courses

Field Archaeology Short Course @ The Cairns, Orkney

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The stunning location of The Cairns Broch, South Ronaldsay, Orkney

The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute are now enrolling for the popular short course in Field Archaeology to be held at The Cairns Broch excavation – one of Orkney’s leading excavations.

  • When? 19 – 21 June 2019 (3 full days 9:30 – 16:30)
  • What does it cost? £220.00 per person
  • How do I book? Use the form below

This short course in Field Archaeology from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Archaeology Institute, run by a team from our commercial unit Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, aims to provide participants with basic training and understanding of the practices and processes in Field Archaeology. Check out last years site diary to give you a flavour of the exciting discoveries, including a wooden bowl and human hair in the well!

https://youtu.be/7BTYNin5y7c
Site Director Martin Carruthers talks about The Cairns Well, excavated in 2018

Located at the on-going excavations at The Cairns broch, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, training will cover:

  • Excavation techniques
  • Finds identification
  • The principles of stratigraphy
  • Basic site survey and
  • Archaeological recording (drawn, written and photographic record).
3Recording in the broch

Recommended equipment: Steel toe boots/wellies, full waterproofs, packed lunch and flask. Please note: Toilet facilities are provided. Participants are to meet at the excavation site each day at 9:30. Accommodation, travel and lunch are not included.

Places are limited (15 max.) so book now by contacting Mary using the form below…..

Ness to Ness: Art & Archaeology Workshop 2018

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nesstoness 2018 flyer FRONT v2-page-001The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute have teamed up with Orkney College UHI Art Department to offer the popular summer Art & Archaeology workshop for 2018.

– Dates: 5th – 8th July 2018
– Time: 9.00-5.00 each day
– Cost £250 per person (limited number of concessions at £225)
– Accommodation and food is not included
– Material and transport to and from Kirkwall during the workshop is included

Thursday 5th July Field Day Ness of Brodgar and Ness Battery

After an introduction to the workshop, we will visit the excavations at the Ness of Brodgar. You will have the opportunity to enjoy a bespoke tour with Site Director Nick Card and see its unique art with Neolithic art specialist Dr Antonia Thomas. In the afternoon we will have a tour of the remarkable buildings at the Ness Battery and its unique WW2 painted murals with archaeologists Andrew Hollinrake.

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Friday 6th July Studio Day Printmaking with Charles Shearer

For today’s session, we will be based in the art studios at Orkney College UHI in Kirkwall. Inspired by the previous field day, you will develop your creative ideas through the medium of print with world-renowned printmaker Charles Shearer. You will learn the process of collagraph print production from the drawing and cutting, using a range of tools, through to the application of the textures and materials that help give this process its unique character.

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Saturday 7th July Field Day Pier Arts Centre and Warbeth Beach

For today’s field trip we will have a dedicated tour of the Pier Arts Centre and its world class collection of British Modernist paintings and sculpture, led by Education Officer and artist Carol Dunbar. The afternoon will be spent on Warbeth Beach where we explore the materials used for art making in the Neolithic, and find out how this striking landscape inspires modern and contemporary artists.

Sunday 8th July Studio Day Printmaking with Charles Shearer

You will be able to develop your ideas from the previous three days further, and continue to work on collagraph printmaking with Charles Shearer.

Formal qualifications are not required for this course.

Cost: £250 for 4 days. Limited number of concessions available at 10% discount (£225) To book, contact Jenna Harper at jenna.harper@uhi.ac.uk or telephone 01856 569000

 

Archaeology Evening Class 2018 – Introduction to Archaeology

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DSCN0333The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute are now enrolling students for the ‘Introduction to Archaeology’ Evening Class to be held at Orkney College, Kirkwall, Orkney in February 2018.

