iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Always slightly surreal to hold the printed editions of Archaeologia Aeliana after working on it for a year. AA 2025 is another very full issue, with everything from prehistory to post-medieval history and archaeology. Onwards to AA2026! #archaeology #history

Two copies of the journal Archaeologia Aeliana on a wooden table

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Spoke at the unveiling of a plaque to archaeologist Robert Blair, outside Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields last week. Great to see his contribution to the study of Roman archaeology in his local town recognised, and to have Mayor of South Tyneside Jay Potts and Mayoress Audrey Huntley in attendance.

Speaking at the gates of Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields, before the unveiling of the Robert Blair Plaque.

Mayor of South Tyneside Jay Potts and Mayoress Audrey Huntley after the plaque unveiling.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Pet peeve of the day (month/year): universities which are desperate for people to utilise a scientific technique, set up a commercial organisation to offer this, then proceed to only take on work they are interested in and give up on taking it at all in a few years 😑

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

A trek up to the #Cheviots, following a lead about a lump of flint (see photo 2, my hand for scale) found in 1978 under 5 feet of peat, by a farm worker. Initial conclusions from augering: there is a former tarn/lake at this spot, with possible #prehistoric activity in the form of a charcoal layer!

Man standing in a bog, holding an auger, trying to figure out why he didn't bring insect repellent.

A large lump of flint being held in a man's hand

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

I could list off some dead professor or someone very worthy but the reality is Sam Neill's character Dr Alan Grant in the first Jurassic Park movie probably did more to direct me towards an interest in archaeology than anyone else.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

There are buildings that 'burn down' and buildings that 'catch fire'. These are distinctly different things when a fire in a historic building is being discussed, no one explains when to use one or the other but we all seem to know when to use one or the other.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Doing a site visit in #Northumberland today. Got chatting to someone who claimed they think tjey found a stone tool as "It fits nicely into your hand and looks worked" That old chestnut, yeah I will have a look 🙄 "...oh, yeah that's a Neolithic polished stone axe! 🤯" #archaeology #prehistory

A polished stone axe being held in someone's hand

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Lorna Richardson @lornarichardson.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

If you are teaching a course that includes digital ethics, what are your go-to texts? I need a refresh of my reading list, and I'm looking for any recent papers that stand out

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C20 Society @c20society.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

NEWS: C20 is delighted to announce that distinguished journalist and broadcaster @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social has been elected as our new President. She becomes the fifth female president in the Society's 46 year history, and succeeds Catherine Slessor in the role. ➡️ c20society.org.uk/news/samira-...

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MSDS Marine & MSDS Heritage @msdsmarine.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Historic England have just released updated guidance for marine geophysical surveys. This second edition helps protect and document England’s incredible underwater heritage — shipwrecks, submerged landscapes, and more. Learn more: historicengland.org.uk/images-books... #maritimeheritage

historicengland.org.uk

Marine Geophysics: Data Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation | Historic England

Techniques for conducting geophysical survey and processing and interpretation techniques that can reveal information about the marine environment.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Cleveland looking very much like one of the most underappreciated areas of England today. Little would one expect the field next to me contains the entrance to deepest mine in Britain (Boulby), with an astrophysics lab almost 1.5km under the surface.

A coastal view with a cloudy sky. A road runs in the foreground.

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Community Archaeology North CIC @cancic.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Announcing our plans for a new #community #archaeology project in #Hexham

A poster announcing a new community archaeology project based in Hexham

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Harvesting the black gold this weekend. Material from a prehistoric site in north Cumbria excavated in 2001. Despite occasional labelling issues the charred remains are still perfectly viable. #FlotThot #NakedWheat #Archaeobotany

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Currently having my sample processing being monitored by the meanest looking chicken I have seen in a long time! 😐

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Sample processing today with some helpers. These archaeobotanical samples are over 20 years old, and from a unit which no longer exists. They're still perfectly viable, but the labelling causes issues. Without permanent marker the internal labels have begun to fade, so reliant on external survival.

