MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will celebrate International Archaeology Day on Saturday, Oct. 15, with a program titled “The Real Bebbanburh: The Castle that Started it all in Netflix’s Hit Drama The Last Kingdom.” The program starts at 2 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The program will be presented by Lauren E. Nofi, a community archaeologist who has worked at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Colonial Williamsburg in the United States, as well as Ireland, Scotland and England. Nofi holds a B.A. in anthropology from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and an M.A. in archaeology with merit from the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, U.K.
Nofi will take a deep dive into the history and archaeology of Bamburgh Castle, focusing on early medieval Northumbria. This castle features as the hero Uhtred’s motivation in both The Last Kingdom books by Bernard Cornwell and the subsequent television series. The castle is real, but is Uhtred? Moreover, was the castle ever worth all that trouble? This presentation is appropriate for those both familiar and unfamiliar with the series, by an archaeologist who has personal experience excavating at Bebbanburh, now called Bamburgh.
Saturday, Oct. 15, has been designated International Archaeology Day by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). An international list of programs for the event can be found at https://www.archaeological.org/programs/public/archaeologyday/.
Operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 – 150 B.C. and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility.
Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Access to the Mound and other outdoor areas closes at 4:30 pm.
For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or andrea.k.keller@wv.gov or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.