Thanks to support from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund  we are thrilled to be able to host a series archaeology talks virtually this year – and completely free of charge.

Our first talk will be by Dr Tom Booth of the Crick Institute in London. He specialises in analysing ancient DNA from human remains – research which is opening up a fascinating window into the past.

Recent advances in DNA sequencing has meant that we are now routinely generating high-quality genetic data from ancient human skeletons. Britain now has one of the largest ancient DNA databases in the world. These ancient human genomes have been giving us an unprecedented insight into the peoples who lived in Britain over the last 10,000 years, including Cheddar Man, the oldest (mostly) complete skeleton from Britain. Here I will discuss what ancient genomics has told us so far about Cheddar Man and the prehistory of Britain more broadly, from the development of farming to the Roman Conquest.

This event will take place online live and will be followed by a live Q&A. The email confirming your booking will provide the link to view the talk. Questions can be submitted throughout the talk, with a selection answered at the end, time permitting.