SMA Conference 2024 – President’s Reflections
The Society for Medieval Archaeology co-hosted its 2024 conference in the stunning surroundings of the British Museum, in collaboration with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The theme for the event — “Artefacts, Landscapes and Collaborative Research” — captured how, in the twenty-first century, innovative research thrives through deeply rooted partnerships among academic institutions, museums, community groups, and government agencies. The most successful collaborations are dynamic and reciprocal—a spirit evident in many of the eight papers presented, several of which honoured the considerable contributions of metal detectorists to landscape-scale artefact research. The programme featured papers addressing specific sites and artefact-rich landscapes at various scales—from local to national. It also showcased new and ongoing projects, as well as thematic reviews, including cutting-edge research from regions of the British Isles and Europe not covered by the PAS.
To enhance the event, we have curated a selection of papers from previous issues of Medieval Archaeology, made available open access. These ten papers aligned with our conference theme and bring into focus the evolving relationship between landscape and artefact studies. The earlier works in our collection typically began with a specific site or settlement, contextualizing it through artefact distributions, or started with a type or class of
artefact examined spatially. As the dialogue between artefact and landscape studies deepened, rich two-way interactions have emerged, pointing the way forward for future work.
The conference was a great success, with lively questions and debates during the two panel discussions. We look forward to future events, with the next conference — focusing on urban medieval archaeology — scheduled for Leicester in the summer of 2025.
Oliver Creighton, Honorary President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology.
Below: Conference attendees enjoy a tour of the Medieval Galleries at The British Museum, guided by Michael Lewis (SMA Honorary Secretary)
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