About Thames Discovery Programme
Participatory Archaeology Project
Thames Discovery Programme Description
A project monitoring and recording the archaeology of the River Thames foreshore. The project was funded by a generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund from 2008-2011 and is now hosted by Museum of London Archaeology.
Reviews
The oldest skull fragment found in the Thames (so far!) is to go on display today at the Museum of London, in the London before London gallery. It is part of a frontal bone and has been dated to about 5600 years old, or 3600 BC, during the Neolithic Period
Found by mudlark Martin Bushell, you can read more about it here: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ŌĆ”/neo lithic-skull-river-tŌĆ”
And if you want to go deep, read all about human skulls in the Thames in this paper by Yvonne Edwards, Alison Weisskopf and Derek Hamilton: "Age, Taphonomic History and Mode of Deposition of Human Skulls in the River Thames" from LAMAS Transactions 60: http://www.lamas.org.uk/ŌĆ”/035-052%20Hum an%20skulls%20in%20TŌĆ”
Volunteer with us and help us record the vulnerable archaeology on the Thames foreshore. Booking for our 2019 Foreshore recording and Observation Group (FROG) training is now open! Full details here:
http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/events/fro g-training-2019
Yesterday, Helen and Will spoke to the London Appreciation Society about our research at Greenwich. Several members had volunteered on archaeological digs in the city, and one had joined Mike Webber in his foreshore work in the early 2000s. He showed us this blast from the past!
Join City of London Archaeology Society on 15 February for their AGM when Gustav Milne will deliver the Presidential address on London's Lost Waterways and Thames Landing places.
It's a taster of an exciting new project we're going to be involved with later this year!
19.00 at St Olave Parish Hall, EC3 7BB.
... (Image ┬® National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)
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A few pictures by Melvyn, one of our City Foreshore Recording and Observation Group coordinators, from their monitoring visit to Cannon Street this weekend.
We had a great time on the foreshore yesterday at Deptford with The Lenox Project. Thank you for coming!
Here's an update from our Will about the Antler Mattock we found at Chelsea a few weeks ago. We think it dates from 8400-2600 BC, although that will be confirmed by a specialist. It's with the London Finds Liaison Officer The Portable Antiquities Scheme, and Museum of London plan to accession it.
#FindsFriday
http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/frog-ŌĆ”/c helsea-antler-mattock
Spend Half Term on the foreshore! Join us for a family walk at Bankside on 23 February.
Free, thanks to support from Tideway, booking essential!
http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/events/ban kside-family-walk1
Join us tonight to celebrate the history of the Shad Thames area with the Shad Thames ResidentsŌĆÖ Association at an evening talk about the Thames foreshore with archaeologist Josh Frost.
At Anise Gallery, 13A Shad Thames, London SE1 2PU, from 7pm. Free entry.
The event will include an exhibition of historic photographs of the Shad Thames area from the collection at Southwark Archive. The photographs will be on display from 5 ŌĆō 10 February 2019.
Some pictures from our first guided walk of the year, at Wapping. Thanks to everyone who came!
Here's some pictures from our most recent monitoring visit to Greenwich. It was mercifully mud free for once! We got a good overview of the foreshore, including drainage features, the jetty and causeways and chalk barge bed at the base of the stairs
This made us smile on a cold day!
Join London & Middlesex Archaeological Society on 12 February for their AGM at Museum of London Taryn Nixon will deliver the Presidential Address: Tapping the source: how archaeology and history societies change the world*
*We think they do!
Voting is open for the Current Archaeology Magazine Awards! Museum of London Archaeology wonderful Director of Research and Engagement Sophie is nominated for Archaeologist of the Year, and we think she more than deserves your vote!
On 10 February we're joining with the The Lenox Project for a foreshore walk at Deptford Royal Dockyard. Booking essential, everyone welcome!
http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/ŌĆ”/build- the-lenox-deptford-fŌĆ”
Join us at Current Archaeology Live! 2019 with Current Archaeology Magazine on 8-9 March! Helen Johnston will be talking about the archaeology of the Thames foreshore, and we're running two bonus foreshore walks on 10 March for attendees!
#CALive19
http://www.thamesdiscovery.org/ŌĆ”/curren t-archaeology-live-2ŌĆ”
Here's a fascinating Thames wreck featured on Historic England's wreck of the week blog! The wreck was found during the construction of Woolwich Power station in 1912, but which ship was it? And what happened to her after the discovery? Read on for more!
There's a small link to one of our key sites in the blog, Castle's ship breaking yard at Anchor and Hope wharf in Charlton. The blog shows how important preservation by record is, the approach we use to record archaeological ...features on the foreshore.
#TidalTuesday
https://thewreckoftheweek.wordpress.com/Ō Ć”/a-wreck-process-ŌĆ”/
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On a visit to the foreshore at Chelsea, one of our archaeologists found a piece of red deer antler with a hole drilled through it. It has been suggested that it was a mattock head dating from the Bronze Age or Neolithic.
Great family afternoon walk.... whole family loved it! Thought i knew Putney well but learnt a thing or 2! Highly recommend to anyone