Events round-up: Hidden Earth cancelled, BCRA talks/AGM and a case of possible cannibalism in South Gloucestershire

Events round-up: Hidden Earth cancelled, BCRA talks/AGM and a case of possible cannibalism in South Gloucestershire

Covid continues to create certainty for events organisers, with some cancelled and others moving online, but there might be light at the end of the tunnel … unless it’s a caver coming the other way. Hidden Earth: the National Caving Conference The following announcement has been made by the Hidden Earth team: “We are sorry…

Using dental wear to estimate age at death – work on cave archaeology

Using dental wear to estimate age at death – work on cave archaeology

Sammy Field, from the University of Southampton, visited the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society’s collections as a PhD researcher to collect data for her thesis, ‘Re-evaluating the use of dental wear to estimate age at death of British archaeological remains.’ Sammy has kindly written a guest blog about her work in the UBSS collection. Age…

Cannibals, caves and climate change

Cannibals, caves and climate change

In 2019, The University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS), one of the oldest caving clubs in the country, celebrates 100 years of cave and archaeological exploration and research. On the 9th/10th November, to mark the occasion, the society is hosting a weekend of presentations and fieldtrips celebrating its past, present and future. UBSS member Professor…

News: 1960s Mendip dig makes it into print

News: 1960s Mendip dig makes it into print

Accounts of an archaeological dig on Mendip have appeared in print – 50 years after initial discoveries took place. Picken’s Hole is a small, partially unroofed cave on Crook Peak, Somerset. It was excavated during the 1960s when significant Palaeolithic faunal assemblages, a small collection of Mousterian stone implements and some human teeth were found….

News: Gazetteer of Caves, Fissures and Rock Shelters in Britain Containing Human Remains

News: Gazetteer of Caves, Fissures and Rock Shelters in Britain Containing Human Remains

Looking for information on human remains in caves? Look no further. Professor Andrew Chamberlain of the University of Manchester has compiled a gazetteer of all sites in Britain in which human remains have been found. This resource is hosted by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society (UBSS) and can be found here. The gazetteer contains…