Archaeology thesis and dissertation collection
Recent Submissions
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Medieval masonry techniques and architectural elements in central-eastern Umbria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-06-24)This doctoral thesis aims to investigate historical architectures of Umbria (central Italy) through the methodologies of Architectural Archaeology. The region is rich in medieval and early modern structures: an extraordinary ... -
Connecting worlds: early Phoenician presence across Atlantic Iberia (8th-6th Centuries BC)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-04-11)Recent years have seen a surge of archaeological interest in understanding past intercultural contacts. The arrival of Phoenicians to southern Iberia in the mid 9th century BC and their interactions with local communities ... -
Inferring personhood through funerary evidence in Late Prehistoric Southeastern Iberia (3200-1500 BC)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-03-21)This work explores, through the theoretical analysis of funerary evidence, notions of personhood during the Chalcolithic and the Early and Middle Bronze Age (3200-1500 BC) in the Southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. ... -
Rethinking established methodology in micromammal taphonomy: archaeological case studies from Orkney, UK (4th millennium BC – 15th century AD)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2022-03-14)Micromammals (e.g. rodents, shrews), characterised by their small size, short lifespan and high reproduction rate, are known for rapid adaptability to changing conditions, inhabiting all environments besides the most frigid. ... -
Critical applications of KOCOA in Western Europe c. 26 BC - 1745 AD
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-11-18)In the thirty years since Conflict Archaeology has evolved as a discipline, it has grown exponentially in scope. In order to define a methodological and conceptual framework for the discipline, conflict archaeologists ... -
Sicily and Crete between Byzantium and the Dar Al-Islam (Late 7th - Mid 10th Century): an archaeological contribution
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-04)Focusing on the Byzantine-Islamic transitions of Sicily and Crete, the aim of this thesis is to contribute to the archaeological debate surrounding the development of both islands between the late 7th and mid-10th century. ... -
Comparative projectile trauma: an examination of the differences in skeletal trauma inflicted by firearms and archery weapons
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-04)In recent years, the defining characteristics of cranial projectile trauma have been reported extensively in experimental studies as well as forensic case reports. The existing literature, however, focuses on trauma ... -
Cowboys and indians? A biocultural study of violence and conflict in south-east Scotland c. AD 400 to c. AD 800
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-04)This thesis considers the skeletal evidence for violence in south-east Scotland during the early medieval period and includes analysis of human remains not previously examined alongside biomolecular analyses of selected ... -
Oria Kastro, an insular medieval settlement and fortress on Kythnos: an architectural, archaeological, and historical investigation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)The thesis concerns Oria Kastro a medieval fortified settlement on the island of Kythnos in the western Cyclades. Nested on top of a remote cliff on the north-western coast the Kastro (kastro meaning castle in Greek) ... -
Quantitative analysis of the Early Christian churches of Central Lycia
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Since the publication of R. Martin Harrison’s seminal work, ‘Churches and chapels of Central Lycia’ in 1963, numerous scholars have focused on the region, attracted by the large number of extant remains. From large-scale ... -
Hate or glory: a categorical and experimental consideration of Bronze Age halberds in Scotland in relation to MBA weaponry
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Despite being one of the largest collections of their type in Europe, the Early Bronze Age halberds in Scotland have not been catalogued or analysed since Coles’ 1968-9 work. Accordingly, every halberd in Scotland was ... -
Potential of mechanical and physicochemical analysis of human cortical bone for forensic age estimation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Age estimation remains one of the most challenging tasks for forensic practitioners when establishing the biological profile of unknown skeletonised remains. Morphological methods based on developmental markers of bones ... -
Urbes Thraciarum in Late Antiquity: an archaeological assessment of the cities of Thracia from Diocletian to Maurice (284-602)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-11-30)This thesis is a critical analysis of the archaeological remains of the major urban centres of the late antique province of Thracia between the late 3rd and early 7th century. The first part presents the material ... -
Identifying the disappeared: testing a novel method for sorting commingled human remains
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-29)Individualisation of commingled remains is the first step towards identification of skeletal remains, and thus to returning a loved one to their family or community after tragedy and to providing closure. Currently, there ... -
Bone histopathology: the effects of pathology on bone microstructure and implications for histological age estimation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-02)Age estimation is a vital part of the creation of a biological profile for the purposes of identifying unknown individuals. Numerous macroscopic methods of analysing bone have been developed for this purpose. In some ... -
Geoarchaeology of burnt mounds: site formation processes, use patterns, and duration
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-02)Burnt mounds, accumulations of fire-cracked stone and fuel residues dating largely from the Bronze Age, are a widespread and numerous site type across Britain and Ireland. However, the function, duration, and depositional ... -
First analysis of multiple blunt force weapon-tools using skin-skull-brain models to evaluate inter-personal violence in the European Neolithic
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-02)The study of violence-related head trauma is often complicated as a variety of weapons can produce similar forms of injury, which has limited the analysis of some forms of violence during the Neolithic in Europe. The ... -
Landscape archaeology of St Kilda
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-02)The archipelago of St Kilda has received more attention from writers than any other in Scotland. Its allure to the Scottish romantic ideal, coupled with its central importance in widely held notions of Scotland’s remote ... -
Feasting and shared drinking practices in the Early Bronze Age II-III (2650-2000 BC) of north-central and western Anatolia
(The University of Edinburgh, 2014-11-26)Feasting and shared drinking are long suspected to have been practiced in Anatolian settlements during the Early Bronze Age (EBA). New drinking vessels of metal and ceramic seem meant for drinking together with others. ... -
From tribes to kingdoms? Society and change in South-West Scotland 0 – 600 AD
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-02)The prehistory and early history of Scotland have been the subject of academic interest since the antiquarian period, but most of this interest has been focused on the Eastern, Northern and Atlantic regions of Scotland. ...
