One of the most remarkable archaeological sites of the 21st century in the UK is undoubtedly Must Farm. The late Bronze Age settlement that stood on wooden piles above the fenland waterways nearly 3000 years ago only lasted a year before it collapsed after a huge fire ravaged the settlement. The site and excavation by Cambridge Archaeological Unit received huge attention from world media and were frequently featured on television documentaries as more stunning finds were made across the site.
We were delighted to have been asked by CAU to replicate some of the highlight finds which themselves featured in BBC articles and documentaries. We learned a great deal about the crafting skills that happened in the settlement, and we’ve put some of them together to make a Must Farm workshop weekend.
On this very special workshop, we’ll be joined by project archaeologist Dr. Chris Wakefield from the CAU who worked on the Must Farm excavations and has appeared on Digging for Britain, Countryfile and BBC News speaking about the site. He’ll start the weekend with a talk exploring the amazing archaeology found at Must Farm and be around to answer questions about its artefacts and discoveries.
Over the two days of the weekend, you’ll be split into two groups, one will start with Dr. James Dilley who will guide you through casting your own late Bronze Age-style socketed axe head. You’ll then use Bronze Age tools to start working on a wooden handle for the axe based on examples found.
The second half of the group will start with Emma Jones, working with oil shale, amber, tin and stone to make a replica of the Must Farm bead assemblage. You’ll carve, smooth, polish and drill beads as people would have 3000 years ago. This part of the workshop will bring together lots of different materials and skills including making the necklace cord from lime bast!
The groups will swap activities for the second day of the weekend.
At the end of the workshop you’ll go home with a hafted bronze axe (or at least the nearly finished parts), replicas of the beads from Must Farm and a new appreciation for this very special site and the crafting skills of people who lived in the Bronze Age.
Participant Information:
We will provide you with PPE for the casting, woodworking and bead making, but please bring full trousers made of a hard-wearing material such as jeans and full-covering footwear such as walking boots. Once you sign up to the workshop you will receive full details and directions to the workshop.
Fee & Refreshments:
Our pricing includes tuition, materials, teas and coffees. Though biscuits will be available, please bring a packed lunch.
Terms & Conditions:
Please find our terms and conditions here for information regarding booking, cancellation and more.
By booking onto a workshop or event you are accepting and agreeing to these terms.
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