Evening Talks
This year we will be offering a number of free online talks, every 1-2 months, on a Wednesday with a fantastic selection of speakers. We will update our list as soon as dates are confirmed, so watch this space.
All talks start at 7pm. You can join from 6.50pm.
We will be adding details of our November talk soon.
All of our previous talks are available to view on Kilmartin Museum’s YouTube Channel.
Our next talk will be:
7pm on Wednesday 22nd October:
‘The People of the Oban Caves: an Archaeological Detective Story’
An online talk with Dr Alison Sheridan and Dr Angela Boyle
Workmen excavating MacArthur Cave, 1895. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland collection, Crown copyright
The caves and rock shelters in and around Oban have been explored by antiquaries and archaeologists for well over a century, and the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) artefacts found in them have formed the basis of what used to be called the 'Obanian culture'.
Human remains have also been found in these caves, but it was not until recently, when they were subjected to radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA analysis and osteological examination, that the date and significance of these 'people of the Oban caves' have become clear.
In this lecture, prehistorian Dr Alison Sheridan and osteologist Dr Angela Boyle take stock of what is known about these fascinating sites and the people buried in them, and share some of the intriguing stories that have been emerging.
Dr Alison Sheridan is emerita Principal Curator of Early Prehistory, and currently Research Associate, at National Museums Scotland (NMS), and is Vice-president of Archaeology Scotland. She specialises in Scottish prehistory, from the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition to the end of the Bronze Age, and until her retirement from NMS in 2019 her curatorial remit included the Scottish archaeological human remains collection.
Dr Angela Boyle is a professional osteoarchaeologist of over 35 years' standing, with over 140 publications on human remains to her name. She is currently the osteology lead for Access+, helping to shape the overall strategy, design and implementation of HS2’s post-excavation legacy. The skeletal assemblage comprises c. 13, 000 inhumations and cremation burials. In 2023 to '24 she examined and documented the collection of Scottish archaeological human remains in NMS, and her 2022 PhD thesis, Cowboys and Indians? A biocultural study of violence and conflict in south-east Scotland c AD 400 to c AD 800, examined evidence for inter-personal conflict in the early medieval period in south-east Scotland. She was a founding member of the Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Burials in England in 2009 and is on its Consultative Forum.
