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Donal Lucey

@dodoarchaeology.bsky.social

1.6K followers 2.7K following 160 posts

Archaeologist and nerd. Public engagement, social value and immersive approaches. Loves Early Medieval stuff! Member of award-winning Dig The Castle project & @archsengage.bsky.social Mod of r/AskArchaeology

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Mar 29

Dig The Castle won the heritage award at the Northern Devon Flourishing Culture Awards! The community was at the heart of the planning and delivery, using archaeology to create a sense of purpose, build cross-generation connections, boost wellbeing and community pride.
🏺 #community #archaeology

A photograph of the stage during the awards ceremony. On the right is a large banner that reads "Northern Devon Flourishing Culture Awards 2025". In front of the banner is a table bearing six glass trophies. To the left of the banner, Emily Wapshott is speaking into a microphone giving an award acceptance speech.

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Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · 15d

Pottery is popping out! The larger brown sherd is Medieval while the jazzy black and white fragment came from a Victorian layer (but we haven’t dated it formally!)
#archaeology #pottery #ceramics

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Reposted by Donal Lucey

Dr Aisling Tierney @irishashyt.bsky.social · 16d

Archaeology selfie 🩷🪏🤩
@archsengage.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
#torrington #digthecastle #archaeology

Group of people by bench waving with smiling woman in front

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · 15d

So excited to be back with the brilliant volunteers on the 2025 fieldwork season of Dig The Castle! @archsengage.bsky.social

#archaeology #DigTheCastle #community #socialvalue

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Dr Aisling Tierney @irishashyt.bsky.social · 20d

We made a tiktok account for the Dig the Castle archaeology project in Great Torrington, Devon. Give us a follow to get the latest updates - we start digging again with the local community on Friday!

www.tiktok.com/@digthecastle

🪏 #archaeology #castles #history @archsengage.bsky.social

DigtheCastle's Creator Profile

www.tiktok.com

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Rebecca Griffiths @yorym-flo.bsky.social · Sep 12

Terret rings were rein guides on chariots or carts in late Iron Age/early Roman period. They were set in a line along the yoke in groups of 5. Examples are known from 3rd or 2nd century BC East Yorkshire chariot burials as well as the later 1st century AD. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...

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Reposted by Donal Lucey

James Felton @jimmfelton.bsky.social · Sep 10

NASA's Mysterious Announcement: "Clearest Sign Of Life That We've Ever Found On Mars"
www.iflscience.com/nasas-myster...

NASA's Mysterious Announcement: "Clearest Sign Of Life That We've Ever Found On Mars"

"After a year of review, they have come back and said 'listen, we can't find another explanation. This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we've ever found on Mars."

www.iflscience.com

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Sadie Watson @drsadiewatson.bsky.social · Sep 8

You can sign this if you have an #EAA ID, whether you are a currently active member or not.

Guillermo Diaz de Liaño @guillermodiazliano.bsky.social · Sep 8

Calling all #EAA past and present members! A lot of us are not happy with the events of last week, and with EAA's bleak attitute towards the ongoing genocide. Sign this petition for a special meeting, so we can call a vote of confidence against the current board. Thanks!

forms.gle/cTp7BXiUD1qC...

Call for a Special Meeting of the EAA

Recent events during the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists* have generated profound discontent and distrust toward the current Executive Board among members of the associati...

forms.gle

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Reposted by Donal Lucey

Andy Brockman @andybrockman.bsky.social · Sep 5

#EAA Executive Board Omnishambles News

The Belgrade Organising Ctte of #EA2025 claims it was not consulted by the #EAA Executive Board regarding the Israel/Gaza votes and states using student volunteers to enforce rules on political statements during sessions was "particularly inappropriate".

A statement from the Belgrade Organising Committee of EAA2025 claiming it was not consulted on any decisions relating to the status of delegates from Israel made by the Executive Board of the EAA and denouncing the use of student volunteers to enforce rules limiting comments on the situation in EA2025 sessions.

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Sep 3

As a member (for now!) I have emailed the EAA Executive Board to protest against this immoral debacle. I would strongly encourage others to do this same. #EAA2025

Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · Sep 3

🏺 Call to action from Archaeologists Against Apartheid for all those concerned about what has happened at #EAA2025 (with alt-text). Please see the post below for the link to the letter which includes other links to resources for action.

