Behind the Scenes: Medieval pottery in Wales

National Museum Cardiff is opening its stores for a look at medieval pottery on Tuesday 8 December, with curator Sian Iles leading a tour through the collection of complete and reconstructed vessels. It's a behind-the-scenes session, so you'll be seeing pieces that don't usually make it onto the gallery floors.

Iles will walk you through how these pots were actually made and used in the medieval period, and then trace their journey from the ground into the archaeology collections of Amgueddfa Cymru. There's a good bit of context in there too: why pottery study matters to archaeologists in the first place, and how the decisions made by previous curators have shaped the collection as it stands today. It's as much about the life of the objects after they were dug up as it is about the people who used them centuries ago.

There are two sessions to choose from, one at 12:00 and another at 14:00, and each runs for about an hour. Both are conducted in English. It's suitable for ages 12 and over, so it works as a family thing if you've got teenagers around. Tickets are £8 per person, and you'll need to meet at the Ticketing Desk in the Main Hall before the tour gets going.