Richard Berg Rust Lecture: Borderlands: an archaeological perspective

We are delighted to welcome Chris Catling, CEO, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), and a contributing Editor of Current Archaeology as our speaker for the 2026 annual lecture.

In an illustrated talk, Chris Catling examines 'Borderlands' in both a literal and a metaphorical sense: literal in what we know about the beginnings of physical borders and concepts of nationhood and nationalism, by reference to linear monuments, such as Hadrian's Wall, Offa's Dyke and China's Great Wall; metaphorical in that archaeological thought has been for many decades reliant on the concept of binaries and boundaries - placing eras, monuments and artefacts (and even human ancestors) on one side or another of a conceptual line.

Chris will show some of the ways in which archaeological concepts have changed to acknowledge that the truth is far more complex. Twenty years ago we regarded humans and Neanderthals as different species, incapable of interbreeding; we talked about Anglo-Saxon invaders imposing their language and culture on the British; we tried to find ways of defining long-barrows, hillforts and villas in ways that denied their individuality.

Archaeology today is richer for abandoning hard boundaries, and human culture could be richer too, though we currently live in a world in which some people embrace diversity, while others regard difference as a threat. Using literary examples, along with other references such as the Sycamore Gap, Chris will offer us a fascinating insight around an 'archaeological perspective' of the Borderlands.