A sample bucket containing archaeological sediment, the internal labels have completed faded, so I rely on the external labels which can often scratch off or fade.

Some ducks wondering what all the fuss is about, looking at all my archaeobotanical sample processing material laid out on grass, with a brick shed in the background

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

English Heritage were told to be more like the National Trust, but that's like comparing apples with some badly damaged apples in need of conservation work. English Heritage was always the curator of last resort, taking properties which other organisations wouldn't touch (1/2)

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

*sigh* and I had so much planned for today. Better cancel everything.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

(Warning: this is either very interesting or tediously boring) When putting down sheeting during cleaning in Bessie Surtees House they caught the draft through the wooden floor. But it wasn't just a breeze, it was a rhythmic pulse as the air moved through the building and it breathed 🧐

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Society of Antiquaries of Scotland @socantscot.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

NEW PROJECT: The Society and @scotchurchestrust.bsky.social are announcing a £229,015 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help ensure a sustainable future for Scotland’s churches and their contents.‬ Read about Finding Futures for Scotland’s Churches: www.socantscot.org/news/finding...

Person pointing at a mark in a stone wall

Group of people standing in front of an old church

Miniscule inscription on stained glass, almost imperceptible to the eye, reading “If all were understood, all would be forgiven”.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Indiana Jones had his contract reduced to 0.5 FTE, as preventing Nazis from acquiring objects which would give them the power of God was not a REF'able activity 🧐

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Dr Susan Greaney @suegreaney.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Hive mind: does anyone know the earliest human remains from Scotland?

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Great to see McDonalds promoting the Irish language in Durham 🫡🇮🇪

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Trust me, something very interesting is happening under this plastic sheet! #ArchaeologicalScience #Archaeology #OSL #MysteriousScienceSheet

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Great to see this plaque unveiled in honour of Dr Irene Ighodaro in Newcastle yesterday, and nice to be quoted in the Newcastle Chronicle as part of this celebration. #BlackHistory #Newcastle www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Newcastle City Council plaque honouring the life of Dr Irene Ighodaro, health working and civil rights activist.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

I ran for the Metro today and jumped though while the doors were closing. A group of teenagers spotted me and two gave me a big cheer and clapped. I felt like such a bad ass 😎 Teenager 3: "Why are you clapping?" Teenager 1: "That old man ran for the Metro and made it just in time" Me: 🙃

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

This isn't an actual musical instrument, it's merely a symbol.

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

Love having a walk through an urban area and getting a surprise like this. (A family of roe deer in central Newcastle, Ouseburn Valley, this evening) #UrbanNature #Newcastle

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

My renewal card came today. Officially licensed to be Irish for another year👌🏻 🇮🇪

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

I always found it remarkable that in English we have the phrase "To meet your Waterloo", and Napoleon was finally defeated at a place called Waterloo 🤯 One of history's great coincidences!🤷🏻

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Archaeology Ireland Magazine @archiremag.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

For anyone interested in the development of Open Access publishing in Ireland, PublishOA and the Royal Irish Academy have released a wonderful report mapping the landscape of scholarly publishing on the island. The report is free to download and available for you here: zenodo.org/records/1563...

zenodo.org

Landscape report on scholarly publishing in Ireland

This report maps scholarly publishing on the island of Ireland. It documents publishers on the island and assesses the readiness of Irish scholarly publishers to transition to open access (OA) publish...

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

A resourceful kittiwake in Newcastle finding a suitable alternative to a cliff edge!

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

This month's allotment drama: a member who hasn't touched their plot for 6 months has hired a gardener to tend it for them!!! 🙃 It's all kicking off in South Gosforth 🧐 👨🏻‍🌾🪏🍅🌽🍆🌾

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

A great opportunity for someone to develop their skills as a field archaeologist!

