There are plenty of ways to get involved with the history and archaeology of Wiltshire. Why not visit a museum or join an archaeological society?
Many Portable Antiquities Scheme finds can be seen on display at museums around the county (see the links that accompany the descriptions below).
Museums
Situated at the prehistoric monument of Avebury, the Alexander Keiller Museum houses one of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain, housed in the Stables Gallery, and including many artefacts from the World Heritage Site monuments.
Athelstan Museum
Two post-medieval gold finger rings are on display here (WILT-1364E7 and WILT-A75095).
Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre
Learn about the town’s development, through its connections to river, road and rail and explore its surprising links to Alfred the Great and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The Salisbury Museum houses one of the best collections relating to Stonehenge and local archaeology. Two important Bronze/Iron Age hoards are on display here (WILT-E8DA70 and WILT-9439A7).
The visitor centre contains nearly 300 archaeological objects, finds from Stonehenge and other nearby monuments, now displayed on site for the first time.All the objects are on loan from Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Museum, Devizes. We recommend a visit to these two museums to find out more about the prehistory of the Stonehenge area.
Swindon Museum has displays of local history, archaeology and geology. The museum displays tell the story of Swindon’s Jurassic past, its connections with the Roman Empire and the more recent social history of this thriving town. PAS finds such as this medieval silver ring are on display here (WILT-2452A0).
The Wiltshire Museum contains the largest collection of Early Bronze Age gold ever put on public display in England. Displays feature 500 Stonehenge period objects, including 30 pieces of gold treasure, together with archaeology, art, natural history, local history, and an Archive and Library which is open to the public. The Stockley Viking Age gold ring (WILT-C90DD5) is on display here along with other PAS finds.
Societies & Organisations
A list of local history and archaeological societies is maintained by Local History Online here.
