Preliminary results from an archaeological investigation of the Port Arthur convict workshops, 1830-77

An online lecture presented as part of the National Webinar Series 2022 in partnership with National Archaeology Week.

Labour was at the heart of convict Australia. It defined the lives of all sentenced men and women, much more so than the episodes of brutality and inhumanity which capture our imagination today. In this talk I will discuss archaeological investigations recently carried out at the Port Arthur penal station’s workshops (1830-77), where prisoners had once been employed in an array of skilled trades: shoemaking, tailoring, carpentry, wheelwrighting, sawmilling, blacksmithing and foundrywork. The excavation has proved to be both methodologically and logistically challenging, so join me to learn more about the processes and pitfalls of the excavation – as well as a discussion of preliminary results.

About the speaker:

Richard Tuffin is a historical archaeologist currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of New England. He has worked as a research and commercial archaeologist in Australia, the Pacific and the UK. The co-author of the presentation is Sylvana Szydzik, Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority.

Event Information:

An free online lecture, and part of the 2022 National Webinar Series. Find the series details here.

When: 1-2pm AEST, Tuesday 17 May 2022

Where: Online via Zoom

To register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-8diEXR6SqGNinE3RHiCiA

For more information: contact the National Archaeology Week team at [email protected]