York Archaeological Trust Building Better Lives Through Heritage Our Impact 2018-2019 About York Archaeological Trust York Archaeological Trust (YAT) is a self-funded educational charity and a leading With extensive public, community and educational audiences, our work is made professional archaeological organisation operating across the UK and abroad. accessible through digital, interactive, experiential and discovery based learning Founded in 1972, we have a reputation for delivering high quality investigation, opportunities. Through these channels we engage with over 1.2 million people across research and public engagement from our offices in York, Nottingham, Sheffield and the world, helping communities of all ages, demographics and interests to enjoy Glasgow. learning about their past. YAT provides exceptional fieldwork and conservation services and curates one of the Here we showcase just a few examples of the ways in which we achieve our mission - largest archaeological collections outside of London. We run five successful visitor how we are building better lives through heritage. attractions in York including the world famous JORVIK Viking centre, along with touring exhibitions to partner venues and one of the biggest Viking Festivals in Europe. For more information please visit our website - www.yorkarchaeology.co.uk Professor Anthony Robards David Jennings O.B.E., D.Sc. FRSB. Our Aims Chief Executive Officer Chair of York Archaeological Trust Does the past matter? It takes time to answer this question, The York Archaeological Trust’s strategy for 2018-2022 has at 1 2 3 4 5 but I hope ‘Our Impact 2018-2019’, provides one way of its heart the vision to be recognised internationally as a lead appreciating how the past can help people live better lives. organisation that enables communities to realise the social, Here we showcase some of our work that ranges from: economic and environmental value of heritage. Everything that archaeological excavations in Nottingham, Sheffield and York; we do cascades down from this undertaking to create impact research into the relationship between conservation and rural and public benefit across the wide range of archaeological development in Scotland; museum and skills development and heritage activities with which we become involved. The To enable and undertake To change the To sustain and develop To act as advocates To educate and in Iraqi Kurdistan; UK and international touring exhibitions; immediate future for the Trust offers both challenges and exciting research and ensure strategic model of participation and for the importance empower people assisting Help for Heroes to build a Viking Longship and opportunities and we are strengthening the Board to meet these public impact archaeological practice increase diversity of heritage explore Viking trade and travel; investigating arts and heritage demands. Recent appointments of Professor Martin Millett themes in Vespertine 2019; through to welcoming over (Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University 500,000 people to our attractions and making them of Cambridge) and Edmund Southworth (Director at Manx as accessible as possible to everyone. National Heritage) bring valued additional expertise in Roman archaeology as well as in the management of Museums and This breadth of activity, I hope, shows that for us the past is Attractions, both areas that will serve us well as we strive to a place for everyone and we will work with communities in create even greater impact from this unique charity. innovative ways to enable them to bring it into their lives and develop new ways of shaping today and tomorrow. 2 3 Help for Heroes Exploring York’s Viking heritage has been a year-long adventure for participants from Help for Heroes based at Phoenix House, Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, working alongside our community engagement team. The project began with the idea that volunteers, based in the wood-shop at Phoenix House, would create a full-sized replica Viking ship. From this ambitious plan the project developed into one that would record and celebrate the creation of the Phoenix House ship with an exhibition in our Your DIG space at DIG. The exhibition not only explores how the boat was made, but also puts it in the context of Viking travel and trade, which mirrors the participants’ own journey finding meaning from exploring and creating new Viking interpretations. To uncover more about the Viking story participants studied objects in our collection and worked with curatorial staff from York Archaeological Trust (YAT) to co-produce panel texts and object labels for the exhibition. They also produced new artworks including poetry, fine art, songs and stories. Participants in this project have been talking about journeys: the journey of an object, the journey of the Vikings and their individual journeys on the project. This innovative participatory practice invites everyone to be involved and have a voice in authoring the Viking story; as one participant said, ‘History becomes new again’. Accessibility “ Your centre has just been highly recommended by a lady for us to visit as a family. One of my three The JORVIK Group aims to increase the diversity and participation in our daughters has autism and my youngest is about to When we decided to build a Viking Boat at the Phoenix House attractions and programmes. To achieve this aim, we have been working to begin assessment. I have just looked on your website “ develop accessibility provisions, resources and pre-visit information to allow as Woodshop who better to contact for guidance and advice than and am extremely impressed with the inclusivity of many people to access and engage with our attractions as possible. Initially, York Archaeological Trust, operators of JORVIK Viking Centre. your approach. I am also a lead autism practitioner we focussed on autism and put in place various resources including; a ‘traffic Thanks to the help, support and enthusiasm of YAT staff our & SEND teacher in a school and know how difficult light approach’ system, sensory bags, visual stories and additional staff beneficiaries have been afforded a much wider experience than training. These changes were well received and lead to JORVIK Group visiting places can be. This wonderfully informative woodworking. Help for Heroes has embraced the opportunity of receiving the Autism Friendly Award, from the National Autistic Society, for all and supportive part of your website makes me so working with York Archaeological Trust, gaining expert guidance our attractions. In addition, we increased accessibility to our website by happy as a parent but I will also be directing my adding the Recite Me toolbar. We have implemented recommendations made and a wonderful behind-the-scenes insight into the Viking world. ” to us by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and have added families from work to this too. ” an audio descriptive commentary to the JORVIK ride. Bob Marshall - Help for Heroes 4 5 Invincible Teaching Staff from the York Archaeological Trust (YAT) conservation laboratories are providing training to the volunteers helping to research, record and treat the many artefacts recovered during excavations of the HMS Invincible, which sank in the Solent in 1758. Based at the Invincible HQ in Poole, we worked with partners MAST, the National Museum of the Royal Navy and Bournemouth University. The teaching involved a series of short lectures over three days as well as practical work to train volunteers in the basics of maritime conservation. So far, we have delivered five separate short courses to over 30 participants, allowing volunteers to gain enough knowledge to help process the material brought up from the wreck over the last three years. Some of the more delicate artefacts, like this sandglass, are being treated by YAT’s conservation staff. “ This project is of immense importance for Kurdistan, because it involves everyone in the archaeology and history of this region and sets an example for future work. “ Museum Spaces and Education Resources in Iraqi Kurdistan Kamal Rasheed, the Director of Antiquities of Slemani Governate This year, Inherit helped to deliver new resources that Inherit developed these resources with the Directorate of will enable children in Iraqi Kurdistan to learn about their Antiquities of Slemani Governorate, the Slemani Museum, archaeology and history, and explore their heritage and the Garmian Civilizations Museum in Kalar, Glasgow identity. The majority of the region’s museum visitors are University and others. This is part of a wider project school children however, in a period of sustained armed led by Glasgow University and funded by the British conflict and economic crisis, museums have struggled to Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the cater for children’s needs. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. 6 7 Gladiators on Tour The Collections and Archives team works with many Each skeleton had to be carefully checked and specially partners across the globe. This year we were excited to packaged to the highest standards and these tasks were be approached by Basel’s Antikenmuseum to contribute undertaken by a member of the JORVIK front of house to their latest blockbuster exhibition Gladiator: The True team on conservation placement, with assistance from Story. The exhibition opened with great fanfare on 22nd staff and volunteers. The team contributed to a stunning September, welcoming 5,000 visitors in the first month. exhibition catalogue drawing on a range of osteological Over the preceding months a hive of activity surrounded and other research. We also provided material for preparations for three of our ‘gladiators’ from Driffield Antike Welt the popular German archaeological and Terrace to travel. Roman York was a cosmopolitan cultural history journal which dedicated its 50th edition city and our gladiators would probably not have been to ‘Gladiatoren’. Alongside the skeletons from York, surprised to find themselves travelling through England, the exhibition features impressive artefacts, including France, Belgium and Luxembourg on their way to remarkable helmets and other equipment from Pompeii, on Switzerland.