Photo: a race-track winner displays his laurels in a stunning mosaic from the Roman villa at Rudston and on display at Hull and East Riding Museum. Courtesy of Hull City Council Museum Service.
National Archaeology Days 2003 take place on Saturday July 19 and Sunday July 20, and are set to offer a range of activities and events for all ages and levels of interest.
Here is our brief guide to just some of the highlights of events and activities in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.
On July 19, Chester Roman Amphitheatre is offering the chance to glimpse a dig in progress and meet the archaeologists. There will be a guided tour to discover the history of the site and visitors can take part in a Roman soldier drill.
In Runcorn Norton Priory Museum and Gardens give the whole weekend over to a variety of environmental and archaeology activities for all ages. At Hartshead Pike in Ashton-Under-Lyme there will be a weekend of excavations and washing of finds together with surveying activities, quizzes and a questionnaire for children.
In Derbyshire Buxton Museum & Art Gallery, is holding special weekend children's workshops that offer the chance to 'learn the skills you will need to become an archaeologist.'
Photo: up in the north east at Arbeia Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall you can see archaeologists working all year round.
Further south the Melbourne Historical Research Group will be stationed at the Old Parish Burial Ground, Melbourne for the whole weekend. This detached burial ground, to the north of the church, has been the subject of a recent geophysical survey and visitors will be able to view the results so far and take in an exhibition on the site's historic background.
At Gorse Hall in Stalybridge there will be an excavation and geophysical survey by the University of Manchester Field Archaeology Unit, with guided tours of the site on July 19.
The Hall i'th' Wood Museum in Bolton is also giving the weekend over to a variety of activities including wattle & daubing, a mini-dig, divining for water, geophysics and reconstructing replica broken pottery.
Over in Merseyside, the Liverpool Museum has a variety of weekend events based on local archaeological sites. Hands-on activities include discovering archaeological sites, how finds are recorded, what you can learn from pottery, pollen and the bones of animals.
On the Isle of Man the Cregneash Folk Village is hosting two days of archaeological activities based in and around the traditional Manx Village. Visitors can discover the hidden history of the buildings, identify artefacts, learn about metal detection, and take guided tours of nearby archaeological sites.
Striding further out across the Irish Sea there will be a boat building demonstration at the Down County Museum, Downpatrick in Northern Ireland on Saturday afternoon.
Photo: discover the hidden history of Cregneash Folk Village on the Isle of Man. © 24 Hour Museum.
The North Down Heritage Centre in Bangor also has a weekend of special activities including metal pouring, coin making, lathe turning, Viking sagas and a mini-dig for children (that's funny, I thought they came from gooseberry bushes. Editor)
Back into Cumbria at Kendal Museum you can have a go at an archaeological quiz and find out more about the museum on July 19, while the Lake District Visitor Centre near Windermere has a range of events including talks by a National Park Archaeologist, children's activities, a medieval re-enactment and local history society exhibitions on the Sunday.
The Market Hall, Appleby-in-Westmorland is the venue for an archaeology road show. Experts will be on hand to examine and identify artefacts and finds (coins, flints, pottery) and there will also be a chance to handle artefacts, dig for finds in the pits and view displays of local archaeological sites, projects and a display from Penrith Museum.
Barley Hall in York is the weekend setting for medieval dressing up, guided tours, calligraphy workshops and a practical besieging workshop (that'll come in handy at home!) with an archery game.
Photo: join the search for the missing village of Henderskelfe at the stunning Castle Howard. Image courtesy of Castle Howard.
There's a similar theme at Byland Abbey, North Yorks who are offering a weekend on the tiles - that's medieval tiles, with an exposition covering all aspects of medieval tile making
Castle Howard is getting 'Dirty in the Dig' with a live archaeological search for the lost village of Henderskelfe, including pot washing, sieving and find identification.
You can make your own mosaics and learn about life throughout history and on Sunday medieval craftsmen will be on hand to conduct workshops on tile making, embroidery, silversmithing, rush working, spoon making and much more.
The Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall is offering an opportunity to try out a number of handling activities on the theme of the Middle Ages. There'll be the "barrel padlock challenge", weird and wonderful pots, building an abbey arch and dressing up as a monk.
The Hull & East Riding Museum has the irresistibly titled "Please touch the precious things" day on July 19 to give the public a rare opportunity to handle original items from the collection.
Photo: take a ride through the industrial north east at Beamish Open Air Museum.
The Cookson Room and Pockerley Manor at Beamish Open Air Museum is the weekend venue for demonstrations of candle making, bread and biscuit making, calligraphy, spinning, basket making and lots more family activities.
Moving further North East the Museum of Antiquities in Newcastle Upon Tyne is holding an artefact handling session with an exploration of a variety of archaeological materials from different periods. You can also try on replica Roman costumes and armour.
If the latter is your thing then you may be interested in events at Segedunum Roman Fort on July 19. There's a seven mile guided walk from Arbeia Roman Fort to Segedunum, Wallsend, which includes a lunch stop at Bede's World and tour of both forts and the pedestrian Tyne Tunnel.
Bede's World Museum in Jarrow has a weekend entitled Dig This - a hands on opportunity to meet archaeologists and have a go at being one yourself.
Photo: see the Iron Age come to life at Archaeolink Prehistory Park.
But the prize for really getting behind the National Archaeology Day must go to Berwick upon Tweed - the location for a whole trenchfull of activities in various locations beside Berwick Castle, the medieval town walls and the castle terrace.
Special Saturday events include interpretive displays, living history activities, a live archaeological dig and a children's "dig" on the site of the 13th century St.Leonard's Nunnery in the area at the north end of Berwick - known as Bondington in the Middle Ages.
North of the border the Archaeolink Prehistory Park is holding an 'Archtiques Roadshow' for the identification of finds on July 20, while at the Newbarns Project in Covend, south of Dalbeattie there will be tour of the excavation plus practical digging activities across the weekend.
There are so many great events going on for this year's National Archaeology Days that we couldn't possibly tell you about all of them!
So to check time details, availability and find out what else is out there click on this link to pay the Council for British Archaeology website a visit.
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