MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) is one of the UK's leading archaeological and built heritage organisations and a registered charitable company
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With 40 years' experience on some of the most challenging major projects in the UK, MOLA has built an international reputation as a leading archaeological and built heritage service.
Mission: We are committed to: -Partnerships: with our clients and our staff to set a high standard in employment practice and opportunity -Learning: scholarship through discovery and research and using the power of archaeology and heritage to foster a sense of identity and place -Ambition: we seek innovative and inspirational project solutions and results -Client confidence: we strive to meet our clients expectations through the quality, experience, reliability and professionalism of our staff -Excellence: we commit to excellence, honesty and integrity in all we do and aspire to the highest academic and technical standard in all our work
Operating as usual
Applications are open for the fully funded 2021-22 Highways England MA in Archaeology at the University of Reading and #MOLAHeadland. Find out how Jemma and Lanah, who received the Studentship last year, found their experience: http://ow.ly/VrRu50DeuFk
Full details on how to apply here: http://ow.ly/rdd750DeuFj
Alessandra, Danny and Kasia in our team kindly gave their worn trowels to the cast of #TheDig for them to use in the film. Here they are on the props table alongside the (replica) #SuttonHoo treasures!
We are looking forward to working with our 'Making it FAIR' project partners University of York, Archaeology Data Service, Collections Trust, Culture24, The Audience Agency, Knowledge Integration and Intelligent Heritage to help smaller museums to navigate the digital challenge.
Following the FAIR data principles (data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) this project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC will identify best practices and tools for those with lesser budgets and lower levels of digital literacy.
Galleries, museums, archives and libraries have long been experimenting with means to share their collections and resources online, and make meaningful connections with their audiences. COVID-19 has transformed how we engage with one another, with tremendous impacts on the cultural sector. Smaller institutions especially, which may have struggled with digital capacity, have been confronted with particular challenges in both accessing their collections in the first place, and moving them online such that they are genuinely findable, reusable and sustainable. Through this project we seek to help cultural institutions to maximise their investment in digital resources.
Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dkAh9Wz
Towards a National Collection is supporting research that breaks down the barriers between the UK’s outstanding cultural heritage collections, with the aim of opening them up to new research opportunities & encouraging the public to explore them.
Back in September 2019, the cast of film #TheDig visited our excavations at the site of the Boar's Head Playhouse for Unite Students, to see first-hand what being an archaeologist is like and to learn how to use a trowel properly. It was special to have actors back on the site of the Boar’s Head after a 400 year absence. Great to finally see the film released today on Netflix.
Sutton Hoo National Trust holds a special place in our hearts - in 2018 we carried out the first archaeological excavation within the Scheduled Monument in nearly 30 years. Find out more here: http://ow.ly/Czxw50DlDCI
Want to study for your Archaeology MA fully funded? Highways England are offering two people the chance to study Archaeology at the University of Reading, work on material uncovered on the #A14C2H, and spend 12 weeks working alongside and learning from specialists at #MOLAHeadland.
Apply by 1 May (you need to have already received an offer from the MA programme in order to apply): http://ow.ly/rQum50DeufD
BBC Radio Northampton
Take a look around the largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery ever found in Northamptonshire 😲
Photos Museum of London Archaeology
Highways England are funding 2 MA Studentships to study at Archaeology at the University of Reading for 2021-22. Successful candidates will study archaeological material from the #A14C2H and will spend 12 weeks working alongside and learning from specialists at #MOLAHeadland.
Find out more and apply by 1 May (you must apply to the MA programme and receive an offer first): http://ow.ly/5GY250DetJg
Diversifying
The Museum of London Archaeology is one of the UK’s leading archaeology companies.
They are looking for #Trainees to join them on their exciting 2021 programme, supported by dedicated trainers. Find out more and apply here http://ow.ly/oBtB50CHZxS
#diversityandinclusion #jobs #jobsearch #nowhiring
Today, we've launched a new Graduate Archaeologist Programme to provide people who have completed a degree in archaeology or a related subject with the experience needed to start their careers as professional archaeologists.
The 3-6 month long programme is based in our Northampton office and has been approved by the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists. It builds on the foundation knowledge gained by graduates during their degrees, which is developed and added to further with practical skills and experience alongside some classroom sessions. One of our expert Fieldwork Trainers will provide tailored support and guidance, and introduce graduates to different specialisms within archaeology that they may also be interested in pursuing.
