Archaeology

People have inhabited the landscape of Lincolnshire for nearly half a million years. The people of the past left traces of their lives all around us, even beneath our feet.

Everywhere we move, people have been before. Every view you see has been seen differently by others. Every stone, every object, holds the stories of the lives of people from the past.

The archaeology gallery tells the story of Lincolnshire’s fascinating heritage through artefact rich displays and reconstructions, hands-on activities, touch-screen games, and the chance to dress up in authentic historical costumes.

Build your own Roman mosaic, conjure up a fantastical Medieval beast, listen to voices from Lincolnshire’s past and investigate how different archaeological artefacts survive or decay.  Can you find your own house or your favourite historic site on our giant satellite photograph of the county of Lincolnshire?

During your journey through the museum, you will discover:

• Stone Ages. Find out about the tools that our earliest ancestors used up to 300,000 years ago, learn about the animals that roamed the landscape of Ice Age Lincolnshire and explore the early trading of materials across Britain.
• Bronze Age. Discover how burials reveal secrets from the past and explore the technological advances that came with the first use of metal, including some of the earliest gold used in Britain.
• Iron Age. Learn about the gifts offered to gods in the wetlands of the Witham Valley and see beautiful objects crafted by the local Corieltavi tribe, including the only complete example of an Iron Age spear and our replica of the famous Witham Shield.
• Roman. Learn about the military establishment of Lincoln under the Ninth Legion and about life for the Roman citizens of the important Roman city of Lindum Colonia.  See the mosaic floor discovered during the construction of the museum building.
• Anglo Saxon. Learn about Lincolnshire's huge cemetery sites, ponder the mystery of the use of the beautiful hanging bowls and see the facial reconstruction of a Saxon lady using modern forensics techniques.
• Viking. Visit the workshop of Thorfast the bone comb maker, discover the importance of Viking Lincoln as a trading and manufacturing centre and explore Lincolnshire's Viking place names.
• Medieval. Learn about the wealth of Lincolnshire’s monasteries and investigate one of Britain’s Medieval artistic treasures - the Luttrell Psalter.  Create your own fantastic Medieval beast with our interactive game.
• Civil War. Find out about the Battle of Winceby and see arms and armour from the period.
• Marvellous Materials. Explore how different materials have been used by different cultures across the world through time and make your own mosaic and stained glass window.
• Money and trade. Investigate the use of money through time and across different cultures.
• Food and farming. Explore the archaeological evidence for food production from prehistory until the Middle Ages in Lincolnshire.
• The Lab. Explore the science of archaeology, find out what human bones can tell us about the past, see how archaeologists date objects and test your knowledge of what materials survive in the ground.
• Find out more. Learn about the Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme, see some of the more unusual objects in our collections, explore our collections database and find out more about your own archaeological finds with our 'Identify' reference drawers.

To discover some of the highlights of the museum click on the interactive map on the right.

Please note displays do change so if you are travelling far to see a particular item please phone ahead of your visit.  Collections not on display may be viewed by appointment on one of our Collections Access Days.

See what’s on…