Conferences and Lectures

In June, the Abertay Historical Society held its Diamond Jubilee Conference in Dundee University. Derek Hall presented a most well received update on the excavations at Ballumbie, near Dundee, to the conference. Catherine Smith also attended, both as a representative of SUAT and as Abertay’s book sales secretary, manning the book stall, where publications from TAFAC, PSNS, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Friends of Dundee City Archives were also available. David Perry’s help as book sales assistant was most welcome, although unplanned.

Also at Dundee University, Derek lectured on medieval archaeology to students taking part in a history department Open Learning seminar, a spin-off from the publication of Volume 1 of ‘Scotland: the Making and Unmaking of the Nation’ in 2006 to which Derek and Catherine had contributed a joint article.

Also in June, Derek Hall gave a paper at the MPRG (Medieval Pottery Research Group) conference in York titled ‘Ceramic DNA? Using pottery to identify the origins of Perth’s burgesses’.

Derek held a round table on the Ceramic Production Centres in Europe project at this year’s European Association of Archaeologists conference in Zadar, Croatia from 18th-22nd September.

A joint church archaeology conference was held from 28th-30th September in Edinburgh where Derek spoke about the Ballumbie excavations.

SUAT was in attendance at the Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee held in St Andrews University on November 3rd, where Derek Hall presented a round-up of our archaeological activities in the local area. Catherine Smith and David Perry manned the book stall, on behalf of TAFAC, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, PSNS and the Abertay Historical Society. Sales were very good, due to the simultaneous publication of both TAFAJ Volume 13 and the Caterthuns Monograph.

Media

A new survey of the orchards of the Carse of Gowrie sponsored by Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust led to a request for historical background on the monastic granges of Coupar Angus and Scone Abbeys, founders of the earliest orchards in the Carse. Derek was subsequently interviewed ‘on location’ at Carsegrange and Port Allen near Errol for the BBC Scotland television programme Landward, shown on 2nd November, and for BBC Radio Scotland. The Landward item is available online from the BBC, for those who missed it, at -

www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/outdoors/programmes/landward/ (2nd November).

Back to Contents