods during its existence. Brought to you by English Heritage in partnership with Intel and Superscape Virtual Reality Solutions. You need Netscape 2.0 or greater running on a PC but Superscape provide the free plug-in VR viewer necessary to view the virtual world.
• Archaeometry and Stonehenge. AML involvement in the Stonehenge 20th Century Excavations Project.
• English Heritage Scientists Discover Buried Prehistoric Henge. The Archaeometry Branch's recent discovery of one of the largest and most elaborate prehistoric ceremonial sites ever found in Britain, at Stanton Drew Stone Circle, Somerset. Evidencesuggesting timber circles and an enormous ditch or henge, at least as old and of comparable significance to Stonehenge, was revealed during a geophysical surveyusing instruments to detect buried archaeological remains without disturbing the ground around them.
• The Ancient Monuments Laboratory Bar Code Location Recording System A description of our object location system with pictures (Contains about 47Kb of inline images).
• AML Geophysics and the Wroxeter Hinterlands Project. See preliminary results of our contribution to this project. NB this page contains a 25Kb inline image.

Miscellaneous

• See who's been accessing this server today. [Local Only]
• Local geophysics computer notes. [Local Only]
• Usage statistics for the AML server.

Links to other sites

• The main English Heritage Website. Contains information about the entire corpus of English Heritage activities including visiting our historic properties, our education service and our conservation work.
• The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Information about their work, publications, the National Monuments Record and more.

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This server is maintained by Paul Linford(P.Linford@eng-h.gov.uk),
Ancient Monuments Laboratory
English Heritage
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