Belief in the North East?

Belief in the North East is an innovative community archaeology project with more than 1,200 signed-up volunteers, based at the Department of Archaeology at Durham University and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

We work with local people of all ages to explore the fascinating archaeology of ritual and religion throughout North-East England. Studying subjects ranging from prehistoric rock art and burial mounds, through Roman temples, to historic churches and graveyards, we hope to shed new light on the complex religious beliefs of past populations of Teesside, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.

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Unfortunately, our original programme was decimated by the Covid crisis, though we did manage to complete some fieldwork and also delivered popular online presentations covering a range of themes. The project now has a revised timetable running through to the end of 2023, including much further fieldwork, and further on-site and online events. 

Our online presentations have all been recorded and can be watched at your leisure on our own YouTube channel
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Whether or not you fancy getting involved in fieldwork, you are welcome to join us as a volunteer. Volunteers receive updates on all project events by email, including invitations to join in with lots of exciting things! If you would like to register as a volunteer, or to ask us a question, please complete the form on the CONTACT US section of this website. Please note that the project is managed on a part-time basis, so you may not receive an instant reply; please be patient! And feel free to send a gentle reminder if we haven’t got back to you after a few days.
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Results of fieldwork will be made available on this website, which we will be developing throughout the lifetime of the project. Please pop back soon to see what’s new!