  • Venue: Orkney College, University of the Highlands and Islands, East Road, Kirkwall.
  • Course length: 10 weeks (2 hour sessions)
  • Commences: 21 February 2018
  • Time: 7-9pm on Wednesday evenings at Orkney College (fieldtrips 6-8pm). The archive session is on a Thursday 5-7pm to make use of late opening at Orkney Library & Archive.
  • Course fee: £100

This new course, taught by leading practitioners and lecturers at the UHI Archaeology Institute, introduces the basic theory, methods and practice used in Archaeology.

Key areas covered include an introductory overview, basic research, chronology, environmental archaeology, landscape archaeology, finds, geophysics and excavation.

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The aim is to provide an over-view of archaeology and archaeological practice for general knowledge and volunteering. The classes are workshop-based, hands-on and thematic, delivered in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Class details:

  • 21 February: Introduction to Archaeology (Martin Carruthers)
  • 28 February: Animal bones (Dr Ingrid Mainland)
  • 8 March: Archives and archive research. Meet at Orkney Library & Archive, Archives room. (Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon) (5-7pm)
  • 14 March: Landscape archaeology, geophysics & aerial photographs (Dr James Moore & Amanda Brend)
  • 21 March: Research: Orkney Sites and Monuments Record Office and National Monument Record of Scotland (Julie Gibson & Dan Lee)
  • 28 March: Environmental Archaeology (Dr Scott Timpany)

EASTER HOLIDAY – no classes (college holidays 2 – 13 April inclusive)

  • 18 April: Digital Heritage (Dr Jen Harland & Crane Begg)
  • 25 April: Artefacts and drawing (Martin Carruthers & Crane Begg)
  • 2 May: Fieldtrip 1 (Landscape and Orkney World Heritage Site) (6-8pm)
  • 9 May: Fieldtrip 2 (Buildings & wartime) (6-8pm)

The timetable may be subject to change.

This course is not networked or available online as it is workshop based. 

If you are interested in attending please contact Tina Brown Tina.Brown@uhi.ac.uk or Telephone Tina directly on 01856 569206 or through the Orkney College switchboard on 01856 569000.

NAS Foreshore Recorder and Surveyor Short Course – Enrolling Now

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Orkney has attracted seafaring activity over a long period of time-in both war and peace. The foreshore and intertidal zone around the islands are therefore littered with maritime archaeological remains of ships and equipment.

This NAS short course offers the opportunity to learn how to record and survey remains of our important maritime heritage on the beaches and intertidal zones around Orkney. 

The University of the Highlands and Islands together with the Nautical Archaeology Society are now enrolling students for a 2-day marine archaeology course: Foreshore Recorder and Surveyor Days.

  • Duration: 2 Days
  • Time: 9.00 am to 5.00/6.30 pm
  • Venue: Orkney
  • Dates: 1st and 2nd April 2017
  • Tutor: Sandra Henry, Mark Littlewood
  • Cost: £120
  • Qualification: The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) Foreshore Recorder and Surveyor Day

The cost excludes accommodation.

This two-day course is aimed at anyone interested in maritime archaeology and heritage. Participants will directly contribute to the understanding of Orkney past landscapes and ongoing monitoring of the wartime heritage in Scapa Flow.

Participants in the course will:

  • Learn about the factors involved in planning archaeological work and projects
  • Understand how to conduct a 2D survey
  • Learn how to set out and position-fix a grid (site dependant)
  • Understand how to use a planning frame
  • Produce a 2D survey that can be used for further project planning.

To reserve a place please contact:

  • Sandra Henry, The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, Orkney College UHI, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1LX.
  • E-mail: studyarchaeology@uhi.ac.uk
  • Tel: 01856 569225

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New Evening Class now enrolling- Archaeology of the Highlands and Islands

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The course will take students on a tour of the spectacular archaeological remains of the Highlands & Islands region, exploring the sites and landscapes of the past from the Neolithic to post-medieval periods.

Additionally, the course introduces the techniques, methods and concepts that archaeologists use to make sense of this rich past.  The teaching involves several members of the Archaeology Institute staff on a weekly basis to afford students the opportunity to hear from specialist expert researchers on the topics covered by each themed-session.

