Department of Archaeology

Overview

York is a centre of research excellence in medieval and historical archaeology, not just for the UK, but also explore these interests in a broader context that includes the medieval Islamic world. The research interests of this group are linked to many of the most significant themes of historic-period archaeology.  Our research considers the relationships between archaeology, art, and history, and material culture and text; culture contact and sociopolitical transitions; local and global trade, exchange, and interaction; settlement and inhabitation of buildings, landscapes, and social spaces; working and social relationships between people, animals, and animal products; material expressions of identity and social location; and the archaeology of death and memory.

We have a number of primary fieldwork specialties, including:  recording, analysis, and visualisation of medieval and post-medieval buildings, with particular strengths in church buildings, public architecture, vernacular housing, and virtual reality reconstruction; mapping and analysis of medieval and early modern settlements and estate landscapes in Britain and abroad; the remains of medieval and early modern mortuary and commemorative practice; and consideration of modern heritage sites and public engagement and perceptions.  

We work closely with colleagues in other disciplines through the Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS) and Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies (CECS), both of which are based at King's Manor, adjacent to the Archaeology Department.

Members

• Steve Ashby
• Paul Belford
• Mark Edmonds
• Jonathan Finch
• Kate Giles
• Jane Grenville
• Paul Lane
• Sara Perry
• Julian Richards
• John Schofield
• Søren Sindbæk
• Anthony Masinton
• Stephanie Wynne-Jones
  

Research Students

• Leslie Johansen
• Gareth Dean
• Ollie Jones
• Tim Tatlioglu
• Alex Holton
• Isabella von Holstein
• Matt Jenkins
• Ashley Coutu
• Stefania Perring
• Mark Johnson
• Jane-Heloise Nancarrow
• Charlie Newman
• Hank Squiers

Research Projects

• Empire and Landscape in the Long 18th Century (with CECS)
• The Yorkshire Country House Partnership (with CECS)
• harewoodproject including Gawthorpe Hall excavations
• Historic Parks and Gardens Database
• VASLE
• The Stratford guild chapel
• The archaeology of Jodrell Bank
• Buildings and community in Pangani, Tanzania
• Livestock and deadstock in medieval towns
• Researching Ivory
• Possessions and objects (with CMS)
• St. Martin-cum-Gregory, Micklegate: church archaeology in the 21st century
• Ryedale: construction and commemoration in historic Yorkshire
• Graffiti in historic farmyards and buildings
• Combs and communities in the early Middle Ages
• Inhabiting the Viking Age: landscape and seascape
• Commemoration and identity in medieval northern England
• Craft and stonework at York Minster

Conferences

• Archaeology of Destruction, May 2006
• Society for Historical Archaeology Annual Conference January 2005
• Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology 2003 Annual Conference, "Estate Landscapes".
• Society for Medieval Archaeology, Annual Conference 2002