Surrey Archaeological Society

A set of educational colouring sheets highlighting a selection of artefacts from multiple periods and from across the county are available as downloadable A4 size pdfs.

These include smaller-scale versions as period-based sheets, as well as a small selection of individual sheets for more detailed objects.

A brief fact sheet on lithics has been put together by the Society's Lithics Group.

Flint Factsheet.pdf

There are various educational resources produced by the Society which are either available as downloadable documents or as items to be loaned out.

Check out the various sub-pages in this section for these resources, as well as the period-based material under the 'Archaeology of Surrey' tab.

This page is regularly being updated, and we may have material which is not currently displayed. Please contact us at outreach@surreyarchaeology.org.uk with any questions. 

The Post-Medieval period AD 1485 + 

Post-medieval – or historical – archaeology is a discipline which has often been overlooked compared to earlier eras, but it is a study of profound cultural, technological and religious change. Many significant events occurred in this 500 year period – both within Britain and on a global scale – from the impact of the Dissolution, to the birth of the Industrial Revolution, and culminating in the devastating conflict seen during both world wars.

The Medieval period AD 1066-1485

Medieval archaeology developed comparatively late as a discipline, with antiquarian focus largely on the artworks and architectural ruins. As a period which saw an increasing amount of valuable historical sources however,   material evidence can be evaluated alongside documentary, placename and landscape studies, whether in traditional areas – e.g. castles – or new topics of research, such as production, exchange and gender studies.

The Saxon period AD 410-1066

Although early medieval studies have the advantage of documentary evidence – particularly from the 6th century onwards – the historical accounts are often rife with bias and must be treated with caution. Saxon and Viking studies are also complicated by issues of ethnicity and religion, and it clear that rather than notions of mass migration or simple ‘Christianisation’ of pagan practices, identities formed through a variety of processes.

The Roman period AD 43-410

Study of the Romans has always been a popular period in British archaeology, although research in more recent years has shifted emphasis away from military expansion to themes of change and continuation – e.g. transitions from the Iron Age and to the Saxon era – as well as the everyday life of ordinary citizens in the countryside.

The Iron Age period c. 800 BC - AD 43

Though the study of late prehistory in Britain has commonly focused on the introduction of metallurgy, many important developments also took place, including changes in the agricultural landscape and technological advances. Just as the transition from the Late Bronze Age is often an unclear boundary, many aspects of Late Iron Age culture also remained largely unchanged into the Roman period, particularly in the countryside. 

The Bronze Age c. 2500 - 800 BC

Although it is common to generalise late prehistory – and the Bronze Age in particular – as the period which saw the introduction of metallurgy, other important developments took place, including open settlement and field  system patterns. At the same time, many practices continued from the Late Neolithic which preceded it, making it a complex period with cultural change very gradual over time.