Amy Atkins, Delivery and Implementation Manager, MOLA, said:
“There are lots of graduates out there who have the passion and drive needed to be great archaeologists, and a good foundation of knowledge to build on, but who are struggling to gain employment without prior commercial experience. We hope our new Graduate Archaeologist Programme helps them take their first steps on the ladder of this amazing career.”
Every graduate will be given a six-month contract. If after three months they are assessed as meeting all the learning outcomes of the programme, they can complete the training scheme and become Archaeologists for the remainder of their contract. Otherwise they continue on the programme for up to another three months. This ensures each graduate progresses when they are ready to, and that each receives a good amount of commercial experience - MOLA also aims to offer everyone a job upon the successful completion of the programme.
The Graduate Archaeologist Programme follows the launch of our Trainee Programme in December 2020, for those with no previous archaeological experience or qualifications. Both schemes are due to start in March 2021.
For more details: http://ow.ly/udWw50DcCYg
If you’re starting out on your career we’ve got exciting trainee and graduate opportunities to develop your on-the-job skills and knowledge.
Our buildings archaeologists recently uncovered this remarkable Anglo-Saxon carved stone - thought to be part of a standing cross - hidden in the wall of a church tower in Northamptonshire. Find out more: http://ow.ly/qvIt50DajcT
Our archaeologists uncovered the biggest Anglo-Saxon cemetery ever found in Northamptonshire on a Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes development at Overstone, Northamptonshire. To find out what else we found visit: ow.ly/3wRT50D9veO
We were appointed and supported in our work on this project by RPS.
Grave goods including weapons found at large Anglo-Saxon cemetery uncovered in Northants
More than 150 burials were found and many contained grave goods including weapons, beads and brooches
In the summer our historic buildings team found a Saxon carved stone, thought to be part of a standing cross, concealed in the wall of a church tower in #Northamptonshire. In this blog, Historic Building Officer Lauren tells us more about the stone…
http://ow.ly/b7iE50D3ynq
This summer our Northampton historic buildings team found a Saxon carved stone, thought to be part of a standing cross, while recording the conservation work of a church tower at Church Stowe, Stowe Nine Churches, Northamptonshire (see our previous blog about the project). In this blog, Historic Bui...
What we can learn from skeletons and how can they help us understand London's history?
Join Senior Human Osteologist Don Walker and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists on January 19th at 6pm to find out: http://ow.ly/JAdw50CP7h0
Our excavations in Spitalfields uncovered Roman burials, a medieval priory, a 17th-century artillery practice fort, and much, much more! How do these findings map onto modern day Spitalfields? Take a look around our interactive map: http://ow.ly/lyse50CPaVW #Spitalfields30
It's not too late to catch up on Adam Corsini's recent brilliant Thames Discovery Programme #TidewayTalk, on how to add your own records to historic mapping resource Layers of London, and use it to explore the River Thames. You can view the whole thing here: https://youtu.be/3B8KZjAxg1I
Thanks to Tideway for supporting this event!
Layers of London (www.layersoflondon.org) is a free crowdsourced website, uniting London's iconic historical maps with the histories of place and people. Thi...
Our work on medieval Spitalfields and the monastery before the market has been nominated for Current Archaeology Magazine 'Rescue Project of the Year'!
Votes close on 8 Feb so make sure you have your say: http://ow.ly/j4LW50COXwO
You can find out more about the Spitalfields project here: http://ow.ly/GUy750COXwN
Want to become an archaeologist but don't have a degree? Our new trainee programme could be for you.
Join our #Northampton team and develop on-the-job skills and knowledge with dedicated trainers. Find out more: http://ow.ly/jvg450COnIT
We are looking for trainees to join us and develop on-the-job skills and knowledge with dedicated trainers. If you’re interested in history, archaeology or construction and want to advance your career prospects by learning practical skills and gaining valuable work experience, then we want to hear...
The star of yesterday's post was this 19th-century French clay tobacco pipe shaped like St Nicholas. Marked by Fiolet of St Omer, a manufacturer of fancy pipes and importer of tobacconists’ goods that had a retail outlet in London, we found it near Walworth Road in Southwark. 🎅
We wish you good health, hope and happiness for the festive break and look forward to sharing more exciting archaeology with you in 2021!
