Roman Metalwork Hoards

Throughout the course of my academic study I have developed a range of skills in GIS software which appear to me to be vital for this project. This includes experience with a variety of data types from Britain and other areas of the world at a landscape and intra-site level. The integration of these two levels of analysis to investigate the social, cultural and economic setting of Romano-British metalwork hoards would provide a new perspective on their socio-economic context at several spatial scales. I have experience in the digitisation of archaeological features, the use of DEMs and LiDAR, spatial and topographical analysis and the use of geodatabases. Some of these GIS techniques can be seen in my forthcoming article in the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. In the study of Roman metalwork hoards the use of Kernel Density Estimation and viewsheds are likely to provide new perspectives. One of the projects that I am working on at present is the digitisation of the Carthage Survey conducted by Joseph Greene. This has required a range of GIS skills and an understanding of the technical issues of integrating legacy survey data with new digital technologies. Similar to the analysis of patterns of deposition required for the study of Roman metalwork hoards, this project studied the relationship between site locations, archaeological methodologies and past practice. This means that I have a detailed understanding of the issues of combining disparate archaeological datasets into a GIS for spatial analysis. I have gained experience with artefact databases; the identification and the cataloguing of artefacts; with some additional limited experience of British Iron Age and Roman artefacts. Mainly these artefacts have been glass or ceramic but I have some experience with the identification and cataloguing of Roman coins. This has included several years of involvement with the Durham department's field school at Binchester Roman fort. Recently I have developed a database for the archive of the Late Roman to Islamic period site of Dibsi Faraj excavated from 1972-1974; this involved the integration of an artefact archive with the excavation records and the find records. Hence, I am used to working with a variety of archaeological records which can be of poor quality and the gleaning from them the most information possible. During my degree I have developed a detailed knowledge of the late prehistoric and Roman period within Britain and across Europe. Discussions involving artefact studies have included object biographies as well as the sensory and cultural understanding of these objects. This means I have a detailed theoretical understanding of Romano-British society which I would welcome the opportunity to develop further through this exciting PhD. Over the course of my Masters and undergraduate degrees I have repeatedly pursued my academic interests beyond my course studies. This involved the attendance of numerous conferences such as the Roman Rural Settlement workshop or the Revisiting Intangible Heritage held at Durham. Outside of my course I developed my own research into the issue of the way archaeological societies are portrayed in contemporary popular media which I presenting at conferences including the 20th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Istanbul (My paper will be published along with the other papers from the session). This project fits perfectly with the ethos that brought me to archaeology originally; that we should study all areas of ancient populations and not just the highly visible elite component of society. The investigation of the location of Roman metalwork hoards in relation to different levels of the settlement hierarchy. It is an ethos that I have held throughout my studies and I intend to pursue this interest throughout my career.