We held the annual Christmas Party on Wed 13 December, when about 25 BAAS members arrived in time for the extensive book sale that had been set up by James and Gundula. The Committee provided mince pies, nibbles and wine and the evening began with a talk by Paula Gardiner on her newly discovered Mesolithic site on Exmoor. She showed slides of the location on Brendon Common, and explained how the site had been discovered and what their preliminary interpretations were after two seasons of excavation. The site at Farley Water could be an off-shoot from the extensive Mesolithic site at Hawkcombe Head, where hunter-gatherers moved to the eastern edge of the moorland for hunting. The flint collection is very similar to that at Hawkcombe Head and has diagnostic tools such as scrapers, cores and microliths. A further season of excavation is planned for 2018.
Flint tools found at Farley Water, Exmoor.
Our Chairman, Bob Jones, followed this talk by explaining how the “Know Your Place” website, set up by Bristol City Council (Pete Insole), can be operated by all of us if we have questions to ask of a site within the City County boundaries. He talked us through how the website works and how we can move around it and what type of questions we can ask. This was a comprehensive and interesting talk that many of us found useful and enlightening.
An example of the known archaeological sites on the “Know Your Place” website.
The talks were followed by a multiple-choice quiz on archaeological subjects created by Paula Gardiner, which was won jointly by two BAAS members. The evening continued with the book stall and members imbibing of the wine and refreshments.
Thank you to all the Committee Members who helped organise the event and for the members who came to take part.
Very best wishes to all our Members and Committee for 2018.