New Centre for Historical Archaeology to be launched at University of Leicester » Education » 24dash.com

The University of Leicester is to launch a new Centre for Historical Archaeology.

The Centre, in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History will be launched by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Burgess, at a major conference on historical archaeology at the University of Leicester on April 4th.

Called Crossing Paths, Sharing Tracks, the conference brings together historical and industrial archaeologists from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Romania, and the USA to debate common interests, differences in approach and future paths for shared research. Currently, staff of the School play major roles in the Societies for Medieval Archaeology, Post-Medieval Archaeology, the Irish Post-Medieval Archaeology Group and the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

Historical archaeology is the study of past societies using both written texts and artefactual evidence, and can include the study of classical Greek and Roman civilizations as well as of the medieval and modern worlds. The School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester now has the largest grouping of historical archaeologists in the UK, including five ancient historians with interests in archaeology as well as literary evidence, and six archaeologists whose research interests cover the period from c.1500 to the present day.

Cooperative teaching and research efforts mean that students can compare the institution of slavery in the Greece and Rome with that in America in the early modern period, or consider the similarities and differences between responses to colonialism in classical times as well as during the period of early modern European expansion.

One of the main functions of the Centre is to encourage and co-ordinate interdisciplinary research in the field of historical archaeology by building links firstly with other departments within the University of Leicester, especially the Centres for English Local History and Urban History and Museum Studies; secondly with other British departments with strength in the discipline such as York, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, and Oxford; and thirdly with non-British departments where later historical archaeology is strong, including Ireland and North America. The Centre plans to develop a seminar series, jointly funded research projects, creative student dissertation projects, and post-doctoral fellowships. The Centre will launch a new MA in Historical Archaeology in Autumn 2008 as well as develop opportunities for PhD studentships. The Centre also supports dialogue in the discipline through the coordination of conferences, including the forthcoming Crossing Paths, Sharing Tracks meeting.

Professor Colin Haselgrove, current Head of School, commented : “We are delighted to be launching the Centre for Historical Archaeology, which represents an innovative effort that capitalizes upon the unique blend of expertise and approaches available in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History. This exciting new development for the University of Leicester has also been welcomed by national bodies including the Society of Antiquaries of London.”

For details see http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/news/Crossing%20Tracks/index.html

Additional notes on core staff:
Centre staff include Dr Pim Allison, who has applied household archaeology in Roman Pompeii as well as a 19th-20th century rural homestead in outback Australia; Dr Audrey Horning, who researches the comparative archaeology of British colonialism in Ireland and North America and is also interested in archaeologies of identity, rural settlement and the American South; Dr Chris King, who focuses upon the urban built environment, and is currently pursuing a British Academy funded project on the cultural landscapes of urban nonconformity from 1600-1790; Professor Marilyn Palmer, a pioneer in the field of industrial archaeology who has recently expanded into comparative historical archaeology and in a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship project is exploring the social impact of technological innovation on country house estates; Dr Sarah Tarlow, who has published on commemoration, the archaeology of emotion, the archaeology of improvement, and archaeological ethics and in her current Leverhulme-funded project is examining the treatment of the dead between the 16th and 20th centuries; and Dr Richard Thomas, who contributes his expertise in zooarchaeology to the study of animal husbandry in medieval and post-medieval England. Additionally, Dr Neil Christie and Ms Deirdre O’Sullivan have research and teaching interests in medieval archaeology and are currently working on a major Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project on the Borough of Wallingford. Ancient historians contributing expertise include Professor Graham Shipley, Professor Lin Foxhall, Dr Elly Cowan, Dr Constantina Katsari and Dr Andy Merrills.