Donal Lucey
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dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
Donal Lucey
@dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
1.6K followers 2.7K following 160 posts
Archaeologist and nerd. Public engagement, social value and immersive approaches. Loves Early Medieval stuff! Member of award-winning Dig The Castle project & @archsengage.bsky.social
Mod of r/AskArchaeology
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dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
Donal Lucey @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social · Mar 29
Dig The Castle won the heritage award at the Northern Devon Flourishing Culture Awards! The community was at the heart of the planning and delivery, using archaeology to create a sense of purpose, build cross-generation connections, boost wellbeing and community pride.
🏺 #community #archaeology
A photograph of the stage during the awards ceremony. On the right is a large banner that reads "Northern Devon Flourishing Culture Awards 2025". In front of the banner is a table bearing six glass trophies. To the left of the banner, Emily Wapshott is speaking into a microphone giving an award acceptance speech.
Reposted by Donal Lucey
irishashyt.bsky.social
Hot drop: set of 12 large medieval cat stickers 😻
🛍️ tephraarts.etsy.com/listing/4404...
Adapted from authentic illuminated manuscripts, designed and made by me!
⚜️ #skystorians #history #archaeology #cats #medieval
Hand holds green circule cat sticker while background shows blurry scene of other medieval cat style stickers on black background
November 13, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
irishashyt.bsky.social
🧵 This is what I’ve been using my annual leave for recently, travelling to Devon to explore the rich archaeological heritage of Great Torrington.

I volunteer with Dig the Castle, a project started by Dig Director Emily Wapshott MCIfA.
@archsengage.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
Pottery is popping out! The larger brown sherd is Medieval while the jazzy black and white fragment came from a Victorian layer (but we haven’t dated it formally!)
#archaeology #pottery #ceramics
Pottery sherd in open hand Pottery sherd in open gloved hand
September 29, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
irishashyt.bsky.social
Archaeology selfie 🩷🪏🤩
@archsengage.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
#torrington #digthecastle #archaeology
Group of people by bench waving with smiling woman in front
September 28, 2025 at 12:59 PM
dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
So excited to be back with the brilliant volunteers on the 2025 fieldwork season of Dig The Castle! @archsengage.bsky.social

#archaeology #DigTheCastle #community #socialvalue
September 28, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
irishashyt.bsky.social
We made a tiktok account for the Dig the Castle archaeology project in Great Torrington, Devon. Give us a follow to get the latest updates - we start digging again with the local community on Friday!

www.tiktok.com/@digthecastle

🪏 #archaeology #castles #history @archsengage.bsky.social
DigtheCastle's Creator Profile
www.tiktok.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
yorym-flo.bsky.social
Terret rings were rein guides on chariots or carts in late Iron Age/early Roman period. They were set in a line along the yoke in groups of 5. Examples are known from 3rd or 2nd century BC East Yorkshire chariot burials as well as the later 1st century AD. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
September 12, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
jimmfelton.bsky.social
NASA's Mysterious Announcement: "Clearest Sign Of Life That We've Ever Found On Mars"
www.iflscience.com/nasas-myster...
NASA's Mysterious Announcement: "Clearest Sign Of Life That We've Ever Found On Mars"
"After a year of review, they have come back and said 'listen, we can't find another explanation. This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we've ever found on Mars."
www.iflscience.com
September 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
drsadiewatson.bsky.social
You can sign this if you have an #EAA ID, whether you are a currently active member or not.
guillermodiazliano.bsky.social Guillermo Diaz de Liaño @guillermodiazliano.bsky.social · Sep 8
Calling all #EAA past and present members! A lot of us are not happy with the events of last week, and with EAA's bleak attitute towards the ongoing genocide. Sign this petition for a special meeting, so we can call a vote of confidence against the current board. Thanks!

forms.gle/cTp7BXiUD1qC...
Call for a Special Meeting of the EAA
Recent events during the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists* have generated profound discontent and distrust toward the current Executive Board among members of the associati...
forms.gle
September 8, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
andybrockman.bsky.social
#EAA Executive Board Omnishambles News

The Belgrade Organising Ctte of #EA2025 claims it was not consulted by the #EAA Executive Board regarding the Israel/Gaza votes and states using student volunteers to enforce rules on political statements during sessions was "particularly inappropriate".
A statement from the Belgrade Organising Committee of EAA2025 claiming it was not consulted on any decisions relating to the status of delegates from Israel made by the Executive Board of the EAA and denouncing the use of student volunteers to enforce rules limiting comments on the situation in EA2025 sessions.
September 5, 2025 at 10:49 AM
dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
As a member (for now!) I have emailed the EAA Executive Board to protest against this immoral debacle. I would strongly encourage others to do this same. #EAA2025
animalarchaeology.com Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · Sep 3
🏺 Call to action from Archaeologists Against Apartheid for all those concerned about what has happened at #EAA2025 (with alt-text). Please see the post below for the link to the letter which includes other links to resources for action.
September 3, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
tessmachling.bsky.social
This just gets worse and worse and worse. Those poor students. As if they haven't been through enough...

#Archaeology 🏺 #EAA2025 #EAA
Belgrade AM Organising committee announcement 3 September 2025 Members of the local Organising Committee of the Belgrade 2025 AM feel obliged to inform the AM delegates and all the EAA members that we were not consulted, nor officially informed of the decisions reached at the meetings of the EAA Executive Board held on August 22nd and September 1st 2025 prior to their official publication. Consequently, we did not endorse the instructions sent to the session organizers and the volunteers on September 2nd. We are well awiare that these instructions were revoked in the meantime, but since most of the volunteers are local students, bravely protesting for months and demanding the democratic rights to speak, we consider it particularly inappropriate to assign them the task to assess and/or deny that right to others. e-a-a.org EAA2025 Home
September 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
Just a reminder that not only did gay dinosaurs exist, there were probably transgender dinosaurs too :)
laurahelmuth.bsky.social Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · Aug 13
Sex-reversal in birds (genetically male/female but appear female/male) is surprisingly common. Best detail: A genetically male bird called a laughing kookaburra had recently laid an egg. (1/2)

By @phiejacobs.bsky.social on @science.org
‘Sex reversal’ is surprisingly common in birds, new study suggests
Survey of five Australian avians finds numerous discordant individuals, including a genetically male bird that had laid an egg
www.science.org
August 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
shenanigansen.bsky.social
01: A girl labeled 'Artists' is holding a drawing tablet and pen under her arm. She is wearing round glasses and a blue sweatshirt. She has messy dark-brown hair and a brown skin-tone. She says "We don't really wanna MAKE A.I. art." 02: A guy labeled 'Art Enjoyers' holds his hand out while speaking. She is wearing a purple and yellow hawaiian shirt with a floral pattern over a white t-shirt, and has red hair and a light skin-tone. He says "We don't really wanna SEE A.I. art." 03: Behind them both, there is a cute girl in a business suit with a pink tie. She is blushing a bit and has pink eyeshadow, and looks upset. Her messy shoulder-length hair is parted in the middle, and held by two hairclips: one that looks like a red arrow pointing down, and one that looks like a green arrow pointing up. She says "Um ... I-Isn't there someone you forgot to ask?" She is labeled 'Shareholders'. 04: She puffs up her cheeks and pouts, a tear is on the verge of falling from one of her eyes. 'Artist Enjoyers' Guy is now in front of her yelling "AH!! SHAREHOLDERS-CHAN!!" while 'Artists' Girl is in front of her yelling "WE'RE SORRY WE HURT YOU!!!!"
August 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
irishashyt.bsky.social
Thank you and goodbye to Great Torrington! Our July weekend-season has ended - we look forward to seeing the community again for larger excavations in September!
@archsengage.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
#archaeology #digthecastle #publicengagement #festivalofarchaeology
3 archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in and around a trench archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in a trench with bucket 2 archaeologists wearing organge vis jackets standing in and around a trench, one smiles at camera
July 28, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
Archaeologist Naomi Trott tells us the results from Trench 2!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #archaeology #communityengagement #socialvalue #househistory
July 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
Archaeologist Belinda Tibbetts tells us what's happening at Trench 1!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #archaeology #communityengagement #festivalofarchaeology #socialvalue #househistory
July 27, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
Archaeologist @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social brings us up to speed on Trench 2!

#digthecastle #devon #greattorrington #festivalofarchaeology #archaeology #communityengagement #socialvalue
July 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
ArchaeologistsEngage now unofficially provide wildlife relocation services! This poor guy was lost on the high street, we are glad to report he was safely rehomed :)

#digthecastle #archaeology #ecology #communityengagement #greattorrington #devon
July 27, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
A local resident found this piece of beauty while digging his vegetable patch on Castle Street, a small metal stick concealer “erace” by the brand Max Factor, dated to 1954.

#archaeology #digthecastle #festivalofarchaeology #greattorrington #devon #makeup #beauty
A photo of a hand holding a corroded tube. A screenshot from the Max Factor website showing an image of the Erace concealer product from 1954.
July 26, 2025 at 5:03 PM
dodoarchaeology.bsky.social
I can't wait to get digging with the lovely folk of Great Torrington again!
archsengage.bsky.social Archaeologists Engage @archsengage.bsky.social · Jul 25
The Bristol crew of AE are heading to Great Torrington to help out with the Castle Street Family Archaeology Weekend! Part of the Dig The Castle project. @irishashyt.bsky.social @dodoarchaeology.bsky.social

#festivalofarchaeology #archaeology ⚱️🏺 #communityengagement #pubarch #socialvalue
A photograph of archaeologists standing beside a car and smiling at the camera. Left to right their names are Naomi Trott, Donal Lucey and Aisling Tierney. The sun is beaming down, the sky is very blue and everyone is wearing sunglasses.
July 25, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
prehistorian.bsky.social
Here it is, our case study on how to combine a century of deep (and building) archaeological knowledge around prehistoric social traditions with the new and exciting aDNA data, to help avoid interpretive pitfalls.

I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed the process of writing it 🎁
pennybickle.bsky.social Penny Bickle @pennybickle.bsky.social · Jun 24
Who was NG10 and what was the world they lived in? The sister paper to our CAJ paper is now out in Antiquity and the cover image no less! Working on these papers with this group, has been one of the richest academic experiences I have had in my career. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The ‘king’ of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
The ‘king’ of Newgrange? A critical analysis of a Neolithic petrous fragment from the passage tomb chamber - Volume 99 Issue 405
www.cambridge.org
June 24, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
owenexiehurcum.bsky.social
Feel really privileged to have been involved in this documentary. Airs this coming Tuesday at 9pm on ITV Cymru Wales and ITV X
Poster for the the documentary 'Proud.'
June 14, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Donal Lucey
archsengage.bsky.social
We'll be speaking about the Dig the Castle project at Devon County Council's 'Archaeology in Devon Day'. Project Director Emily Wapshott and Archaeology Lead Belinda Tibbetts wil be giving the presentation. It's a great opportunity to connect with others across the region - come and say hi!
April 7, 2025 at 9:28 PM