Time for another find from around the time of the nativity: this Late Iron Age pot has been converted into a colander. Holes were drilled through the base after the pot was fired. Looks like the owner (rather than the potter) decided it was time for a new use!
Found in Northampton, this ‘Aylesford-Swarling’ ware vessel dates to around c.1-60AD. Its distinctive type used to be called ‘Belgic’ because early 20th-century archaeologists thought it must have been brought by invaders from northern Europe (it probably wasn't!).
It was the first pottery type in Britain to be made using the potter’s wheel extensively. Fancy features like cordons (bands around the body), finely made foot-ring bases, and elegant, curving shapes are typical of this type, which is finer than most Iron Age pottery.
The wheel was also used to add a burnish to the surfaces, a smooth tool being used to polish the body of the pot as it turned and thus give it a nice sheen: this would also have helped waterproof the pot at a time before glazing technology was available. ✨
The style of this pot is very closely related to pottery which we find at around this date in northern Gaul (northern France and Belgium). Wheel-made pottery in those areas dates several hundred years earlier than in Britain.
You can’t learn to throw pottery overnight, so this technological exchange towards the end of the Iron Age suggests that people on either side of the channel were communicating far more than previously and interacting over long enough periods for skills sharing to happen.
The growing popularity of wheel-made pottery in this period, and the range of shapes we start to see suggests that dining practices were changing, requiring different vessels cooking, serving, and storage.
This bowl is a good example of these changes to everyday life, both in the fact that it is ‘open’ (i.e. wide enough to serve food out of) and in the fact that it has been modified for a very specific purpose.
Mealtimes and feasts seem to have been important social venues at this time, as attested by many finds of Late Iron Age graves containing full meal services in pottery as well as other materials (such as metal and shale).
Like our own festive ‘feasts’ these would have been good occasions to catch up with family and friends, many of whom might have lived far away most of the time. Pots like this would have played important roles in these occasions.
Time for a bit of festive baking! This recipe for a mushroom and saffron pie originates from the Libro per Cuoco, a 14th-century recipe book from Venice. If you have a go, send us a photo - we'd love to see. 🧑🍳
Medieval cooks across Europe used saffron as a way of incorporating colour into their dishes; the bright yellow spice was associated with happiness and the warmth of the sun. 🌞
For the fill:
• 500g mushrooms diced
• 100g bacon cubed
• 100g soft cheese
• 2 eggs
• pinch of saffron, ground
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
For the shortcrust pastry dough:
• 200g flour
• 100g butter
• pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp water
• pinch of saffron, ground
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Fry the mushrooms and bacon in butter. When cooked, put into a bowl, and add eggs, cheese and spices. For the dough, mix flour, salt and nutmeg, and rub in butter. Add the saffron to the water, then use to bind the pastry. Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes-1 hour, until golden brown.
Have you ever wondered what was going on in Britain around the time of the nativity? This gold Stater says CVN, the first 3 letters of the name Cunobelin, King of the Catuvellauni (a Celtic tribe) who controlled most of south-eastern Britain before the Roman conquest.
The coin shows the growing influence of Rome at this time: Cunobelin’s earlier coins show Celtic style running horses, but the prancing horse on this coin is Romanised as Cunobelin was a pro-Roman ruler.
The other side has been minted a bit off-centre. It depicts an ear of corn, and should say [C]A-MV, referring to the mint Camulodunum (modern day Colchester), which was about 80 miles away from where this coin was found in Buckinghamshire.
High value Staters like this one were probably used by the wealthy as gifts rather than currency. They were typically made by melting metal, casting it into a clay mould to create a flan (blank disc), cooling it and striking between two dies to produce the image.
Earlier this year #MOLAHeadland welcomed two Archaeology masters students – Lanah Hewson and Jemma Moorhouse, to undertake MA studentship placements, funded by Highways England and delivered in conjunction with the University of Reading.
Lanah and Jemma spent several weeks of their programme with our teams of specialists working material excavated during our archaeological excavations on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Road Improvement Scheme.
