University of Oxford

Post-Doc, Archaeology

St. Cross College

Thesis Title: Coastal Communities and Landscape of North-East England and South-East Scotland, c.450-850 AD

About

Since September 2011 I have been working on a collaborative research project with Professor Helena Hamerow and Dr. John Naylor --
"The Origins of Wessex: Uncovering the Kingdom of the Gewisse".

http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/wessex.html

Between January and August 2011 I was Assistant project curator at the Ashmolean Museum on the refit of the England 400-1600, focussing particularly on the Post-Roman and Early Medieval collections.

I completed my doctoral research in early 2011 on "The Coastal Communities and Landscape of North-East England and South-East Scotland, c.450-850 AD". This research focused upon the development and use of coastal landscapes within early medieval Northumbria. Through statistical and GIS analysis I considered how concepts of intervisibility, temporality, agricultural development and maritime exploitation can be related to the small and large scale archaeological record (such as artefact distribution and deposition) to illuminate the development of the early medieval coast, society and economy.


I have recently completed research examining the application of path dependence to archaeological contexts, questioning how theories of path dependence, emergent within political science and economics over the past decade, can be applied to the study of archaeology and archaeological events. Monumentality and place within the occupation of the landscape has been the focus of much discussion within early medieval archaeology. In particular, the re-use of prehistoric sites within early medieval mortuary contexts has received much comment. Documentary sources, such as Beowulf and The Wife’s Lament highlight the importance attached to prehistoric mortuary sites by early medieval society. The re-use of prehistoric barrows, and the subsequent movement to Christian churchyard burial can be understood through the development of a path dependent analysis. Theories of path dependency may offer the archaeologist an alternative approach to the interpretation of temporal change, space and monumental re-use within early medieval archaeology and the discipline as a whole.

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