MBArchaeology

21/09/2026

ONLINE TALK - "THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY"

In October (Weds 28th, 7PM) I will be doing an online talk exploring several of the prehistoric sites on Orkney, as part of our Online Archaeology Lecture series.

Here's the blurb:

"Join award-winning archaeologist Dr Matt Beresford for this new talk as we explore the famous sites of Neolithic Orkney.

The talk will focus on the settlements (Barnhouse, Skara Brae), tombs (Maeshowe, Unstan, Cuween)and stone circles (Brodgar, Stenness) and consider the influence these important sites had on wider Britain.

It will also examine the latest excavations at the Ness of Brodgar."

Approx. 45mins plus Q&A session. TALKS ARE RECORDED, SO IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND LIVE EMAIL US AFTER THE EVENT FOR THE VIDEO LINK

Get your ticket on our Eventbrite page:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mbarchaeology-78481087773

18/09/2026

Our Home School archaeology sessions restarted this week with sessions at Cardigan and Carmarthen exploring the failed Roman invasions, the Iron Age reaction to these, some artefact handling and making our own Roman shields ready for next week's "Britons vs Romans" battle!

We also started some bespoke sessions for the Thrive Holistic Education centre in Brongest, where over the next three weeks we will be exploring prehistory.

This week's session looked at Ice Age hunters, tool making, and cave art, in which we used natural earth pigments to create our own art.

A great first week across the board!

16/09/2026

Tonight at 7pm GMT the 2026/27 season of our Online Archaeology Lectures starts.

First up is "Prehistoric burial monuments in the Peak District".

Here's the henge at Arbor Low, nr Monyash - built sometime around 3000-2900BC, it had a round barrow superimposed over the bank right by the entrance top-left of this image - see it?

That barrow contained Bronze Age Beaker pottery and human remains, alongside Neolithic Grooved Ware pottery, suggesting the barrow was built in the Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age transitional period (c.2500BC ish).

We suspect it was built to "seal off" the henge as it was abandoned.

Images 2 and 3 are antiquarian illustrations of what was inside the barrow (dug in the 1840s).

Join us through Eventbrite (link in Bio) at 7pm GMT tonight to hear more!

OCTOBER'S TALK is going to be "The Heart of Neolithic Orkney", Weds 28th Oct, 7pm.

13/09/2026

Saw these incredible images of Stonehenge during the drought and was amazed by the details!

Never seen the bank and ditch looking so clear, and if you look closely in image 3 you can see the ghost of stone holes and other features.

NB - these aren't my photos, happy to add copyright credit if they're yours!!

11/09/2026

We have ONE SPACE LEFT on this now....

Online Adult Education Archaeology Course............................................................................
BRONZE AGE BRITAIN

This is part of our online archaeology programme of events that aims to increase accessibility to the widest audience possible ............................................................................

A couple of spaces have opened up for our Online Archaeology course that runs on Friday mornings 10am - 12noon (10 weeks).

The sessions are like a virtual classroom, with a lecture-style format with slides and discussions, questions, etc - exactly like our "in person" sessions. They are also recorded for anyone who can't attend "live" at any point.

This term we are doing The Bronze Age and will be exploring stone circles, burial mounds, introduction of metal, religion, rock art and more.

We will be exploring sites like Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, Castlerigg & Avebury, and landscapes across Wiltshire, Orkney, Northumbria and the Peak District.

Course fee is £130pp for the 10 weeks (20 Guided Learning Hours) and we start on Friday 18th September, 10am - 12noon.

If you are interested, drop us an email to:

[email protected]

05/09/2026

Final Bluestone Archaeology Walk of the season today! 👣 🍺

Carn Ingli, Ty Canol ancient woodland, Pentre Ifan, hillforts, Preseli bluestones, Roman ingots, polished stone axes, Iron Age tribal zones, equinox alignment, standing stones...and b**r!!

Cheers to a successful 2026 season, see you all next year!

Bluestone Brewing Co

01/09/2026

Online Adult Education Archaeology Course............................................................................
BRONZE AGE BRITAIN

A couple of spaces have opened up for our Online Archaeology course that runs on Friday mornings 10am - 12noon (10 weeks).

The sessions are like a virtual classroom, with a lecture-style format with slides and discussions, questions, etc - exactly like our "in person" sessions. They are also recorded for anyone who can't attend "live" at any point.

This term we are doing The Bronze Age and will be exploring stone circles, burial mounds, introduction of metal, religion, rock art and more.

We will be exploring sites like Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, Castlerigg & Avebury, and landscapes across Wiltshire, Orkney, Northumbria and the Peak District.

Course fee is £130pp for the 10 weeks (20 Guided Learning Hours) and we start on Friday 18th September, 10am - 12noon.

If you are interested, drop us an email to:

[email protected]

27/08/2026

HOME EDUCATION ARCHAEOLOGY

Our Home Ed archaeology sessions run in 5-week blocks on a Tuesday mornings 10am - 12noon (CARDIGAN) & Wednesday mornings 10am - 12noon (CARMARTHEN).

They are a mix of info sessions, artefact handling, discussions, field trips and practical activities.

So far this year we have explored early hunter-gatherers, cave art, Neolithic farmers, henges & burial mounds and Viking warriors, mythology, runes and burial practices.

The new term starts 15th/16th September and will be exploring the Iron Age and Romans.

We have two family spaces for Cardigan and one for Carmarthen - email us to enquire or book a space

[email protected]

25/08/2026

Still tickets available for our next Online Archaeology Lecture.

"The Prehistoric Burial Monuments of the Peak District" kicks off our 2026/27 season of online talks on Weds 16th September, 7pm GMT.

Link to our Eventbrite page for info & tickets in the post below...

ONLINE TALK: "The Prehistoric burial monuments of the Peak District"
...........................................

WEDNESDAY 16th SEPTEMBER, 7PM GMT

"Join award-winning archaeologist Dr Matt Beresford as we explore the Neolithic chambered tombs and Bronze Age barrows of the Peak District.

The talk will focus on the setting, alignment, archaeology and history of some of the enigmatic prehistoric sites, including Five Wells, Minninglow, Gib Hill and Galley Lowe, and cemetery sites such as Stanton Moor and the Eaglestone Flat."

Approx. 45mins plus Q&A session.

TALKS ARE RECORDED, SO IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND LIVE EMAIL US AFTER THE EVENT FOR THE VIDEO LINK - [email protected]

TICKETS HERE:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mbarchaeology-78481087773

24/08/2026

GWAL Y FILIAST...

Amazingly preserved Neolithic cromlech monument, Gwal Y Filiast is one of a number of these type of sites in North Pembrokeshire, alongside others such as Pentre Ifan and Coetan Arthur.

They are supposedly the inner chamber of a Neolithic burial monument and therefore would have been fully covered by an earthen mound - that really doesn't seem to be logical as it's quite rare for Neolithic tombs to completely lose their mound/cairn.

It's much more likely they always looked like this, and several have evidence of a horned forecourt where ceremonies took place - this is very similar to English variants such as West Kennet Long Mound in Wiltshire or Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire.

Gwal Y Filiast translates as Lair of the She-Wolf and has all sorts of links to Welsh folklore including to Arthur, Merlin, witches, female werewolves and to scenes from the Mabinogion.

Whilst these links may or may not be true, there is no doubting the site's importance in the Neolithic period, nor it's atmospheric setting in woodland above the River Taff...