Research Interests:
Medieval archaeology, history and art; material religion; relics; advanced studies; archaeometry; public engagement.
Geographic Areas:
Europe and the Mediterranean; Britian; Nordic Region. Has worked in Britain and Finland.
My research focuses on ancient relics and their material context. This includes the study of the archaeological and art historical evidence relating to relics, within the context of the written sources. In collaboration with Professor Thomas Higham and his team at RLAHA, I have also integrated into my research evidence from scientific analyses, primarily including osteology, AMS radiocarbon dating, isotope analysis and Ancient DNA analysis. Since 2015, Professor Higham and I have directed the Oxford Relics Cluster (http://www.keble-asc.com/relics-cluster), a platform for interdisciplinary discussion on relics. At present, I am working on several studies of early Christian relics, such as the Wood of the Cross, and a number of secular relics, such as the remains of Anglo-Saxon royalty. While continuing my research I am keen to collaborate with other scholars to expand the reach of my research within fields such as Natural Sciences, History, Cultural Heritage, Theology, Anthropology and Comparative Literature.
