ACAP — Abingdon Community Archaeology Project— brings people together to explore the remarkable heritage of Abingdon and the Upper Thames Valley.

This landscape holds one of the richest prehistoric records in Britain. From ancient Thames gravel terraces containing some of the earliest evidence of human activity, to Neolithic settlements, monuments and Bronze Age burial barrows, people have lived, moved and shaped this place for hundreds of thousands of years. Abingdon is not just old — it is a key location in understanding Britain’s deep past.

We welcome everyone, whether you’re completely new to archaeology or already passionate about history. Our aim is to help the community discover the extraordinary stories beneath everyday fields, paths and riverbanks.

Through talks, field walking, landscape interpretation and practical workshops, we explore how people lived here from the Paleolithic through the Romans and beyond. We look at how communities adapted to changing rivers, climates and technologies — and how traces of those lives still survive in the landscape today.

Experimental archaeology is central to our approach. By recreating ancient skills such as flint-working, cordage making, food preparation and other everyday technologies, we gain a deeper understanding of how ingenious our ancestors were and how they used local resources to thrive.

ACAP is committed to responsible, ethical archaeology. We encourage careful recording, collaboration with local heritage organisations, and the protection of the historic environment while building knowledge and confidence within the community.

Above all, ACAP is about shared discovery — learning together, asking questions, and seeing Abingdon not just as a historic town, but as a landscape shaped by people for millennia.