| I work as a freelance archaeologist under the banner of Archaemedia. My 30 years of professional experience encompass fieldwork and excavation, analysis and publication for both academic and popular audiences. I have considerable experience of heritage management and practical conservation. My work in broadcasting has provided me with an extensive overview of the archaeology of the British Isles and beyond and has allowed me to develop my skills in the fields of outreach, education and interpretation.
Although effectively a one-man-band I work with a carefully selected group of professionals in such specialised areas as graphic design and video production. This enables me to put together the best team for each project ensuring that work is carried out in an efficient and highly cost-effective manner.
If there are innovative ways to bring the past to life then I am willing to use my extensive experience to explore them.
I can now offer a wide range of services in heritage interpretation including:
Texts for display panels, information leaflets and more extensive 'popular' publications
This can be produced from clients supplied information or can be researched from scratch. My mission is to explain the past as concisely and accessibly as possible. I have an aversion to jargon and never use two words where one will do.
I was commissioned by English Heritage to write the Guidebook for Stonehenge, their flagship monument. Now available in four languages, the translator of the Spanish version commented on the clarity of the text and the consequent ease of translation!
Interpretative graphics and reconstructions
Graphics can be powerful and informative but must be constructed and used both with care and a strong awareness of the audience. Reconstructions in which I have been involved have always built on a firm foundation of archaeological or historical evidence and are far from simply 'artists impressions'.
Audio tours
All aspects from concept, scripting and recording through to the delivery of edited masters. Drawing on my radio broadcasting experience and a strongly developed sense of narrative I can produce gripping and evocative stories that, through their use of location, provide a genuine sense of place.
Films
For documentation or site interpretation. My partners and I can provide a range of services from initial concept through the preparation of treatments and scripts to filming and editing. I am happy to work in a production or presentation role, or to combine both as I have done successfully in the past.
I can also offer voice over facilities either at my local studio in Dorset or at your convenience.
Lindisfarne 793 – a clash of cultures is a recent example of a non-broadcast film in which I researched and developed the structure, then scripted and presented the film.
Combining the written word and graphics to produce:
- Information panels
- Exhibition panels
- Leaflets
- Guide books
- Comics and graphic novels directed at younger audiences
Education and outreach elements for commercial archaeological projects
I can offer advice on the development of outreach activities and public events for a wide range of projects, both research and commercially driven.
The excavation at Milldown, Blandford, Dorset is a recent education project. Here I worked as part of a wider team, working on site as well as in the classroom to provide a hands-on link between the excavation and the evolving classroom and outdoor activities.
(This project is still developing and I will report more on this soon. If you live in Dorset I am also talking about the excavation in Wareham on the 18th November - see Live Appearances)
Media training
Including interview techniques (interviewer and interviewee) and lecture presentation. This can be provided for individuals or groups.
Hands on activities for schools/groups
A range of activities, all tested and fully risk assessed, that can be adapted to suit groups of differing ages, abilities and sizes.
Currently available off the shelf activities include:
'Build Stonehenge' - but no longer at half scale as described in Odds and Sods
'Life in a roundhouse' – indoor or outdoor introduction to prehistoric life
'Vikings' - shields, axes and a boat!
Or activities can be tailored to your site specific, local or regional requirements.
Guided tours
Bespoke tours for individuals or small groups can be constructed around the breathtaking sites and museums of the Wessex area. Accommodation and special picnics can be arranged if required.
Photo library
I have an extensive collection of 35mm transparencies and high resolution digital images covering a wide range of subjects.
As might be expected the collection is particularly strong in the following subjects:
Stonehenge – all aspects from site photography to antiquarian images
Burial archaeology - many images taken during the making of 'Meet the Ancestors'
Viking age archaeology. - including Scandinavia, Iceland and Newfoundland
Please contact me for specific requests. A selection of low resolution images will be available on this site shortly.
Commercial/academic consultancy
I am available for consultancy work on commercial projects and also offer services in the field of lithics. Advice can be provided on recognition and retrieval in surface collection (fieldwalking) and excavation as well as cataloguing and full analysis. We can, if required, provide a one stop solution from on-site selection, washing, marking, cataloguing, analysis, report preparation and return delivery.
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Editorial
We can also carry out report writing and the editing and refereeing of reports for publication, including a full proof-reading service. In this context it is perhaps worth stating that I have a mission to make archaeological reports more readable (and shorter)
So, if you have a project that you think I might be interested in, even if it doesn't appear on the list, then please contact me to discuss it.
My agents are Knight Ayton Management (Email: info@knightayton.co.uk)
Click here to access full CV.
Click here to view a recent movie of Julian
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