Chris Carey

Chris Carey is a senior lecturer in geoarchaeology in the School of Environment and Technology, where he is course leader for the BSc (hons) Geography BSc degree.

Chris has over 15 years’ experience working within the archaeological and environmental sectors and has a particular focus on human environmental dynamics in the Holocene, archaeometallurgy and prehistory.  Chris is currently collaborating on multiple research projects, including looking at soil degradation and environmental change on Exmoor, Iron and Power in the Kingdom of Kush, Sudan, Deposit Modelling for Archaeological Projects, and mapping of the prehistoric landscapes at Dowth and the Hill of Ward, Ireland.

Chris is the principal investigator on the ‘Deposit Modelling for Archaeological Projects’, which is developing new national guidelines to facilitate wider application and better integration of deposit modelling within in archaeological projects.

My research interests are on three main themes, being geoarchaeology, prehistoric landscapes and archaeometallurgy.  In terms of geoarchaeology my interest stems from understanding the interaction of human beings with their environment and involves project on Exmoor investigating prehistoric soil degradation and also alluvial geoarchaeology, using sediment stacks of archives of past human soil erosion, such as on the Rivers Trent and Lugg.  I have worked on several projects mapping prehistoric landscapes and then excavating monuments within these, such as on Exmoor, UK, Damerham, Cranborne Chase, and Dowth and the Hill of Ward, Ireland.  Lastly, my research in archaeometallurgy involves the excavation and application of new methods of geochemical analysis to identify past residues of metalworking in sites as diverse as Roman Exmoor and the Kingdom of Kush in Sudan.

My teaching is complemented by contemporary case study materials drawn from my research into human environmental dynamics, archaeometallurgy and prehistoric archaeology.  The modules I teach include Human Environmental Dynamics in the Holocene, Archaeological Practice, Ice Age Earth, Prehistoric Societies of Europe and Environmental Hazards, along with supervision of Undergraduate level dissertations.

Through teaching I want students to share my passion for human interaction with the environment, especially in prehistory.  To facilitate this many of my modules involve fieldwork, including a trip to the inspiring landscape of Avebury, coring across alluvial floodplains and a museum visit to see the finest burials of Bronze Age Europe, as well as local fieldwork on sites in the South downs and Loutraki, Greece.  Students who take these modules come from a variety of disciplines including Archaeology, Geography, Environmental Science, Geography, Biology, Ecology and Geology. Through studying these modules I hope students find a different perspective and gain new insights into prehistoric societies, climate change and human-environment interaction