Part 1 of an open letter from Archaeologists Against Apartheid:
“September 3rd 2025

Dear colleagues,
As many of you may be aware, the EAA recently decided to cease institutional ties with Israel, with the most direct impact being that attendants of the current EAA Belgrade congress were refused participation under affiliation with an Israeli institution, be it government body or university. This was a measure in line with EAA policy (see their same stance on Russia, announced in 2022), and a moderate action in response to Israel's ongoing genocide. A more appropriate response would have included removal of scholars from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an institute partially built on land illegally expropriated from Palestinians in East Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, in violation of international law and in breach of the legal requirements of the ICJ ruling on the illegality of Israel's military occupation. Scholars at the HUJ are knowingly participating in a war crime and therefore, to avoid complicity, cannot be welcomed at international congresses, in the same way scholars from Ariel University have been excluded.

Despite not fully meeting AAA's demands, we welcomed the EAA Executive Board's first steps in taking appropriate measures to avoid institutional complicity in Israel's war crimes, and thank those members of the board who voted in favour of the measure.

Unfortunately, following the announcement and implementation of the resolution, an orchestrated campaign was launched with the express aim of slandering, bullying and intimidating the Executive Board into reversing this democratic and ethical decision.

The EAA president, in her complicity, allowed a revote in order to reverse the motion.

We condemn this move, and her actions. Her role in the undoing of the Executive Board's democratic decision—as well as the undoing of EAA's credibility within the archaeological discipline—will not be forgotten.”

Part 2 of an open letter from Archaeologists Against Apartheid:

“The balance now lies in how we as a community respond to this insult to our intelligence, attack on our characters and principles, and undermining of our
democratic institutions. Archaeologists Against Apartheid, including members of both the EAA and the global archaeological community, as a collective of archaeologists of conscience responding to an ongoing genocide, we are more committed than ever to holding our representative organisations to account, to organising and educating ourselves as an archaeological community, and to fighting anti-democratic influences on our discipline.

In order to do the same, we are calling on you all to take the following steps…”

Part 3 of an open letter from Archaeologists Against Apartheid:

“1. Use your voice!

Email the EAA executive board members, challenging the reversal of a perfectly democratic and legal decision to remove Israeli affiliations from the program and presentations, and expressing solidarity with those board members who have suffered personal attacks and intimidation for their principled stance on firstly, showing solidarity with Palestinians, and secondly, refusing to legitimise Israel's ongoing war crimes.

Email addresses can be found here, please keep your correspondence civil and non-aggressive. When you are on the right side of history, you do not need to use intimidation
and aggression.

2. Call for resignations; there is no place for antidemocratic bullying in a representative professional organisation!
Attend the EAA business meeting this Friday, September 5th (18:30-20:00 CET), express your support for the original non-collaboration motion, solidarity with those colleagues who have been attacked for their principled stance, and no-confidence in the president and any board members who forced a revote on the resolution.

3. Peacefully disrupt and denounce the EAA congress!

Attend the congress and use any means necessary to peacefully protest this decision and the inclusion of Israeli institutional affiliations in the schedule and platforming of scholars knowingly participating in a war crime. Use the hashtag #eaa2025 to let everyone know about the EAA's complicity. Comment on the social media posts they continue to post, projecting normality in the face of this scandalous irregularity in democratic procedures.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any concerns. And continue signing the open letter to the EAA, this also adds you to our mailing list, keeping you up-to-date with future developments and actions.

In solidarity and with conviction,
AAA”

Reposted by Donal Lucey

Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · Sep 3

This just gets worse and worse and worse. Those poor students. As if they haven't been through enough...

#Archaeology 🏺 #EAA2025 #EAA

Belgrade AM Organising committee announcement

3 September 2025

Members of the local Organising Committee of the Belgrade 2025 AM feel obliged to inform the AM delegates and all the EAA members that we were not consulted, nor officially informed of the decisions reached at the meetings of the EAA Executive Board held on August 22nd and September 1st 2025 prior to their official publication. Consequently, we did not endorse the instructions sent to the session organizers and the volunteers on September 2nd. We are well awiare that these instructions were revoked in the meantime, but since most of the volunteers are local students, bravely protesting for months and demanding the democratic rights to speak, we consider it particularly inappropriate to assign them the task to assess and/or deny that right to others.

e-a-a.org

EAA2025 Home

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Aug 29

It's great, you can say "they did it in caveman times" to prove almost anything!

Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Aug 13

Just a reminder that not only did gay dinosaurs exist, there were probably transgender dinosaurs too :)

Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · Aug 13

Sex-reversal in birds (genetically male/female but appear female/male) is surprisingly common. Best detail: A genetically male bird called a laughing kookaburra had recently laid an egg. (1/2)

By @phiejacobs.bsky.social on @science.org

‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests

Survey of five Australian avians finds numerous discordant individuals, including a genetically male bird that had laid an egg

www.science.org

Reposted by Donal Lucey

Shen Comix @shenanigansen.bsky.social · Aug 4

01: A girl labeled 'Artists' is holding a drawing tablet and pen under her arm. She is wearing round glasses and a blue sweatshirt. She has messy dark-brown hair and a brown skin-tone. She says "We don't really wanna MAKE A.I. art."

02: A guy labeled 'Art Enjoyers' holds his hand out while speaking. She is wearing a purple and yellow hawaiian shirt with a floral pattern over a white t-shirt, and has red hair and a light skin-tone. He says "We don't really wanna SEE A.I. art."

03: Behind them both, there is a cute girl in a business suit with a pink tie. She is blushing a bit and has pink eyeshadow, and looks upset. Her messy shoulder-length hair is parted in the middle, and held by two hairclips: one that looks like a red arrow pointing down, and one that looks like a green arrow pointing up. She says "Um ... I-Isn't there someone you forgot to ask?" She is labeled 'Shareholders'.

04: She puffs up her cheeks and pouts, a tear is on the verge of falling from one of her eyes. 'Artist Enjoyers' Guy is now in front of her yelling "AH!! SHAREHOLDERS-CHAN!!" while 'Artists' Girl is in front of her yelling "WE'RE SORRY WE HURT YOU!!!!"

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Jul 28

Flying squigs = duck. Land squigs = cat.

Reposted by Donal Lucey

Dr Aisling Tierney @irishashyt.bsky.social · Jul 28

Thank you and goodbye to Great Torrington! Our July weekend-season has ended - we look forward to seeing the community again for larger excavations in September!
@archsengage.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
#archaeology #digthecastle #publicengagement #festivalofarchaeology

3 archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in and around a trench

archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in a trench with bucket

2 archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in and around a trench, one smiles at camera

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Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 27

Archaeologist Naomi Trott tells us the results from Trench 2!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #archaeology #communityengagement #socialvalue #househistory

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Jul 27

Archaeologist Belinda Tibbetts tells us what's happening at Trench 1!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #archaeology #communityengagement #festivalofarchaeology #socialvalue #househistory

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Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 27

Archaeologist @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social brings us up to speed on Trench 2!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #festivalofarchaeology #archaeology #communityengagement #socialvalue

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Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 27

ArchaeologistsEngage now unofficially provide wildlife relocation services! This poor guy was lost on the high street, we are glad to report he was safely rehomed :)

#digthecastle #archaeology #ecology #communityengagement #greattorrington #devon

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Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 26

A local resident found this piece of beauty while digging his vegetable patch on Castle Street, a small metal stick concealer “erace” by the brand Max Factor, dated to 1954.

#archaeology #digthecastle #festivalofarchaeology #greattorrington #devon #makeup #beauty

A photo of a hand holding a corroded tube.

A screenshot from the Max Factor website showing an image of the Erace concealer product from 1954.

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Jul 25

I can't wait to get digging with the lovely folk of Great Torrington again!

Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 25

The Bristol crew of AE are heading to Great Torrington to help out with the Castle Street Family Archaeology Weekend! Part of the Dig The Castle project. @irishashyt.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social

#festivalofarchaeology #archaeology ⚱️🏺 #communityengagement #pubarch #socialvalue

A photograph of archaeologists standing beside a car and smiling at the camera. Left to right their names are Naomi Trott, Donal Lucey and Aisling Tierney. The sun is beaming down, the sky is very blue and everyone is wearing sunglasses.

Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Jul 9

I mean, the Greeks would probably be down with that...

Reposted by Donal Lucey

Dr Rachel Pope @prehistorian.bsky.social · Jun 24

Here it is, our case study on how to combine a century of deep (and building) archaeological knowledge around prehistoric social traditions with the new and exciting aDNA data, to help avoid interpretive pitfalls.

I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed the process of writing it 🎁

Penny Bickle @pennybickle.bsky.social · Jun 24

Who was NG10 and what was the world they lived in? The sister paper to our CAJ paper is now out in Antiquity and the cover image no less! Working on these papers with this group, has been one of the richest academic experiences I have had in my career. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The ‘king’ of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

The ‘king’ of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber - Volume 99 Issue 405

www.cambridge.org

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Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Jun 21

Woohoo! I'll assume that my medal is in the post!