Hi I’m Talia, a field archaeologist with Wessex Archaeology, and recently I have been involved with a number of outreach events in Salisbury with my fellow archaeologist Bianca.
Just before breaking up for the Easter Holidays, we brought a treat to the kids at Old Sarum Primary School in the form of hands-on archaeology workshops.
We focused on the key question ‘How do we know about life in the past?’ and explained what the daily life of an archaeologist involves, described the incredible sites Wessex Archaeology have found in the local area, and gave the kids the opportunity to handle, draw and investigate a huge selection of genuine artefacts. So many artefacts in fact, that we could barely carry them all into the school… The surprisingly heavy cannonball found underwater by the Coastal & Marine department proved to be a favourite.
The classes seemed to particularly enjoy the fact we themed the workshops to the history topics they were currently studying; even the teachers were raising their hands to ask us questions! My personal favourite to teach was the Year 4 class on Anglo-Saxons, not only because it involved dressing up as Anglo-Saxons, but also because it gave Bianca and I the opportunity to talk about the excavations we were personally involved in at Bulford and Tidworth.
Judging by the number of declarations of ‘I’m going to be an archaeologist!’, I think the day was a great success!
By Talia Hunt, Field Archaeologist/Archaeological Field Technician