Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian
body in Scotland
, with its headquarters in the National Museum
, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
. It was incorporated by Royal Charter
in 1783, on the same day as the Royal Society of Edinburgh
, and initially both societies shared accommodation on George Street
and in the Royal Institution
building on The Mound
. In 1891 the antiquaries moved into the purpose-built National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, located on Queen Street. The society moved to the National Museum of Scotland in 1954, and the Queen Street building became the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
.
Alexander Rhind
left a bequest to the Society to fund a lecture series, the Rhind Lectures
are still hosted by the Society; an online recording of these prestigious lectures has been made available to the public since 2009.
and learned society
it was formed for the purpose of studying the material culture and history of Scotland
, as set out in the first of its Laws:
The Society today is concerned with every aspect of the human past in Scotland. It draws on a wide range of experience through the Fellow
ship, and provides an impartial voice independent of the opinions of Government, University, or Agency. The Society is consulted by a wide range of organisations from central government to academic funding bodies such as the Arts & Humanities Research Council. The Society makes written responses to numerous consultations, some jointly with the Council for Scottish Archaeology (CSA) and the Scottish Group of the Institute for Archaeologists. The Society worked closely with the Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS was abolished by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 as part of the Scottish Government's policy to simplify the landscape of public bodies), and gave evidence to their working groups on heritage protection legislation and properties in care. The Society has also been actively involved in the Built Environment Forum Scotland, an umbrella body for NGOs in the built and historic environment sectors.
ship is regarded as a sign of recognition as supporting and contributing to the purpose and mission of the society, and Fellows are permitted to use the post-nominal
s FSA Scot.. The Society has an international membership of over 3000 Fellows and a maximum of 25 Honorary Fellows. Admission to the Society is by election
, and candidates must be supported by existing Fellows. The names of those seeking admission are then circulated to the whole Fellowship. Elections are held annually at the Anniversary Meeting (AGM) on St Andrews Day, 30 November. Fundamental to being a candidate for election to the Fellowship is an interest or involvement in Scotland's past. Candidates are advised of the outcome of the election shortly after the ballot.
In addition, the Society hosts the prestigious Rhind Lectures
, a series of six lectures presented by a single lecturer over a weekend. These allow the lecturer to present their topic in much greater detaila nd depth than otherwise possible, and are often published. The Rhind lectures began in 1874 after the death of Alexander Rhind who left the residue of his estate to endow a lectureship in the Society and there have now been over 130 lectures and many have become the published textbook for a generation.
There is also a regular Society Newsletter , and the Society publishes book reviews on their website.
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
body in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with its headquarters in the National Museum
National museum
A national museum is a museum maintained by a nation.The following is a list of national museums:-Australia:*Australian National Aviation Museum*Australian National Maritime Museum*, Sydney*Australian War Memorial*Museum Victoria...
, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
History
The Society was established in 1780, and is the oldest antiquarian society in Scotland, and the second-oldest in Britain after the Society of Antiquaries of LondonSociety of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. It was incorporated by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1783, on the same day as the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, and initially both societies shared accommodation on George Street
George Street, Edinburgh
Situated to the north of Princes Street, George Street is a major street in the centre of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Laid out from 1767 as part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, George Street was named in honour of King George III.-Geography:...
and in the Royal Institution
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
building on The Mound
The Mound
The Mound is an artificial hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New Town and Old Town. It was formed by dumping around 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the foundations of the New Town into the drained Nor Loch which forms today's Princes Street Gardens. The...
. In 1891 the antiquaries moved into the purpose-built National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, located on Queen Street. The society moved to the National Museum of Scotland in 1954, and the Queen Street building became the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery on Queen Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. In addition it also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection...
.
Alexander Rhind
Alexander Rhind
Alexander Colden Rhind was an rear admiral in the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and American Civil War.-Early career:...
left a bequest to the Society to fund a lecture series, the Rhind Lectures
Rhind Lectures
Rhind Lectures are a series of lectures on topics of archaeology, delivered over the course of a weekend by a chosen expert. They have been hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland since 1874...
are still hosted by the Society; an online recording of these prestigious lectures has been made available to the public since 2009.