  • Meetings: 11
  • Cost: £110
  • Mondays 7-9pm
  • Room G4.02, Orkney College, Kirkwall
  • Start Date: 6th February

Additionally, the course introduces the techniques, methods and concepts whereby archaeologists make sense of this rich past.  The approach to the teaching is to involve several members of the Archaeology Institute staff on a weekly basis to afford students the opportunity to hear from specialist expert researchers on the topics covered by each themed session.

Class Details

  • Week 1 (6th Feb) Getting started
  • Week 2 (13th Feb) The Environment of the Highlands and Islands in the past
  • Week 3 (20th Feb) Ceremony and Ritual in the Third and Early Second Millennium BC
  • Week 4 (27th March) Understanding the Archaeological Record
  • Week 5 (6th March) The Bronze Age
  • Week 7 (13th March) Environmental Archaeology
  • Week 8 (20th March) Week 6 The Iron Age
  • Week 9 (27th March) Viking and Norse
  • Week 10 (3rd April) Medieval and Post-Medieval
  • Easter Holiday (2 weeks)
  • Week 11 (17th April) Archaeological Landscapes

Programme may be subject to change.

Contact Tina Brown at Orkney College, Telephone (01856) 569206 or e-mail Tina.Brown@uhi.ac.uk for information or to reserve a place.

Marine Archaeology Side Scan Sonar Course – 24th September 2016

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Clio II side scan capture -Annotated

The NAS MAC Introduction to Side Scan Sonar course is now open to professionals working in the maritime industry and students of marine archaeology. The one day course is held in Stromness, Orkney on the 24th September 2016.

Course Aims and Objectives
This introductory course will provide an insight into the equipment, survey
strategies, processing and interpretation of side scan sonar data in maritime
archaeology. During the course, students will learn how to plan and execute a
side scan sonar survey, determining which survey methods are most appropriate in
different situations. They will gain practical experience processing and interpreting the
resulting data and will be made aware of protocols for disseminating the results.
Throughout the course side scan surveys will be considered in light of other survey
strategies available. Practical exercises will take place during the afternoon on both days and will include survey mobilisation, demobilisation, GPS positioning, data collection, data processing and reporting. During the two-day course students will be introduced to:
• Introduction to site types, targets and anomalies –which sites are best suited to
side scan surveys
• Designing a side scan sonar survey project: considerations and survey strategies
• Types of side scan mounts and devices
• Positioning: locating your sites
• Practical: completing a side scan survey
• Overview of other survey data processing packages, focussing in particular on
Sonar Wiz 5 and Max View
• Post processing and interpretation– guidance and recommendations
• Practical: process ing and interpreting survey data
• Reporting and dissemination
Learning Outcomes
• Participants will complete the course with an understanding of the principles and
practice of side scan sonar surveys
• The students will be able to identify the most suitable equipment and survey
strategy appropriate to specific site types and conditions
• The students will have participated in the design and execution of a small side
scan sonar survey
• The student will have undertaken some basic data processing and will be aware of
national guidance for the processing and interpretation of side scan sonar data.
NAS Credit Allocation
10 credits will be awarded to NAS members under the module Fieldwork National Occupational Standards for Archaeology Units:Unit code CU2099: Contribute to non
-intrusive investigations
CIfA Endorsement
This course has been endorsed by the Charted Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) to
count towards the required hours of continual professional development. Please note this timetable is provisional and subject to change
Cost
Cost for the course is £150
For more information and to reserve a place e-mail: studyarchaeology@uhi.ac.uk

Marine Archaeology Course, Orkney

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Remote Sensing Survey

Nautical Archaeology Society MAC Introduction to Side Scan Sonar Survey course. Orkney. Scotland.

  • 2 day course
  • 24th and 25th September 2016
  • Stromness, Orkney
  • Cost £249

This two day course is organised by ORCA (Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology) and provides an overview of Side Scan Sonar surveying and the application of remote sensing in archaeological surveys.

