A free conference will explore the archaeological significance of Hengistbury Head and discuss the past, present and future of research at the site.
The conference, taking place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April, will be hosted by Bournemouth University and Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre with lectures, workshops and guided walks.
The Hengistbury Head: Past, Present, and Future conference is part of the National Lottery funded ‘Performing the Past’ project, which is supported by £44,900 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund which also supported the Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre with a grant of £455,000.
Hengistbury Head is one of the most important archaeological sites on the coast of southern Britain with evidence of occupation from the end of the last Ice Age through to recent times – including a barrow cemetery, a large trading port and an important source of minerals.
“Hengistbury Head has been the scene of settlement and ceremony for more than twelve thousand years,” said BU Professor of Archaeology Tim Darvill.
“Several campaigns of excavation between 1911 and 1979 on the Head revealed the quality, quantity and extent of occupation and the changing intensity in the use of this extraordinary landscape.
“Forty years on from the last main campaign of fieldwork, it is time to take stock of what we know, how understandings have changed over the decades and where we might take research over the next few years.”
The first day of the conference will be held at BU’s Talbot Campus and comprise lectures and discussions led by eminent archaeologists with interests in the site.
On the second day, there will be a guided walk around Hengistbury Head, led by experts involved in the site’s management and presentation, followed by a facilitated round-table discussion to build a new research framework for the site.
Mark Holloway, Project, Funding & Policy Manager - Parks at BCP Council, said: “This conference will kick start three years of archaeology activities and events for the local community and our one million visitors at Hengistbury Head - thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and our partners at Bournemouth University.”
For more information and to book free tickets visit the Hengistbury Head: Past, Present, and Future Eventbrite page.