Objects
As an archaeologicalArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and learned society
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
it was formed for the purpose of studying the material culture and history of Scotland
History of Scotland
The history of Scotland begins around 10,000 years ago, when humans first began to inhabit what is now Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last ice age...
, as set out in the first of its Laws:
The Society today is concerned with every aspect of the human past in Scotland. It draws on a wide range of experience through the Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship, and provides an impartial voice independent of the opinions of Government, University, or Agency. The Society is consulted by a wide range of organisations from central government to academic funding bodies such as the Arts & Humanities Research Council. The Society makes written responses to numerous consultations, some jointly with the Council for Scottish Archaeology (CSA) and the Scottish Group of the Institute for Archaeologists. The Society worked closely with the Historic Environment Advisory Council for Scotland (HEACS was abolished by the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 as part of the Scottish Government's policy to simplify the landscape of public bodies), and gave evidence to their working groups on heritage protection legislation and properties in care. The Society has also been actively involved in the Built Environment Forum Scotland, an umbrella body for NGOs in the built and historic environment sectors.
Fellowship
FellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship is regarded as a sign of recognition as supporting and contributing to the purpose and mission of the society, and Fellows are permitted to use the post-nominal
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
s FSA Scot.. The Society has an international membership of over 3000 Fellows and a maximum of 25 Honorary Fellows. Admission to the Society is by election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
, and candidates must be supported by existing Fellows. The names of those seeking admission are then circulated to the whole Fellowship. Elections are held annually at the Anniversary Meeting (AGM) on St Andrews Day, 30 November. Fundamental to being a candidate for election to the Fellowship is an interest or involvement in Scotland's past. Candidates are advised of the outcome of the election shortly after the ballot.
Sponsorship of research
A major part of the Society's programme is the sponsorship of research, and there are various grants and awards to assist different kinds of work, from survey and excavation to finds analysis and archival research. The entrance fees paid by new Fellows on election to the Society are invested to help increase the Research Fund.Other prizes and awards
The Society also encourages best practice and continued research into Scotland's past through various prizes and awards.- The RBK Stevenson Award - This award of £50 is offered annually in recognition of the article published in the Proceedings on a topic that best reflects the scholarship and high standards of this distinguished individual, who was for many years the Keeper of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland and was President of the Society between 1975 and 1978.
- The Dorothy Marshall Medal - Awarded every three years by the Council of the Society for an outstanding contribution, in a voluntary capacity, to Scottish archaeological or related work.
Lectures and events
The Society hosts monthly lectures, usually between October and May, and generally held in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen, although some are jointly hosted with other Societies elsewhere in Scotland. The Society also has a Regional Fund which enables other Society's to invite a lecturer to them; this lecture is called the Buchan lecture.In addition, the Society hosts the prestigious Rhind Lectures
Rhind Lectures
Rhind Lectures are a series of lectures on topics of archaeology, delivered over the course of a weekend by a chosen expert. They have been hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland since 1874...
, a series of six lectures presented by a single lecturer over a weekend. These allow the lecturer to present their topic in much greater detaila nd depth than otherwise possible, and are often published. The Rhind lectures began in 1874 after the death of Alexander Rhind who left the residue of his estate to endow a lectureship in the Society and there have now been over 130 lectures and many have become the published textbook for a generation.
- Society lectures and other events are now recorded where possible and placed online on the Society website free to view.
- The Rhind LecturesRhind LecturesRhind Lectures are a series of lectures on topics of archaeology, delivered over the course of a weekend by a chosen expert. They have been hosted by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland since 1874...
are similarly recorded and available to view since 2009.
Publications
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland has three main publishing branches:- Peer-reviewed Books, previously known as monographMonographA monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s, covering a wide variety of topics in the history and archaeology of Scotland.
- The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , a yearly peer-reviewed journalAcademic journalAn academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
covering the latest archaeological and historical research in Scotland. The Society has made the entire run of the Proceedings since 1851, and its predecesssor Arcaeologica Scotica back to 1792, freely available on the internet.
- Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports (SAIR) is a peer-reviewed online publication that includes larger and more data-rich projects. It is freely accessible without subscription or payment.
There is also a regular Society Newsletter , and the Society publishes book reviews on their website.
External links
- Society of Antiquaries of Scotland website
- The Society Of Antiquaries Of Scotland Scanning Project, including the online archive of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
- Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports