Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK) header
Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK) profile picture

Experimental Archaeologist @sotonarch; Media consultant; Specialist in Flintknapping & Bronze casting: see my work displayed at @britishmuseum & @EH_Stonehenge

University of Southampton
Joined February 2012
Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)Photo by Dr. James Dilley (@ancientcraftUK)
While filming for this BBC doc, I was for a moment, looking across into the Palaeolithic. A normally damp, isolated cave was alive with voices, fire light & the distant roar of red deer. It was a moment that made me feel so fortunate to do what I do professionally! #flintfriday
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Bronze, Beer and Boats! On Friday at 10am I'll be looking back at the highs, lows, spills & thrills of the Big Bronze Age Boat Build at @StanwickLakes. From amusing predicaments to exploring prehistoric archaeology in today’s world. stanwicklakes.org.uk/events/… 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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Brilliant Bronze! Its user-friendly, multi-purpose, exciting, zeitgeisty & most importantly of all, its slightly shiny! Those boring old stone axes have had their day, so make sure you're attending one of our bronze orientation days! ancientcraft.co.uk/workshops… 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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A great weekend of flintknapping in the Norfolk sunshine! We had another fantastic group of students who went from core and flake technology to handaxe making in a matter of hours. Fancy joining us on workshop? Check out the link: ancientcraft.co.uk/workshops…
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We're looking forward to welcoming a full group to Saturday's Introduction to flintknapping workshop! Ideal for novices and the more experienced alike to 'sharpen' their skills. We have a few places left on our June and October workshops.... ancientcraft.co.uk/workshops…
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Bronze, Beer and Boats! Join me at @StanwickLakes on Friday 9th May at 10am for their special exhibition series of 'Tea & Talks'! I'll be looking back at the highs, lows, spills and thrills of the Big Bronze Age Boat Build at the lakes: stanwicklakes.org.uk/events/…
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What a weekend we've had at the workshop! Bronze sword casting and arrow making were on the itinerary, and we were delighted with everyone's hard work. There are a few places left on other workshops in the year, check them out! ancientcraft.co.uk/workshops… 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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I can't resist thrusting some gneiss rocks on twitter, that with a bit of pecking, grinding really make you want to call them Moine. Geology puns over. Two of my favourite replica Orcadian style axes of the sort that have been found at the @NessofBrodgar 📸@emmalouwynjones
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Home is where the hearth is ....4000BC A snippet from a recent filming project with @JerseyHeritage inside their stunning Neolithic longhouse at la Hougue Bie museum. I'm showing how fire might have been made using iron pyrite and flint. 🎥 @emmalouwynjones
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A cache of Neolithic flint axes Not as common as bronze axe hoards (because worked stone detectors don't exist), but the action of grouping stone axes appears to be consistent across Neolithic Britain. Today I make hoards as stock for the Replicas Shop! 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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Making a bronze spear head As part of our video series for English Heritage, we wanted to show that although Grimes Graves is best known for its Neolithic flint mines, it was also home to Bronze Age metalworkers who specialised in making basal looped spears. 🎥 @emmalouwynjones
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Grimspound - Dartmoor In the saddle of Hookney Tor & Hameldown Tor is a 150m wide oval of rocks that encloses 24 hut circles. Excavations in the 19thC by the Dartmoor Exploration Committee uncovered worked flint & pottery suggesting a late Bronze Age date. 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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Get ready for Part 2 of "Ice Age" over on Channel 5 at 19:30(GMT)! After exploring the world of our Neanderthals, we discover some of the strategies used by Homo sapiens. From sophisticated hunting equipment to an Ice Age tool we still rely upon today... channel5.com/show/ice-age-ap…
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Em has been working with Leicestershire Museum Collections and @CharnwoodMuseum to make a replica and film of the stunning Cossington early Bronze Age necklace for their new exhibition: My Jewellery, My Story. You can check out the film here: youtube.com/watch?v=43kbJlDS…
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What tools would you need to make a Palaeolithic handaxe? Most were made using hammerstones, some were flaked using antler soft hammers to make thinner shapes. What flint shape should Iook for? Ideally a nodule that is already fairly thin and lenticular! 🎥 @emmalouwynjones
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Ötzi the Iceman's famous copper axe. Come and cast your own! The discovery that made world news and continues to provide unparalleled levels of detail about life in the Chalcolithic can now be explored on one of our workshops this March: ancientcraft.co.uk/event-det…
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A challenge from the Bronze Age While stone and especially clay moulds were commonly used, a metalworker over 3000 years ago tried something audacious. They tried to make a mould that was more reusable and easier to transport, by casting bronze into bronze. 🎥 @emmalouwynjones
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👀 One to watch! "Ice Age: Apocalypse" - Sunday 19:30 Channel 5 Its been a couple of years since I joined @SteveBackshall and @michaelastracha to explore some of the challenges faced by humans who lived through the Ice Age. channel5.com/show/ice-age-ap…
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Something mind blowing from the Stone Age! Here is a little something special discovered during my PhD research... Around 42,000 years ago groups of Homo sapiens moving into Europe started using sharpened pieces of antler to tip their spears, but why? 🎥 @emmalouwynjones
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Deadly flint tipped arrows from the Mesolithic to Neolithic. Originally used by hunter gatherers to bring down wild game but latter used by farmers to protect their livestock from raiders and show status. 📷 @emmalouwynjones
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