Colchester Young Archaeologists’ Club September meeting

Yesterday (20th September), the Colchester Young Archaeologists’ Club met at Roman Circus House for their September session with their adult volunteer helpers Amy and Kate.

Barbara Butler writes: ‘… There were 17 enthusiastic members of the Colchester Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) who met at Roman Circus House yesterday morning. We have reached “medieval” in our time-line and the young people were pooling ideas about what should go on the time-line. In fact, there is so much that we could use, that we will probably create a new medieval time-line with a centimetre representing every ten years. Some ideas were inspired by the Time Team and others by the ‘horrible histories’, and there was a debate as to whether the medieval period should go from 1050 or 1066 and end at 1485 or 1500. One of our members is able to come up with accurate dates and another was very exact about the Hundred Years War: “It was 116 years, to be precise”, he said.

Then, in teams of six, the young people were given training in archaeological finds-washing from one of the Trust’s archaeology volunteers. They also coloured in maps of medieval Colchester. There was an enthusiastic show of hands when I suggested that the Trust might like some volunteers to help keep the excavation [of part of the remains of the Roman circus] outside Roman Circus House tidy and free of weeds. The YAC members really enjoy meeting at Roman Circus House and are also very appreciative of the support which the Colchester Archaeological Trust give them …’

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Visit the CAG web-site at http://caguk.net/ .

If you are aged under 17 and interested in joining the Young Archaeologists’ Club in Colchester, then please contact Barbara Butler on 07808 968766 or at barbara[at]peterbutlerdesign.co.uk or Barbara Butler, Colchester YAC Branch, c/o the Colchester Archaeological Trust, Roman Circus House, off Circular Road North, Colchester, Essex CO2 7GZ.

The National Young Archaeologists’ Club web-site is at www.yac-uk.org/

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The image shows one of the coloured-in maps.

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