Read our blog to find out more about their archaeological work and their experiences during their placements.
http://ow.ly/N0p250CMOvj
“It sounds like everything I could have dreamed of” were the thoughts of Lanah Hewson when she applied for an exciting MA Studentship opportunity with MOLA Headland Infrastructure in January 2020. Six months later, Lanah and fellow Archaeology masters student and successful applicant, Jemma Moor...
This week we completed a 30-year project revealing how Spitalfields grew from being on the margins of Roman London to the urban hub it is today.
But how does this fascinating archaeology map onto modern day Spitalfields? See for yourself! http://ow.ly/UShi50CPafF #Spitalfields30
BBC Arts
The Life and Times of a Witch Bottle tells the story of a stoneware flask from its manufacture in 17th century Germany, to its use as a ‘witch bottle’ in England, to its rediscovery in the present day.
By the 1660s the witch trials were in decline in England but the fear of witchcraft was pervasive. It was around this time that German ‘Bartmann’ (bearded man) bottles began to be used as a remedy against harmful spirits. For some it was magic, for others it was medicine. Our bottle tells of his experiences, and his ups and downs, over three hundred years. And there is a happy ending!
Animated Thinking is based on the work of UK academic researchers working with the Arts and Humanities Research Council - AHRC, UK Research and Innovation and Calling The Shots, along with professional animators.
Fed up with mulled wine? Why not head back in time with a recipe from Apicius, one of the world’s oldest cookbooks? Conditum Paradoxum is a sweet spiced Roman wine, which was drunk during Saturnalia, the Roman festival in honour of Saturn celebrated in mid-December.
Apicius says: “Put six sextarii of honey into a bronze jar containing two sextarii of wine, so that the wine will be boiled off as you cook the honey. Heat this over a slow fire of dry wood, stirring with a wooden rod as it boils. If it boils over, add some cold wine. Take off the heat and allow to cool. When it does cool, light another fire underneath it. Do this a second and a third time and only then remove it from the brazier and skim it. Next, add 4 ounces of pepper, 3 scruples of mastic, a dragma of bay leaf and saffron, 5 date stones and then the dates themselves. Finally, add 18 sextarii of light wine. Charcoal will correct any bitter taste.” – Apicius, 1.1
Or, for a modern take from Drinkhacker:
750 ml bottle of white wine
240ml honey
1 date
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seeds or mastic gum
2 bay leaves
Pinch saffron
Put the honey, 75 ml of wine, and the date in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the honey dissolves. Lower the to a simmer and add the remaining ingredients. Cover the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture, add the rest of the wine and stir. Chill to drink.
If you have a go at making this, send us a picture! 🍷
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For thousands who saw the Temple of Mithras emerge from Blitz bomb rubble in 1954, it was a sign of London's resilience, offering hope for the future. Enjoy the full @Bloomberg Temple of Mithras Oral History Project archive here: londonmithraeum.com/oral-history #LondonHistoryDay
#Teachinghistory this week at #homeschool? We made this video with Our Hut to help get young minds thinking about how physical remains of the past can be uncovered through archaeology, when we dig vents for transport, services and sewers! To dig a little deeper, you can also find a whole host of related resources and activities, and suggested national curriculum links, on our blog: http://ow.ly/FeiD50zpftF
We uncovered the largest group of Early Neolithic pottery ever found in London while excavating for Brookfield Properties in #Shoreditch. The extraordinary trove has been dated using a new technique developed at the University of Bristol, reported on today in Nature: http://ow.ly/eWjm50z8CA5
Take a scroll through our ArcGIS Storymap about Borough Hill in #Daventry to uncover a rich tapestry of archaeological evidence spanning several millennia, including an eighteen-mound barrow cemetery, a Roman Villa, and a 1920s radio transmitter station! http://ow.ly/Z0bb50yRfhW Shout out to co-creators CLASP (Community Landscape Archaeology Survey Project): www.claspweb.org.uk
Got a spare moment or two today? Why not enter the #Prittlewell princely burial chamber and take a look around at some of what was revealed through 15 years of work by over 40 archaeologists, specialists and conservators? 👉 prittlewellprincelyburial.org ✨
Are you an archaeologist looking to improve your knowledge of 18th century porcelain made in London? Why not come along to a free masterclass on Saturday 15th February led by experts Jacqui Pearce, Roger Massey, Anton Gabszewicz and Chris Jarrett? Attendees will get the chance to handle finds from most of the principal excavated London sites, including those yet to be published! Visit the MOLA website for details on how to sign up: http://ow.ly/MrYr50xSmgN
During #A14Archaeology excavations near Offord Cluny, #MOLAHeadland archaeologists found fragments of ‘voussoir’ and ‘box-flue’ tiles which probably allowed hot air to circulate through the walls and ceiling of a nearby Roman bath house! Find out more: http://ow.ly/xAOo50xMt7P
The Mersea Island coastline is always changing. Whilst marshes and wildlife disappear, the changes also uncover its hidden archaeology. The Searching Mersea interactive map by @CITiZAN1 reveals its stories. Check out the map here: http://ow.ly/xTCR50xMqrj
Merry Christmas everyone!
