A Mosaic of Recollections

Memoirs of an Archaeologist

David S. Neal

• Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781803279367
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Scienze sociali
• Subtopic: Storiografia

A Mosaic of Recollections is the autobiography of David S. Neal, whose name has become synonymous with the study and illustration of Roman mosaics in Britain. It tells the story of a working-class boy, born into the travails of war-torn London, and his evacuation to South Wales to live with a mining community. The return to London in time to celebrate VE-Day remains a vivid memory. After moving to Hemel Hempstead New Town he became fascinated with the museums at St Albans and spent many hours watching excavations on Roman Verulamium before being invited to help.

Studying graphic design at Watford School of Art developed his talents, which he was able to combine with his activities on the excavations as he began to record the mosaic pavements then being exposed. Work as a graphic designer with the Gas Board was not compelling, and he was fortunate to secure employment as an archaeological illustrator with the government's Ancient Monuments Inspectorate, where he met a wide range of unusual personalities. Tea-breaks were an education, as were lectures he was invited to attend at the Society of Antiquaries of London. Soon Neal became the manager of the archaeological drawing office, responsible for a team of illustrators recording a wide range of artefacts from excavations sponsored by the department. His work became renowned in the profession and, increasingly, he was invited to help on excavations in England and abroad. At the age of 23 he directed his own excavations on the Roman villa in Gadebridge Park, Hemel Hempstead, which led to the publication of a monograph. With his growing interest and expertise, he was frequently invited to record Roman mosaics, often at a moment's notice, and was able to share the excitement of discovery of many of them. After 15 years he became a full-time archaeologist and excavated a variety of sites of all periods culminating on the extensive excavations of a Roman settlement at Stanwick, Northamptonshire. Early retirement allowed the time to concentrate, with a colleague, on the publication of the corpus of Roman Mosaics of Britain and, later, to record the medieval mosaics at Westminster Abbey and Canterbury.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontispiece
• Title Page
• Copyright Information
• List of Figures
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: My formative years
• Chapter 2: A New Life
• Chapter 3: My early career
• Chapter 4: Art and Archaeology
• Chapter 5: Archaeological illustration
• Chapter 6: Archaeological excavations
• Chapter 7: Living in London
• Chapter 8: Personal life
• Chapter 9: Excavations in Hemel Hempstead and the Isles of Scilly
• Chapter 10: Foreign travels
• Chapter 11: Excavations at Gorhambury 1972-82
• Chapter 12: Arnold Taylor, the Chief Inspector
• Chapter 13: Excavations at Kings Langley and Lullingstone Roman villa
• Chapter 14: Hurst and van Beuningen 1986
• Chapter 15: Gadebridge revisited 2000
• Chapter 16: Full-time Archaeology
• Chapter 17: Life at Tylers
• Chapter 18: Wood Lane End 1982 and Stanwick 1984-1991
• Chapter 19: Mosaic Publications
• Chapter 20: Medieval mosaics
• Chapter 21: Reconstructions and exhibitions of mosaic paintings
• Chapter 22: My Japanese connections
• Chapter 23: Time with Covid and recovery
• Chapter 24: Does retirement beckon?
• Chapter 25: My Parents
• Bibliography
• Appendix I: Exhibitions of mosaic paintings (some dates uncertain)
• Appendix II: Publications by the author
• Appendix III: Catalogue of paintings by David S. Neal