I began my academic training in Fine Art, studying painting and ceramics at University in the USA. After immigrating to the UK with my family in 1984,  I was invited to join the newly formed Cambridge Archaeological Unit in 1986. At the Unit, I had the role of Finds Officer. In 1993, after seven years with the Unit, I accepted a position with Dr. Charles French and Dr. Wendy Mathews in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. It is here that I learned to produce thin-sections of archaeological sediment for a SERC research funded project looking at ‘Understanding the Occupational Sequences and Use of Space in Ancient Tell Sites of the Near East’. Although, the practice of utilizing soil micromorphology in archaeology was known and had been in use since the 1970’s, I pioneered the craft of making mammoth thin-sections by completing nearly 300 slides during the course of this ground-breaking research. The results of this project were so successful, that a further two years of funding was granted through the Leverhulme Trust.


In 1998, after five years of research, I officially joined the support staff of the Department of Archaeology as a Senior Research Technician, with Dr. Charles French in the Charles McBurney Laboratories for Geo-Archaeology. I taught thin-sectioning to the Archaeological Science MPhil and PhD students of the Department, as well as supporting the overall undergraduate teaching program on and off site in the field. During this time, I found friends and formed collaborative links with the Department of Earth Sciences, the Scott Polar Institute, the British Antarctic Survey, the Department of Plant Sciences, and the Department of Geography. Together, with Dr. Steve Boreham and Dr. Charles French, the methodology of ‘Defining and Interpreting Palaeoenvironments’ with the use of soil and sediment science was developed into a linked graduate teaching program for the students of both Departments.


Some of my personal highlights:

2001: I hosted a conference at the Department of Archaeology, on the ‘Craft of Thin-sectioning’. Over forty fellow thin-section practicioners and researchers from the
UK gathered together to discuss and share their work. The Society of Thin-sectioner's was founded at the meeting, and continues to meet on a regular basis to share ideas, the latest methodologies, and the craft.

2002: I collaborated with Dr. Wendy Matthews to create an exhibition on ‘Life at the Ancient Tell Site of Catalhoyuk, Turkey’, at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Thin-section slides from archaeological features were produced and displayed as ‘museum objects’ to the public, in an effort to demonstrate and describe the fine microscopic details of everyday life in the ancient Neolithic city of Catalhoyuk
, 8000 BC. I would like to return to and develop some of the ideas that came out of this successful exhibition for future work with thin-sections.

2002-2005: I returned to the landscapes of my childhood in the
Southwest USA, and began a five-year collaboration with Dr. Richard Periman of the United States Department of Agriculture, at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Albuquerque. Along with Dr. Charles French, fieldwork was conducted in an effort to research and understand the ‘Long-term Landscape and Fire History of the Riparian areas of Northern New Mexico and Western Montana’.  Major standstill phases in the last 5000 years of the Holocene erosion record were discovered in the modern Rio Puerco river incisions just NW of Cuba, New Mexico. This included a very well developed phase of the Archaic period (c.2000-3000 BP), associated with ditch features which suggested floodplain management, possibly for maize agriculture. See the photos in my Gallery. Unfortunately, funding for this project was withdrawn from the US Forestry Services before work could be fully completed. It is hoped that new funding can be found to continue this work in the future.

2003: I was asked to do forensic thin-section work in relation to a major national murder case investigated by the Cambridgeshire police. The results of my work, along with other forensic specialists formed a substantial body of data, which helped secure a conviction in this case.

2006: I joined Dr. Steve Boreham, and Chris Rolfe in support fieldwork for ‘Ancient Food’; a recent Ray Mears
UK television show. The support group supplied their expertise in coring Holocene lake sediments of Hockham Mere, Norfolk, in order to show evidence for food in the hunter-gatherer environment of c.8,000 BP. See the photo in my Gallery.

2007: I began my own 'earthslides' freelance thin-section business.  I continue to work with Dr. Charles French and my husband Dr. Steve Boreham, in the field and in the laboratories of the Departments of Archaeology and Geography.

2008: I attended the World Archaeological Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in June 2008. I presented a show entitled, 'Hidden Worlds - A Journey in Geoarchaeology'. This exhibition of soils and sediments gathered together the research work of nine of my closest colleagues. The idea behind the show was to present the 'science' of Geoarchaeology as 'art'. Each thin-section (standard slide size of 137 x 67 x 3mm) was scanned and produced as a A1 poster size image. Visitors were provided with a gallery catalogue, and were able to view thin-sections from around the world in a truly unique and ground-breaking way. Another focus of the show, was to look at the way in which Geoarchaeologists write about and describe the 'micromorphology' images they create. The catalogue provided a science description, and a public description for every image. I am extremely excited about further researching the need to present the discipline of Geoarchaology in a new and understandable way not only to the archaeologists we work with, but also to the public. Please see the photos of 'Hidden Worlds' in my Gallery.

My husband and I were asked by English Heritage to advise and carry out extensive fieldwork and associated laboratory work on the organic sediments at Star Carr, Yorkshire, UK. In partnership with the excavation team, led by Dr. Nicky Milner and Dr. Chantal Conneller, we investigated the geochemistry of the organic sediments at Star Carr, and the effect of these sediments on the preservation of the Mesolithic artifacts and wood at the site. Our results suggest that repeated drying out and re-wetting of the sediments due to climate and recent human interaction has now put the archaeology of Star Carr at high risk.  English Heritage has offered to contribute further funds towards the full excavation of the remaining preserved areas of the site. Star Carr is unique, and one of the very few existing Mesolithic sites in the UK and Europe. It is an exciting step towards understanding the full story of this remarkable site. We look forward to continuing our work with the team. Please visit the Star Carr website for more details of the work that is currently taking place. Please see the photo of Star Carr fieldwork in my Gallery.

2009:



 

 
 
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