An archaeology conference taking place next month will be dedicated to the memory of a former television personality and a leading figure in the field, who died from cancer aged 64.
Dr Neil Faulker was an internationally renowned archaeologist who founded a pioneering community project near Hunstanton in west Norfolk in 1996.
He became instrumental in establishing the major archaeological initiative, the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project (SHARP), famed for its 2003 Iron Age coin hoard discovery stuffed inside a cow bone.
SHARP is now one of the largest and most successful training digs in the UK and is a testament to Dr Faulkner’s hands-on leadership.
And now the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society (NNAS) is dedicating its April conference on community archaeology to its founder-director.
A spokesperson for NNAS said: “Neil Faulkner, who died of cancer on February 4 at just 64, was founder-director of the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project, members of which are speaking in the programme.
“This shocking and untimely loss came just as this conference was in the final stages of development, and the Council of the Society are grateful to his partner for permission to dedicate the day to the memory of a pioneer in the field.”
The conference will focus on answering questions such as what is community archaeology? And its themes will include the topics community and diversity, specialisms, and health and wellbeing.
Dr Faulkner not only worked freelance but also undertook roles as a lecturer, tour guide, made occasional appearances on Channel 4’s Time Team and the BBC’s Timewatch, and was also the founding editor of Military History Monthly, now Military History Matters.
He died of lymphoma.
The conference will be held at the Thomas Paine Study Centre at the University of East Anglia on Saturday, April 9.
- Booking is open now at www.nnas.info and tickets for the day include a light lunch.
- To pay tribute to a loved one, email norfolktributes@archant.co.uk
- To read more obituaries and tributes join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost.
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