If you love archaeology, or simply would like to know more about it, you’ll thoroughly enjoy exploring our Archaeology collection. We’re fortunate enough to have more than 2,000 fascinating pieces to display, with everything from prehistory to 19th century artefacts.
The archaeology collection includes material from a number of significant sites, including the 120 Anglo-Saxon graves excavated at Norton. You will also come across a small collection from Stockton Castle. Stockton Castle was a treasured building in the area before it was demolished after the English Civil War, so we are happy to be able to offer these insights into its past. We are proud to be part of Teesside and love celebrating such local history.
Fortunately for our collections team, the museum is situated in an exciting place for archaeology. It is right next to the River Tees, which has a rich history to delve into. Over the years, it has been a natural frontier which has seen groups such as the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings leave their mark. With this on our doorstep, our collection shows interesting insights into the Tees over the centuries.
Also during the English Civil War, royalists were largely north of the Tees and parliamentarians to the south. These examples highlight just some of the many opportunities archaeologists have had to find artefacts from a variety of social cultures. These artefacts include anything from personal objects such as combs to Bronze Age swords that were used as weapons of war. As Stockton prospered in the 18th century, various pieces of wealth and industrial past have been excavated such as pottery and coins from places as far away as Russia. We really do have a wide variety of archaeology for you to view!
This granite figure has been categorised as from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom depicting a male individual characterised by facial features and headdress. The Middle Kingdom runs from 1975 BC to 1640 BC so is over 3000 years old!
