ARCHAEOLOGY in York over the last two decades will be under the spotlight at a conference in the city.

Experts in the field will be attending the three-day event at York St John University, which starts on Friday, to talk about what has been learned from excavations and how people have been able to get involved in uncovering the city’s hidden history.

They will also discuss whether City of York Council has successfully ensured archaeological deposits are preserved and excavated since 1989, the point at which questions were raised about whether artefacts were being threatened by new developments or vice versa.

Sparked by the damage of archaeological discoveries at the former Queen’s Hotel site in Micklegate, it led to the York Development And Archaeology Study being drawn up to map out how excavations should be carried out.

The conference starts at 6.30pm on Friday, when the keynote speaker will be the study’s chief author, Professor Martin Carver, and runs until Sunday.

The council’s archaeologist, John Oxley, said: “This will be a great opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved but, more importantly, to look forward to see how the world-class heritage of the city can contribute to economic vitality and quality of life in this great historic city.”

The fee for the conference is £85, including refreshments and lunches, but places for Prof Carver’s speech can be booked separately for £5.

More details and a booking form are available at york.gov.uk/leisure/Local_history_and_heritage/Archaeology/conference or from archaeology@york.gov.uk