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Author Archives: mgknight21
Help! I Married An Academic!
Earlier this year I got married.
To a fellow academic.
If you read much popular opinion in the media, you’d think this was a bad idea. There have even been academic papers on it.
Reflections on “From Every Object A Story”
On October 19th and 20th, I attended the Later Prehistoric Finds Group (LPFG) conference: From Every Object A Story. This conference offered the rare opportunity for all of those of us around the country studying all objects of the Bronze and Iron Ages to get together and basically nerd out.
Bronze Age Hot-shorts (but not as Google knows them)
I predominantly consider myself a social archaeologist. I kindof slipped and fell into Experimental Archaeology and I now find the same thing happening with material science and the overall topic of Archaeometallurgy, so I thought I’d lay out some of the things I’m encountering, mostly to formulate my findings to coherently, but also to encourage anyone reading this to point out if I’m on the right track or completely wrong. (more…)
When is a palstave not a palstave?
I’m sure it’s clear by now that I love the objects that tell a story. I spend a lot of time going through old reports and it’s so intriguing to read previous perceptions of Bronze Age objects. (more…)
Bronze Age Metalwork at Wells and Mendip Museum
Believe it or not, two years into my research, I still haven’t finished my data collection. The spread of objects across the South West has proven far more troublesome than even I anticipated. Nonetheless, I persevere and my latest venture took me to the beautiful tiny city of Wells. (more…)
Giving my spears the shaft
On Thursday, I got to do one of the things I’ve been most excited to do – I got to stick haft my barbed spearheads. These spearheads are based on the destroyed Bloody Pool hoard making them an incredibly suitable case study to replicate and experiment with. I have a special place in my heart for spearheads – more so than swords and axes! (more…)
A Whole Blogging Year…
One year ago today I posted my first blog entry on my PhD research. At the time I didn’t particularly have a clear vision of what I wanted this endeavour to achieve though. One possibility was that my friends and family, who so patiently stare at me when I talk at them, might understand what I do and why; another possibility was that I could begin to get my research accessed by a broader audience. Ultimately, I think I hoped it would provide a much needed relief from the stress of writing the actual PhD by formulating ideas in a (relatively) stress-free environment. (more…)
The South Cadbury Shield: What, Where, When and Why?
I’d like to introduce you all (again!) to my favourite Bronze Age object in South West England (and possibly Bronze Age Europe): the South Cadbury shield. I first encountered this shield a few years ago and all of the studies I’ve done since have somehow led me back to it. The dynamics of this object and its context are so interesting that I simply can’t get enough of it! (more…)
Breaking apart Bronze Age swords: Smashing good fun!
Last Thursday, I took an impromptu trip to Butser Ancient Farm to assist Neil Burridge with some sword casting he was doing as part of a filming project with 360 Production (the guys who make Digging for Britain!) Needless to say, the casting went well, Neil produced an expertly delivered spiel on bronze sword casting, and everyone was very happy. It was after the camera crew had done their thing that we turned to the main event of my day – that is, breaking the sword into fragments. (more…)
A Late Bronze Age hoard from Long Bredy, Dorset
In 2009, a Late Bronze Age hoard was found while metal-detecting in a field in Long Bredy, which was promptly reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (Treasure No. 2009 T649). This hoard consists of a three deliberately broken sword fragments, a late pegged spearhead, a socketed gouge and a bifid razor and dates to the Ewart Park phase (c.1000-800 BC). It is currently held at Dorchester County Museum and I recently had the chance to study it and gain an insight into a hoard that is quite unusual for the area. (more…)
A Life In Fragments 