About
I am an archaeologist with specialist interests in later prehistory, with a particular focus on the Neolithic of the British Isles and adjacent regions. Fieldwork has always been an important part of my research, and I have been fortunate to work in some iconic landscapes, including those of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, alongside brilliant and inspirational colleagues. Framing this work are general interests in monumentality among trans-egalitarian societies, material practices, and cultural perceptions of the environment. It’s a great time to be working in archaeology, and the breadth, innovation and global contribution of the subject continues to fuel my passion.
Research
Research interests
- Monumentality (and especially the conditions under which monument buidling occurs)
- Depositional practices and materiality
- Cultural perceptions of the environment
- Approaches to the study of settlement and routine
- British later prehistory, and especially the Neolithic
Current research
Among other commitments, I am currently preparing elements of the AHRC-funded Living with Monuments Project for publication, and still exploring the relationships between occupation, place-making and monument creation.
My research has taken in themes relating to monumentality (and especially the conditions under which monument buidling occurs), depositional practices and materiality, cultural perceptions of the environment, and approaches to the study of settlement and routine. These have been articulated through a focus on British later prehistory, and especially the Neolithic. Over the last 25 years I have been involved - in collaboration with colleagues in the UCL and the Universities of Bournemouth, Manchester and UHI - in major fieldwork projects investigating the great monument complexes of Avebury (the AHRC-funded ‘Living with Monuments Project’ and ‘Longstones Project’) and Stonehenge (the ‘Stones of Stonehenge’ and AHRC-funded ‘Stonehenge Riverside Project’).
I have also researched and published on other topics, including the archaeology of contact on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and the links between contemporary art and archaeology.
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Biography
I came to Southampton in 2011 after an almost clockwise procession of other posts. Following completion of my PhD at Cardiff, I worked for a while as a Project Officer for the renowned Cambridge Archaeological Unit, with intervening spells as a Sir James Knott Research Fellow at Newcastle and a Temporary Lecturer at Queen's, Belfast. In 1998 I took up a permanent post as a Lecturer at the University of Wales, Newport. Leaving that institution just before the closure of Archaeology, I moved to Bristol and thence to Southampton.