We love a puzzle! 🧩 The writing on this lovely mid-18th century white salt glaze stoneware punch bowl reads FOUR PER CENT OFFICE, the name of a room in the Bank of England designed by Sir John Soane. Who knows how many festive tipples it may have contained over the years? 🎄🍷
Ever wondered whether we've found any archaeology on your street? This nifty map we made in partnership with Historic England shows you notable finds from Prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and Medieval London! 🗺️🔍http://ow.ly/CLfi50xnUUg
We’ve only got a few tickets left on our special walking tours around Shoreditch and Whitechapel, supported by Unite Students! Why not join us for a stroll to find out more about the playhouses and inns of #Shakespeare‘s London? http://ow.ly/N0fc50xbLMb 🎭
This very good boy was hand-painted at Pickleherring pothouse in #Southwark around c. 1618-1680. He probably represents a hunting dog or family pet. Polychrome decorated tin-glazed floor tiles like this one were fairly popular in London at the time. #InternationalDogDay
It's one month since the Prittlewell exhibition opened at Southend Museums... have you explored the burial chamber yet? prittlewellprincelyburial.org ✨ #PrittlewellPrince
Take a closer look at a #BronzeAge cremation urn in the latest A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon blog and discover the scientific techniques and technology allowing us to better understand ancient cremation urns and their contents. http://ow.ly/Fn0U50pRy23 #MOLAHeadland #A14Archaeology
As archaeologists we sometimes come across evidence for ancient forests, long since disappeared, which populated the British Isles after the last Ice Age drew to a close. Find out more in the latest #MOLABlog: http://ow.ly/elnC30o8zLv #InternationalDayOfForests 🌳🌲
Couldn't make the Thames Discovery Programme Tadpoles season launch but still want to get involved? It's not too late! The next event is on Saturday 23rd March in #Greenwich: https://www.mola.org.uk/thames-discovery-programme-tadpoles-greenwich-foreshore-walk All Tadpoles events are free thanks to support from Tideway!
Cheers to those of you who made it through #DryJanuary! In your honour, here’s our specialist Nigel showing our #MAAST participants how to tell your gin bottle from your wine bottle, and your wine bottle from your beer (in super quick time!)
Term 1 of #MAAST got off to a flying start - here's Andy, our Head of Photography with a speedy masterclass in photographing archaeological glass!
Merry Christmas and a very happy 2019 from the MOLA team!
Ever wondered how the technical drawings of our discoveries are made? Our fab 15 #MAAST participants have been finding out. Here's our Archaeological Illustrator, Faith, showing how it's done...
Over the last 6 weeks our fab 15 #MAAST participants have been busy getting to grips with in the ins and outs of archaeological artefacts. Here’s a sneak peek of what they’ve been up to! We will be sharing tips, tricks and insights over the coming weeks.
We're live from the Thames foreshore at Putney with Thames Discovery Programme and their dedicated team of volunteers
Check out this great animation that charts the evolution of London, created by the the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis and English Heritage using MOLA spatial data.
Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy
20 - 22 Wenlock RoadThe Geffrye Young People's Page
Kingsland Road,Iniva - Institute of International Visual Art
16 John Islip StThe Museum of Methodism & John Wesley's House
49 City Road
The Geffrye Young People's Page
Kingsland Road,
Art in the game - Urban Art Gallery
9 Queen's Yard / White Post Lane
Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre
