In 2022 normal service resumed following the pandemic for the archaeology team based at the Museums Resource Centre, Standlake. Our priorities were to deliver community engagement projects, accession archaeological archives and treasure, respond to research enquires, and enhance access to the collections. The following are just a few examples of our activities during 2022.

SELECT ACTIVITIES

Archaeological Archives

During 2022 archaeological archives from excavations in fifteen Oxfordshire parishes were accessioned by the Oxfordshire Museums Service (OMS). Accessioning these archives resulted in 830 records which describe, track and care for the objects and documents deposited as part of the archive. Regarding fieldwork, we request that anyone carrying out fieldwork notifies us within a month of it starting so we can issue an accession number for the site. During 2022 we were notified of 110 instances of fieldwork taking place in the county. This compares to ninetyeight instances in 2021, ninety-five in 2020 and ninety-six in 2019. Fieldwork is increasing, but for the moment the deposition of archives with OMS is lagging behind.

Community Engagement Projects

The archaeology team delivered a community engagement project in Goring funded with NPO Arts Council funding. OMS collaborated with Goring Library, Friends of Goring Library, the University of Reading and Cranfield University to produce an exhibition featuring Roman objects from Lowbury Hill, the newly acquired painting of Lowbury Hill by Anna Dillon, and an aerial photograph of the site by Hedley Thorn. The exhibition was accompanied by activities for adults and children such as walking tours to the site, a Lowbury Hill Heritage Day, evening lectures, and Roman art and craft sessions. The exhibition was in place for a month and compared to the same month in 2021 the library had an additional 1,054 visitors, demonstrating the popularity of local archaeology.

The project was also designed to develop and increase the digital resources of the OMS collection. The objects from the site have all been photographed and are visible on the Heritage Search website. A sample of the objects have had digital 3D models created and are visible on the OMS Sketchfab account @OxonMRC.

Society for Museum Archaeology: Annual Awards for Excellence 2022

The OMS’s Developing Digital Access & Community Engagement Pilot Project 2021–22 won the Society for Museum Archaeology Annual Awards for Excellence 2022 in the Engagement and/or Collaboration Project category.