Portable Antiquities Scheme Events

Have your finds identified during the Festival

Have you ever found an old coin, a piece of worked stone, a metal object or a piece of pottery, and ever wondered what it was?

Maybe you found it in your garden, on a beach or while out walking. All archaeological finds - though initially they might seem unimportant - have the potential to advance archaeological knowledge. Therefore it is important that people who find them have them identified and recorded.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme was established to record archaeological objects found by the public. It offers a free service to finders of such objects. All finds recorded by the PAS are recorded on its online database (though personal details and precise find spot information are not made widely available to protect finders details and archaeological sites from damage) so that everyone can learn about these finds and archaeologists can build up a map of the archaeology of the country.

Throughout the Festival of British Archaeology, the Portable Antiquities Scheme will be running archaeological finds identification and recording sessions at local museums and other venues - many of which will include a variety of other activities for adults and children. For further details see the event listings to see what is going on near you or visit the Portable Antiquities Scheme events page.