Come to Leicester in 2013!

Globalization, immigration, transformation Society for Historical Archaeology Annual Conference 2013 46th Annual Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology January 9-12, 2013 Leicester, Great Britain A major historical archaeology conference based in the heart of England, but looking at the world, its peoples and the changes they created in the recent past. You are warmly invited to Leicester, England for the 46th annual Society for Historical and Underwater Archaeology Conference, January 9–12 2013.

Leicester offers the visitor fantastic shopping, sightseeing and dining opportunities (you should certainly try one of its many Indian restaurants). Leicester’s rich heritage of excellent food and drink is a product of its diverse population. Local foods include Stilton cheese, Melton Mowbray pork pies, and the best samosas this side of India. The Conference reception will be at the wonderful Snibston Discovery Centre, where you can explore 500 years of technological innovation, see a working beam engine and use block-and-tackle to pick up the iconic British Mini automobile with only your own body strength. Trips and tours will include Stratford-upon-Avon and a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company; Ironbridge, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution; Elizabethan stately homes; a visit to the Royal Dockyard and historic ships at Portsmouth, and many others.

Leicester makes an ideal base for an independent vacation before or after the conference. It is centrally located, only 75 minutes by train from central London and yet within easy reach of the natural beauty of the Charnwood Hills, the Peak district and a host of charming market towns. The conference will be based at the University of Leicester, which consistently features in the UK top 20 and in the top two per cent of world universities. The School of Archaeology and Ancient History is one of the UK’s largest and most highly-rated, and incorporates the Centre for Historical Archaeology, Britain’s only dedicated research center for the discipline.

Delegates will be offered a range of hotel accommodation nearby. There are options for all pockets and tastes from the luxurious Victorian Mercure Hotel to charming local ‘Bed and Breakfasts’. Leicester is a ‘human scale’ city that can easily be explored on foot or using its excellent public transportation. From the conference venue you can stroll down New Walk admiring its eighteenth-century squares and gardens, past the nineteenth-century New Walk Museum to the lively heart of the town; or perhaps visit the busy pubs, bars and restaurants, or see some exciting drama or dance at the new Curve theatre in the Cultural Quarter. Whether you’d rather visit one of the city’s many museums or watch the Leicester Tigers rugby team playing at home, Leicester 2013 will be a memorable conference and an enjoyable visit. Please join us for a pie and a pint next year!

For more information, please contact the SHA 2013 Conference Committee Co-Chairs: Audrey Horning, Queen’s University Belfast (a.horning@qub.ac.uk) and Sarah Tarlow, University of Leicester (sat12@le.ac.uk). [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons