Archaeology Research

The 2025 Scottish Archaeological Forum (SAF) Conference, Building Bridges: Connecting Scotland’s Archaeological Community, took place on  at Nicolson Square Venues in Edinburgh. This sold-out, two-day hybrid event brought together an inspiring mix of researchers, heritage professionals, students, and community practitioners from across Scotland and beyond to share innovative research, explore collaboration, and celebrate the diversity of Scotland’s archaeological landscape.

Delivered in a hybrid format to maximise accessibility, the event featured a wide range of papers, posters, and discussions exploring how archaeology connects people and places in both the past and present. Across seven themed sessions and a lively poster exhibition, participants shared work that reflected the creativity, inclusivity, and interdisciplinarity shaping Scotland’s archaeological community today.

Sessions spanned an impressive variety of topics, from community-led archaeology, contemporary collecting, and participatory heritage to digital innovation, palaeoenvironmental research, and new approaches to storytelling. Presenters examined themes of collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability, offering reflections on how archaeology can build bridges between disciplines, sectors, and communities. Discussions explored everything from public engagement and linguistic heritage to ethical collecting, decolonisation, and climate resilience, demonstrating the sector’s commitment to addressing pressing local and global challenges.

The conference also showcased emerging digital approaches to archaeological research and outreach, including creative uses of 3D scanning, multimedia storytelling, and online heritage platforms. Other sessions highlighted the power of archaeology to strengthen community identity and wellbeing through education, accessibility, and place-making. The Coffee & Conversationsposter session provided space for informal dialogue and networking.

Explore our online poster gallery here: https://www.scotarchforum.com/saf2025/2025-poster-gallery

The atmosphere throughout the weekend was one of enthusiasm, generosity, and collaboration. Delegates remarked on the range of voices represented and the strong sense of community that has become a hallmark of SAF events. With every seat filled and active participation both in person and online, the 2025 conference truly embodied its theme of building bridges across sectors, institutions, disciplines, and generations.

We were delighted to see such strong representation from the Archaeology Department at the University of Glasgow, with contributions from staff, students, and alumni across both paper and poster sessions, reflecting the breadth of current archaeological research within the department. Presentations and posters from Phil Gould, Gala Georgette, Arianna Magyaricsova, James O’Driscoll, Moira Piazolli, Ally Parker-Banks, Isobel Harvey, Nicki Whitehouse, Maria Elena Bertoli, and Nysa Loudon explored themes including landscape and palaeoenvironmental research, sound and sensory heritage, museum collections and material histories, cutting-edge digital techniques for reinterpreting Roman archaeology, linguistic heritage and community engagement, cultural and environmental histories of peatlands, experimental textile production in prehistory, and organic material culture in Bronze Age burials.

The Scottish Archaeological Forum extends heartfelt thanks to all members of the conference organising subcommittee, speakers, chairs, and attendees who made SAF 2025 such a success. The organising committee included current Archaeology PGR students Gala Georgette, Heather Ford, Arianna Magyaricsova, Scott McCreadie and Ally Parker-Banks alongside former PGR students Orla Craig, Lizzie Robertson and Eddie Stewart.

We are especially grateful to our generous sponsors and partners, whose support made SAF 2025 possible: Historic Environment Scotland, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, AOC Archaeology Group, the Archaeology Department at the University of Glasgow, the Centre for Scottish and Celtic Studies, the Glasgow Archaeological Society and CFA Archaeology. Their contributions helped ensure that this year’s conference was inclusive, accessible, and representative of Scotland’s vibrant archaeological community.

We look forward to welcoming everyone again at the next conference as we continue to strengthen connections within Scotland’s vibrant archaeological community.

If you would like to get involved with SAF or hear more about our work, please get in touch: https://www.scotarchforum.com

 

 

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First published: 3 November 2025