Staffordshire Pan. Image copyright Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust, Carlisle
***Ticket booking will close on Wednesday 2nd April. The programme and Zoom link will be sent to attendees on Thursday 3rd April. If you do not receive the emails, please contact the RFG conference organisers Katie Mountain kmountain@pre-construct.com and Stephen Wadeson williamswadeson73@gmail.com***
This year’s Spring Conference is being held in association with the University of Durham on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April, at the Department of Archaeology, Durham University.
The theme is ‘New Research on Roman Finds at the University of Durham and New Finds from the Region’ with talks from a range of speakers from Durham and the area. It will be a ‘blended’ meeting with the opportunity to attend live lectures or to listen online via Zoom.
Timings and location are: 1pm to 5pm on Saturday 5th April, 10am to 3.15pm on Sunday 6th April. Room CG85 of the Department of Chemistry (next to the Department of Archaeology).
There will be a reception at the Museum of Archaeology, Durham following the Saturday talks at 5pm to 6.30pm (included in cost for in-person attendance), and an optional meal later at 7.30pm on the Saturday evening at Uno Momento Italian Restaurant, 39 Silver Street, Durham (meal attendees to pay own meal costs). If you would like to attend the meal, please send a separate email to Stephen Wadeson at williamswadeson73@gmail.com.
The RFG 2025 AGM will take place on the Sunday before lunch.
A full programme will be sent to all attendees closer to the conference date, along with the Zoom link for those attending online.
The cost for non-member in-person attendance includes a one year free membership to RFG.
Meeting Programme and Timetable
Day One: Saturday 5th April Lecture Theatre CG85 of the Chemistry Building (next to the Department of Archaeology)
13.00 Registration and Tea/Coffee
13.25 Welcome and Introduction: Dr. Eleri Cousins, Durham University
Session One: Research from the Department of Archaeology, Durham
Chair: Barbara Birley
13.30 Dr. Eleri Cousins (Durham University): Ox goads, ink nibs, candlesticks? Revisiting iron spiral points in Roman Britain
13:55 Alice Main (Durham University): Roman glass at Binchester: evaluating a novel approach to materials analysis
14.20 Dr. Martha Lovell Stewart (Honorary Research Fellow, Archaeology, Durham University): Images of John Collingwood Bruce: new (or newly re-discovered) portraits in context
14.45 Orlagh Carlin (Durham University) – “Honing History” – Exploring the Whetstone Assemblage at Offerton
15.10 Tea/Coffee break
Session Two: Collections and projects at Durham University
Chair: Dr. Eleri Cousins
15.35 Mark Hoyle (AOC Archaeology; Archaeological Illustrator, Artist & Teacher) – Illustrating archaeological finds from the region, and workshops at the Museum of Archaeology, Durham
16:00 Gemma Lewis (Museum of Archaeology): Reviving the Roman Legacy in Durham: How the last ten years have revitalised the Museum of Archaeology’s collections
16:25 Wrap up and move to reception
Reception at Museum of Archaeology, Durham – 5pm to 6.30pm
We will have a special access reception at the Museum of Archaeology. The Museum is a short 10-15 minute walk from the conference venue. Please let us know if you need assistance in getting to the Museum.
Saturday Evening Meal – (optional, must book separately)
A table has been booked at Uno Momento Italian Restaurant, 39 Silver Street, Durham, DH1 3RB, at 7.30pm. Please email Stephen Wadeson on williamswadeson73@gmail.com to reserve a place if you would like to join. All to pay their own meal costs on the evening.
Day Two: Sunday 6th April Lecture Theatre CG85 of the Chemistry Building (next to the Department of Archaeology)
Session Three: Finds from Durham and the North
Chair: Stephen Wadeson
10.00 Ben Westwood (Portable Antiquities Scheme): Lion Headed studs/mounts from PAS
10.25 Dr. Caroline Smith (Portable Antiquities Scheme): Roman Lead Finds from the North East – insights from Binchester Roman Fort and the PAS
10.50 Alex Croom (North East Museums): Lathe-turned bone pins, a late Roman north-east regional object
11.15 Tea/Coffee break
Session Four: Finds from the Northern Frontier
Chair: Rachel Frame
11.35 Barbara Birley (Curator, Vindolanda Trust): Recent Finds from Vindolanda
12.00 Dr. Elizabeth Greene (University of Western Ontario): A toy mouse and other unusual leather objects in the Vindolanda assemblage
12.25 Dr. Alexander Meyer (University of Western Ontario): Vindolanda Stylus Tablets: First Fruits and Future Directions (Pre-recorded)
12:50 Roman Finds Group 2025 AGM
13:00 Lunch break
Session Five: Finds from the Northern Frontier
Chair: Barbara Birley
14.00 Richard Carlton (The Archaeological Practice; Redesdale Archaeology Group): Some enigmatic finds from Roman-period native sites in Northumberland
14.25 Alex Rome Griffin (University of Lancaster): A Sensory Approach to Religious Small Finds from Domestic Spaces at Vindolanda
14.50 Dr. Frances McIntosh (Curator of Hadrian’s Wall and the North East, English Heritage) and Dr. Elizabeth Foulds (Small Finds Specialist And Artefact Illustrator): Delving into Museum Archives: Corbridge Glass Project 2025 (Pre-recorded)
Costs
In-person attendance:
• £20 for fully paid-up RFG members and students
• £34 non-members, which includes a one-year FREE membership
Zoom attendance:
• £5 for fully paid-up RFG members and students
• £10 for non-members
Any questions about the meeting should be made to the RFG conference organisers Katie Mountain kmountain@pre-construct.com and Stephen Wadeson williamswadeson73@gmail.com.
- This event has passed.