Registration is now open for the second set of workshops for the South West Scotland Archaeological Research Framework (SWSARF). These events will explore the Iron Age and Roman draft chapters of the framework which will soon be available for ScARF users to read and review. 

Both events will cover the same material from the Iron Age and Roman draft chapters and offer you the chance to be involved in the creation and consultation of the later prehistory chapters of this highly anticipated framework. The events will involve short talks and group discussions, and we are keen to hear feedback, suggestions and new perspectives on the drafts.

The first event will take place at Ayr Town Hall on Saturday the 20th of June from 9.30am to 1.30pm. Register for free here. 

The second event is at Dumfries Museum on Saturday the 27th of June from 1pm to 5pm. You can book your place at our Eventbrite page. 

Please note that, while you are welcome to attend both events, they will cover the same material and follow the same structure. 

The events are free to attend, and tea and coffee will be provided. 

Look out for links to the brand-new draft chapters for the Iron Age and Roman periods soon, and remember you can still comment on the drafts for the early prehistory chapters. You can find instructions for commenting directly on the drafts on our website. 

Email us at scarf@socantscot.org if you have any questions.

Our April newsletter is full of exciting events on the horizon for the ScARF team. Whether you’re interested in rock art, the Iron Age and Roman periods or the archaeology of the Clyde Valley, there’s something for everyone!

Take a look at the full newsletter for all the latest updates.

We have three exciting positions available at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to work on ScARF’s final two Regional Research Frameworks. We are hiring a Research Manager and two Research Officers to work on the Research Frameworks for the Forth Valley and Fife regions and the North East of Scotland. 

Research Manager (Full time, fixed term for three years)
This role will include day-to-day management of both the North East of Scotland Archaeological Research Framework and the Forth Valley and Fife Archaeological Research Framework. The role will also contribute to other research-related activities related to the Scottish Archaeological Research Framework.

Visit the Society website for more information. 

Research Officer (Full time, fixed term for three years)
We have two Research Officer positions available. One role will assist in the delivery of the North East of Scotland Archaeological Research Framework. The second role will assist in the delivery of the Forth Valley Archaeological Research Framework project. Both roles will report to the Research Manager, providing support and carrying out additional research as required, as well as helping with the co-ordination of events. 

Click here for more information.

How to apply
Submit a CV and a cover letter outlining how your experience, skills and knowledge meets the requirements (cover letter to be no more than two sides of A4) by the closing date to our Head of Research, Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, at helen@socantscot.org.

Please specify which job you are applying for in the subject line of your email. For the Research Officer applications, please also indicate if you’d like to be considered for a specific region (Forth Valley of North East), or both.

The application deadline is the 8th of March 2026 at 11.59pm, with shortlisted candidates being interviewed in person in Edinburgh or online via Zoom on the 19th and 20th of March.

Please contact us if you have any questions. 

We have a lot of exciting announcements this month, from job opportunities with the ScARF team to upcoming events.

Read the full newsletter to stay up-to-date with the ScARF project.

Our final newsletter of 2025 is now available! Read a summary of the past year and some exciting plans for 2026 here.

We were delighted to launch new chapters of the South East Scotland Archaeological Research Framework (SESARF) at the Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Archaeology Conference this month.

The new chapters, including the Neolithic, Roman and medieval periods, highlight the significance of the South East region and explore the priorities for future archaeological investigation through useful research questions. 

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to the chapter authors, local archaeologists from East Lothian, Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders councils, our Society colleagues and everyone who attended our SESARF events over the past few years. 

Click here to explore the framework!

Have your say

All the SESARF chapters are now open for consultation. If you have any suggestions for key sites, additional research questions, references or updates, we’d love to hear from you. You can contribute to SESARF by adding comments directly to the website using our inline commenting feature. 

Registered ScARF users can submit comments throughout our frameworks. When logged in, you’ll see the speech bubble with a + symbol when you hover over paragraphs.

Clicking this will allow you to add a comment in the text box. You can submit your comment to the ScARF team by clicking Post Comment. 

The ScARF team will review all comments and update the frameworks with the information provided. Full instructions for registering and adding comments can be found here, or by going to About ScARFc(at the top of the page) and clicking Commenting on the ScARF website. 

Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about commenting on our frameworks. 

We’re excited to share all of our latest news, including the SESARF launch, a brand-new book for Pictish enthusiasts and more! You can read all our updates in our November newsletter here.

Read the latest news from the ScARF team, including an update for our SWSARF project, some upcoming conferences and an exciting announcement for the SESARF project.

You can read the full newsletter here.

The first draft chapters for the South West Scotland Archaeological Research Framework are now available on the ScARF website. The SWSARF team are keen for ScARF users to contribute to the framework from the offset, and the Palaeolithic & Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic & Bronze Age drafts can now be accessed here. 

We’d love to hear your feedback on these drafts and welcome you to submit comments directly through the website using our inline commenting feature (full instructions here). 

We have also created a brand-new SWSARF homepage, which includes a valuable collection of resources, information about upcoming SWSARF events and the latest draft chapters, which will continue to grow as the framework develops. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements as the next SWSARF drafts go live!

If you have any questions about the SWSARF project, please contact us. 

The ScARF team are always striving to keep our frameworks up-to-date, accurate and relevant, and we need your help! We welcome updates, corrections and new information from our users at any time. The easiest way to contribute to ScARF is by commenting on our frameworks directly through the website.

All you need to do to contribute a comment is register as a ScARF user on our website, and enter your comment using our inline comments feature. When you’re logged in, you can comment on any of the main framework pages by clicking the speech bubble on the right hand side, entering your text and clicking submit. All comments will be reviewed by ScARF, or the relevant research framework team, and once accepted they will be incorporated into the framework.

Detailed instructions for creating your account and adding your first comment can be found here.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or need assistance to register as a ScARF user.