This weekend people are invited to explore history at the Festival of Archaeology. 

Salisbury Museum has said this year's festival, held on July 27 and 28, will be one of the biggest for years. 

The festival comes just a few weeks after the museum has unveiled its highest-funded expansion ever which has been three years in the making.

The £5.1m project is a culmination of plans to redevelop the museum to offer new permanent galleries, a flexible learning and events venue along with new activities and the staff to run them.

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The Festival of Archaeology will be held at Salisbury MuseumThe Festival of Archaeology will be held at Salisbury Museum (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

Planning for the expansion began in 2021 and it has been made possible thanks to a £3.9m donation from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. A further £1.2m came from private donations.

For the Festival of Archaeology, there will be a packed showground, with a demonstration marque and talks in the museum's new hall. 

Over the two days, visitors will be able to delve into the history of the Long Bow, uncover Georgian surgery practices, discover how Buzzards adapt to ever-changing living conditions, explore new insights into the Cerne Abbas Giant and much more. 

The Young Archaeologists Club, Salisbury Cathedral Education, Council for British Archaeology, and Wessex Archaeology will all be at the festival. 

A number of talks will also be held, including Bronze Ange and Anglo-Saxon funerary landscape, conserving the King's House, and what was Stonehenge for?

The family-friendly event will run from 10am until 5 pm and it is a donation entry.