Students will gain practical experience of designing, completing and interpreting Side Scan Sonar surveys in one of the most exciting marine archaeology environments in the UK. Click through to the Scapa Flow Historic Wreck website for details of the wrecks present around Orkney’s coastline.

This course is suitable for professionals wishing to undertake continuing professional development or for those interested in the remote sensing aspect of marine archaeology.

For more information or to book your place on the course, contact Sandra Henry studyarchaeology@uhi.ac.uk or ring 01856 569225

 

New Virtual Archaeology Lab

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Archaeology Virtual Lab @ The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute.

The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute are enhancing their digital approach to teaching by creating a virtual archaeology lab.

One of the strengths of The University of the Highlands and Islands in general and The Archaeology Institute in particular, lies in the fact that Archaeology courses at undergraduate level can be accessed across the Highlands and Islands. Our students study at campuses from Shetland and Orkney in the north, across the Western Isles and throughout the Highlands at Perth, Inverness, Elgin and Oban in addition to many smaller UHI Learning Centres. They can access lectures and other resources anywhere in the region, at any time, if they have access to an internet connection.

The Archaeology Institute has enriched the learning experience in recent years by introducing award winning virtual fieldtrips which enable students to ‘visit’ archaeological sites through the use of 360 degree camera footage, commentary, video links and detailed hotspot text. Using the same technology, the services of the Education Support Unit at the University of the Highlands and Islands and funding from the University of the Highlands and Islands Curriculum Development Fund, The Archaeology Institute are creating a virtual archaeology lab. This will enable students to examine finds in laboratory conditions and gain experience in the analysis of both ecofacts and artefacts – from microscopic pollen grains, ancient cereals and weed seeds, fragments of mammal and fish to Neolithic Grooved Ware Pottery.

Dr. Ingrid Mainland, Curriculum Leader for Archaeology stated that, “This is a major step forward for both distance learning students and those studying at The Institute and will add a further dimension to our teaching.”

For an example of a virtual fieldtrip go to our You Tube channel http://bit.ly/25ZOoOD

New MLitt Course for 2017

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A new course involving The History Centre, The Archaeology Institute and The Centre for Nordic Studies The University of the Highlands and Islands is being launched for student intake in 2017.

The sea has often acted as a highway for people living along adjacent coasts and on islands. Such communities have frequently experienced closer ties with each other than with places further inland. The MLitt Coastal and Maritime Societies and Cultures explores these environments from an interdisciplinary perspective. This course is based on the internationally significant and world-class research of the staff involved and is led by the university’s Centre for History in collaboration with our Archaeology Institute and Centre for Nordic Studies. MLitt students will study two modules in History, Archaeology and Nordic Studies, and then complete a dissertation.

This programme, available from September 2017, will be of interest to those wishing to develop transferable skills with respect to coastal and maritime themes, and to all who wish to pursue further arts and humanities-based research in these areas.

Taught from the Highlands and Islands, the MLitt Coastal and Maritime Societies and Cultures is available to study from anywhere in the world.

Special features

  • Support from expert staff at the university’s Centre for History, Archaeology Institute and Centre for Nordic Studies, throughout your studies
  • Study online through the university’s virtual learning environment which means you can fit your studies around your personal and professional commitments
  • Opportunity to study individual modules for personal or professional development, or work towards a PgCert, PgDip, or full masters (MLitt) degree

For more information see http://bit.ly/24hIo0Z

 

New Maritime Archaeology Course

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The University of the Highlands and Islands and Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) are offering a two day Nautical Archaeology Society course in the use of Remotely Operated Vehicles in maritime archaeology. The course is structured to contribute to a persons own career / professional development and at the same time contribute to the monitoring of wartime remains in Scapa Flow.

  • NAS MAC ROV surveying
  • 2 day course
  • 14th and 15th May 2016
  • Location: Kirkwall and Stromness, Orkney
  • Cost £249

For more infromation :

  • Phone: 01856 569223
  • email: studyarchaeology@uhi.ac.uk