Finding Out More and Volunteering

Finding out More

We are committed to serving the County Durham community. We aim to widen access to archaeology and encourage individuals and groups to become involved with the archaeology of their surroundings. We run a number of lifelong learning and educational programmes and below we have highlighted just a few.

During 2005-2008 the Archaeology Section in partnership with Archaeological Services, Durham University, ran a community excavation at East Park, Sedgefield, on the remains of a Roman town. In 2005, we excavated part of one of the large enclosures adjacent to the main Roman road running through the settlement. In 2008 we excavated an area close to previous year's excavations, discovering more enclosure ditches and a huge pit, possibly used for quarrying.

We also run outreach activities for youngsters Inspector Norse Investigation Sessions are for children aged five and over, where youngsters can become Time Detectives and learn about the past within County Durham. The session also offers children the chance to handle archaeological artefacts from the past as well as discover the wealth of information that can be learnt from them.

In addition, we also give regular talks and presentations to local groups and interested organisations.

The Section also organises an annual Archaeology Day. The day offers the chance for everyone interested in County Durham’s past to meet up and hear talks on recent archaeological discoveries, community excavations, recording and research. There are also stalls by local historical and archaeological societies.

The Archaeology Section looks after Binchester Roman Fort which is open daily from Easter time to the end of September. A full programme of special events is held each year which includes Roman soldiers re-enactors, rare breed animals, Roman craft markets and demonstrations of ancient living conditions.

You can find out more about exciting new discoveries in County Durham by purchasing our magazine ‘Archaeology, County Durham’ which is published each year by the Archaeology Section. The magazine is available from your local library, ourselves or from the online bookshop.

To find out what the Archaeology Section are currently involved in, please see our news and events page

Websites

The Archaeology Section has a number of websites that we maintain. There are several archaeology pages on the County Council website where we explain more about the section and relate any news of events.

The Archaeology Section is committed to making the Archaeology of County Durham as accessible as possible. We have a number a websites that can provide more information on the archaeology of County Durham:
Past Perfect
Keys to the Past

Local Groups

There are also groups you can join to get involved with history and archaeology, through the Community Information Online website.

Places to Visit

Binchester Roman Fort
Tourist Information in Durham
English Heritage
National Trust

Volunteering

Archaeology is a multi-disciplined subject with many different strands. The Archaeology Section of Durham County Council does not carry out any archaeology excavations. However, we can offer a limited number of places for students on work experience and for volunteers who wish to gain experience of curatorial archaeology. The type of work that you might be involved in will depend on the projects we are working on at the time. Generally work would involve enhancing the Historic Environment Record, documentation of the archives, research and potentially outreach. We will accept anyone over the age of sixteen and has an enthusiasm for archaeology. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering for the Archaeology Section.

The Archaeology Section
Adult and Community Services
Libraries, Learning and Culture
Rivergreen Centre
Durham
DH1 5TS
Tel: 0191 3708712
Fax: 0191 3708897
Email: Archaeology

Links to Other Archaeology pages

Archaeology News and Events
A brief History of County Durham
Historic Environment Record
Development Control
Portable Antiquities Scheme
Archaeological Projects
Introduction to the Archaeology Section