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

I met Mog! 😭♥️🐈‍⬛

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Mid May and by far the worst magpie harvest I've had for years. Is anyone else having a poor season?! #RescueBorb #CatchAndRelease #IDidntEatIt

Man holding a magpie he just rescued from the stupid fruit netting of his allotment neighbours 😑

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Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

At the end of this #DodecaBakeOff Easter Monday, I wanted to share this montage of all the fabulous makes, bakes & creations! Well done everyone and thank you for giving me a smile today! You've all been wonderful! Keep fighting the good fight - We shall make what we want to make!💪 #Archaeology ⚱️

The Norton Disney dodecahedron surrounded by chocolate, biscuit, ginger bread, party ring and BabyBel dodecahedra! ❤️

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Cork's very own nod to Teessaurus Park in #Middlesbrough, Jim Buckley's 1985 installation 'Red Dragon', on the banks of the River Lee, with the seal of approval from a visiting Teessider for scale #Ireland #PublicArt @c20society.bsky.social

A man standing in front of a large, red, metal sculpture which kind of looks like a stegosaurus (the sculpture not the man) with trees in the background

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

The most important thing North East England sent to Ireland since Jack Charlton!🤯

Photo of a supermarket frozen food isle in Ireland with a section devoted to Greggs pastry products

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

I don't think #IrishWithMollie is on Bluesky (this image is from her account on the 'Gram), but I had to share her image of the cúlán, which is definitely about to become the Gen-Z haircut of choice for the summer of 2025 in Britain! www.instagram.com/irishwithmol...

Cartoon image of an Irish medieval mullet called a 'cúlán' which is like a traditional mullet but with a small shaved area in front of the ears

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

The Watergate, leading from the River Tyne to Bessie Surtees House, #Newcastle. It was here that in 1972 members of President Nixon's re-election team mugged members of the Democratic National Convention, setting in motion a political scandal which would reverberate from Bigg Market to Capitol Hill!

Bessie Surtees House, Newcastle, timber frames medieval building

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

One of my most exciting pieces of casework currently. Great to see the excavation work starting in earnest. This project will open up major new considerations of prehistoric and Roman #archaeology in #Cumbria, adding to previous work by @oxfordarchaeology.bsky.social doi.org/10.5284/1106...

archaeologydataservice.ac.uk

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Probably the best reaction I've had to someone being told they need an archaeological evaluation: "They better find nothing or find something f**king amazing" #archaeology

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

A day out looking at the lowland peat landscape of Prestwick Carr, near #Newcastle. Just managed to reach the late glacial lake deposits (blue-grey silt) which underlie the basin in which the peat formed. #Geoarchaeology #archaeology

A geoachaeology core showing a transition from blue-grey lake silt to organic peat

A landscape photo across an area of boggy wetland

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Dr Matt Law @mlaw.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Just published! A review (open access) of archaeological land snail analysis as a discipline in Britain 50(+) years after the publication of JG Evans's Land Snails in Archaeology doi.org/10.61733/jco... 🏺

doi.org

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

There is no greater love than when you are an environmental archaeologist and your mother sends you a photo of a swan carcass and offers to pick it up for you 😭♥️♥️🦢☠️ #zooarchaeology #archaeology #IrishMammy

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Weather warning 🤔⛈️⛈️ Or... Greater Cork irredentism 🚩👍🏻

Map of Ireland showing a red warning for the impending storm

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Teenage me probably didn't appreciate that adult me would have a favourite type of tweezers, and I would buy in bulk to see me through the Apocalypse 🔬 #LivingTheDream #Archaeobotany

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Don O'Meara @donomeara.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

A few of the x10,000's of oat grains from a #medieval corn-dryer from West Cumbria. Unlike many parts of England (where whet and barley dominate) oat seems to be a domestic staple in #Cumbria in the medieval period. I'm tentitively connecting this site to a nearby Cistercian monastery. #archaeology

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