School children all over the island have been taking part in archaeology workshops and learning a lot about skeletons and old bones.

Archaeologists Dr Rachel Crellin of the Univerisity of Leicester and osteologist Dr Michelle Gamble of the Austrian Archaeological Institute visited eight different primary schools across the island to teach more than 300 children about skeletons.

Their hands-on sessions were aimed at showing children what archaeologists can learn about us by looking at our skeletons. The children were also given the chance to have a go at being an archaeologist by showing them how to excavate a bone with great care.

Dr Crellin and Dr Gamble have both been working on the Round Mounds project which began in 2016 and has involved research in the museum looking at the burial remains which are kept there, geophysical surveys of sites, landscape analysis, and a dig this summer on a Bronze Age burial mound on farmland outside Kirk Michael.

Dr Crellin, who was born in the island and educated at Castle Rushen High School, said: ’Michelle and I had a great week visiting students at Onchan, Braddan, Kewaigue, Ballacottier, Peel Clothworkers, Foxdale, St Johns and the Bun Scoill.

’The workshops started wih a discussion of what archaeologists do and where we might be able to find archaeological remains.

’Many of the children had been to prehistoric burial sites in the island.

’The students were put in teams of two and given a washing-up bowl filled with earth.

’Hidden inside the washing-up bowls were animal bones which the children had to carefully excavate using paintbrushes and wooden tools.

Once the students had excavated their bones they had to record them just like a real archaeologist.

This involved drawing their bones in-situ, measuring them and describing them in order to try and work out what type of animal they were from.

Once all the mud was cleared away the students learned about our human skeleton, learning to tell the difference between humans and other animals. We taught them the scientific names of the bones and what they are for and how they work.

’The students loved having a go at digging up the bones but also having Michelle, our expert osteologist, on-hand to ask their many questions. The questions from the students were excellent.

’We would like to say thank you to Culture Vannin who generously funded our workshops as part of the Round Mounds of the Isle of Man project.’