The British Museum

Department Member, Prehistory and Europe

Other Affiliations: University of Leicester, Archaeology and Ancient History

Thesis Title: At the Edge of Empire: Iron Age and Early Roman metalwork in the East Midlands

About

I am currently working in a one-year post as Curator of the European Iron Age Collections at the British Museum.

I am also completing my doctorate in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester.

My thesis explores the nature of the colonial encounter between indigenous communities in Iron Age Britain and the Roman world.  I use small portable metalwork items (brooches, miniatures, horse gear and coins – both Iron Age and Roman) as a case study to explore the transformation of indigenous production and exchange systems, focusing on the period from 150 BC to AD 150. 

My study draws together three forms of evidence:

• An analytical programme focusing on the composition of silver objects.  I use a combination of NDA, WDXRF, ICP-OES, and SEM/EDS to reveal changes in alloy composition, precious metal sources and  production techniques.
• A database of finds, giving information on the spatial distribution and context of small portable metalwork objects, and how use and deposition changes over the conquest period.
• Additional research into gift diplomacy and the development of new technologies of exchange in more recent colonial encounters, particularly the early colonial period in North America c.1600-1775, exploring the factors underlying the processes of colonial interaction in a variety of settings. 

This multi-pronged approach allows me to understand the circulation of precious metals and copper alloys from procurement of the raw materials through the stages of design, production, exchange, re-use and deposition, investigating how contact with the Roman world led to changes in local production and exchange systems, as well as transformations in indigenous categorisations of value.

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