Events

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All of our lectures are live streamed and are open to anyone to join us online, Fellows and Non-Fellows.

To view any of our past lectures please visit our YouTube channel.

Event Series Evening Lectures

St Kilda: A Rosetta Stone for Early Sheep Races in the North-East Atlantic Region?  

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

No fewer than three races of pre-modern sheep were introduced to St Kilda; in sequence, Soays, then Borerays, then St Kildas aka Hebrideans. This sequence may carry implications for the history of domesticated sheep in the north-east Atlantic region, and for a long-term, reciprocal relationship between sheep-keeping, woollen textiles and sea travel.

Event Series Lunchtime Lectures

Art Collecting and Espionage

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

The lecture focuses on Baron Philipp von Stosch (1691-1757), a Prussian famous antiquarian who was tasked by the British government with many espionage missions in Italy from 1721 to 1757. By virtue of his extraordinary network of contacts that involved cardinals, politicians, artists and savants, he could count on a substantial platform for his operation, which mainly consisted of spying the exiled court of James III Stuart.

Event Series Evening Lectures

Fuelling the Anthropocene

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

Research reveals that copper and bronze production in the Eurasian Steppe (3500-1000 BC) spurred vast social and technological transformations. New analysis of metal debris from ancient settlements highlights evolving production methods, fuel demands, and land use impact, offering insights into early global connections and metal technology’s spread across Eurasia.

Event Series Evening Lectures

Heathfield Down 1066: Why This Could Be the Actual Site of the Battle of Hastings

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

The search for the actual site of the Battle of Hastings, one of the most momentous battles in British and European history, has taken a new turn as fresh documentary evidence now points to a site named ‘Heathfield Down’, in East Sussex, ten miles from the traditional battlefield site of Battle Abbey.

Event Series Evening Lectures

Faith, Patriotism and Beauty

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

In 1761, a twenty-one year old Henry Arundell received his inheritance: swathes of London, Cornish tin mines and a ruined castle in Wiltshire. As both a Baron of England and a Count of the Holy Roman Empire he quickly became of figurehead for the vexed cause of English Catholicism and, by employing the mediums of art, architecture and antiquarianism, he began to build a case for Catholic emancipation.

Event Series Evening Lectures

You Will Be Stumped: Puzzling Portrayals of Inscriptions & Antiquarian Societies in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom

This lecture will assess satirical portrayals of antiquarians being confounded by inscriptions (often modern forgeries) in art and literature, primarily during the 18th and 19th centuries. These sources, which include antiquarian fellows, offer a fascinating insight into how antiquarian societies were perceived by a broader public and by each other.