McDonald Field Archaeologist 2011 / 2012 appointed

We are delighted to announce that Jim Leary has been appointed as the McDonald Institute's "Field Archaeologist in Residence" for 2011/12 and will join the Institute for the Easter Term 2012. Jim is an archaeologist and prehistorian with English Heritage. Prior to this he spent 7 years with a commercial archaeological unit in London. In 2007 and 2008 he directed the excavations into Silbury Hill and in 2010 published an account of this with colleague David Field in the book 'The Story of Silbury Hill'. In 2010 Jim also directed excavations at Marden henge in the Vale of Pewsey, the largest henge in Britain. This revealed one of the best preserved Neolithic buildings in England, as well as the remains of another Neolithic mound, the Hatfield Barrow. More recently Jim assisted with work that cored through the Marlborough Mound, conclusively proving for the first time that it is prehistoric and contemporary with Silbury Hill. Jim is also working on perceptions of sea-level rise in the Mesolithic, as well as mobility and movement in archaeology.

We look forward to welcoming Jim to the McDonald Institute in April.