Such discoveries have woken us up from the impression that archaeology was now at a stage when we are 'just filling in the details' and show us how much remains to be revealed, often in new and unusual contexts of preservation.
In the past decade there really seem to have been more remarkable archaeological finds than were made during the preceding three. As illustrated by the various topics of the year's lecture series, this phenomenon may be partly chance but also the result of increasing investment in archaeological funding, developments in techniques and conservation as well as a greater awareness on the part of the public. We have had very good audiences for every lecture.