Rubicon took part in the award winning Dunbar Science Festival over the weekend and introduced enthusiastic crowds to the wonders of science in archaeology. The stall at the festival was a collaboration between the East Lothian Council Archaeology Service, Archaeology Scotland, Addyman Archaeology and Rubicon Heritage Services and had exhibits about dendrochronology (tree ring dating), environmental archaeology including pollen analysis and Ötzi (a Bronze Age body preserved in ice in the Alps and discovered in 1991). By far the most popular exhibit was an activity where children could dissect specially made fake poo. By analysing the contents they worked out whether it was of Roman, Viking or medieval origin and learned about the diet of the time and also aspects of society such as agriculture and trade links. We were very impressed by the meticulous approach of many of the participants.

The science festival had record numbers of visitors over the weekend and was a great opportunity to showcase some of the scientific techniques used in archaeology. The festival is an annual event and more information is available on its website at http://dunbarscifest.org.uk/