MA in the Archaeology of Medieval Europe

Course overview

This programme is designed for those wishing to develop their knowledge of the Middle Ages (AD 400-1500) through the advanced study of medieval archaeology. Reading has one of the largest concentrations of medieval archaeologists in the World, and we combine technical and thematic modules that cover: Dark Age societies, Viking interactions, food and culture, and the Crusades, as well as bioarchaeology, illustration and language. There is a unique opportunity to attend a European placement, or work experience at Westminster Abbey. We provide emphasis on social archaeology and interdisciplinary approaches to medieval Britain, set in the context of northern and central Europe.

We are accepting applications - please click the link to Apply Now.

Who will be teaching me?

Our teaching and research staff have established international reputations and with particular areas of expertise:

Professor Roberta Gilchrist	Roberta's research addresses a wide range of issues in medieval archaeology, particularly gender and religion. Most recently she has been leading a major project on Glastonbury Abbey. Her study of archaeological approaches to the life course in medieval England was published in 2012 as Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course (click here to read an inteview about the book). Roberta is currently Head of SAGES. She contributes to the medieval core course and is available to advise you on your dissertations.
Professor Grenville Astill	Grenville specialises in monasticism, industry, urban and rural settlement in medieval North Western Europe. He leads one of the longest running and most extensive research projects on a medieval monastery at Bordesley Abbey. He has also conducted a research project in Brittany which tracks change in the countryside from the later Bronze Age to the 1920s using a combination of archaeological, documentary and building evidence. The report of his most recent excavation at Bordesley Abbey "The changing monastic cloister: excavations in the south range of Bordesley Abbey" has recently been published, along with a series of articles which integrate archaeological and numismatic data.
Dr Gabor Thomas	Gabor has research interests in early medieval material culture, personal adornment and Anglo-Saxon settlement archaeology He is also engaged in a major research project to track the emergence of Christianity in Kent, through an extensive campaign of fieldwork at the site of the early monastery of Lyminge. The results of his major integrated study of early medieval Bishopstone were published in 2010 as ' The Later Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Bishopstone. A Downland Manor in the Making.
Dr Aleks Pluskowski	Aleks specialises in the environmental archaeology of medieval Europe (particularly zooarchaeology and more broadly human-animal relations). His research also focuses on the related processes of colonisation, cultural confrontation and religious conversion at the frontiers of Europe. He is currently leading a major international project in the Eastern Baltic investigating the environmental impact of the emergence of the crusader states: The Ecology of Crusading. His most recent publication on the Northern Crusades is The Archaeology of the Prussian Crusade: Holy War and Colonisation.
Dr Mary Lewis	Mary's osteoarchaeological research is particularly concerned with pathology, trauma and the dynamics of disease in children, with a major project focusing on Adolescence, Migration and Health in Medieval England: the osteological evidence and ongoing work on the cemetery from St. Oswald's Priory. Her publications include "A traitor's death? The identity of a drawn, hanged and quartered man from Hulton Abbey, Staffordshire" which discusses the possibility that the bones of Hugh Despenser the Younger have been found.
Dr Gundula Müldner	Gundula's research is focussed on bone chemistry (isotope) analysis of skeletal remains for the reconstruction of human animal diet and mobility. She has worked extensively on the medieval period, investigating questions of social differentiation, identity and socio-economic diachronic change. Her publications include an investigation of the diet and mobility of the medieval bishops of Whithorn (southwest Scotland) as well as changes in animal husbandry strategies in the Flemish coastal plain (Belgium).

Other staff in the Department of Archaeology who work with medieval topics include:

• Dr Nick Branch the environmental archaeology of moated sites and palace landscapes,
• Professor Dominik Fleitmann climate change and the rise of Islam; the Medieval Climatic Anomaly
• Rhi Smith museums and the heritage of medieval Britain.

What modules will I take?

Only at Reading can you study both social and scientific approaches to medieval archaeology and follow the broadest suite of research themes including urban and rural landscapes, material culture, architectural and spatial research, zooarchaeology, osteoarchaeology, palaeobotany and isotopic studies. Interdisciplinary approaches are central to our teaching: a dedicated core module allows you to take full advantage of this flexible modular programme. You can also be trained in Latin and palaeography or follow options in history, art history or literature in the Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies.

Here is an example of the type of modules you might take over the two terms:

Autumn Term	Spring Term	Summer Term
Issues and Debates in Medieval Archaeology	Colonisation and Cultural Transformation: the archaeology of crusading	Dissertation
Dark Age Societies, AD400-1000	Medieval European Landscapes
Introduction to Human Bioarchaeology	Research and Enterprise Micro-Placement
Research Skills and Career Learning	Dissertation Workshop and Masters' Conference

 You can read more about our modules here: MA Archaeology of Medieval Europe module outlines.

Become part of a research team

The Department of Archaeology has one of the most important clusters of scholars in the world working on religion, identity and landscape in medieval Europe. You can gain both professional research and vocational experience through your dissertation. You will also have the opportunity to work at Westminster Abbey, and participate in our world-leading research projects such as:

• The Baltic Crusades
• The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon Monasticism
• Medieval English Monasticism and Landscape
• Adolescence, Migration and Health in Medieval England: the osteological evidence

The Department’s research will be presented during two dedicated sessions at the International Congress for Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo in 2014 and staff regularly present their research at major international conferences such as the annual meetings of the European Association of Archaeologists.

Fieldwork and Placement opportunities

The Department of Archaeology at Reading has well-established Erasmus exchange agreements with a number of European institutions, including the Department of Medieval Studies in the Central European University in Budapest where most of the teaching is in English.

You can spend the time in Hungary benefitting from the expertise of archaeologists, historians and art historians working on Central and Eastern Europe; it will also allow you to develop your dissertation topic.

If you have a particular interest in the Scandinavian Middle Ages, whether Viking Age or later medieval, there is an exchange with the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Lund, Sweden.

Participation in our research project in the medieval Baltic Sea region can be enhanced by a period of study at the Institute of Archaeology at the UMK in Toruń, Poland, renowned for its research on the expansion of the early medieval Polish state and the crusades of the Teutonic Knights.

Career opportunities

The Masters in Medieval Archaeology at Reading is a route into archaeology and an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue further research at higher degree and doctoral level as well as those wanting to enter archaeology as a profession (including field archaeology, museums and heritage management). It also forms a basis for other careers in the areas of the arts, media, management, administration, the civil service, local government, commerce, law, publishing, librarianship and teaching.

Recent Dissertations

To give a flavour of the types of research you can do while studying with us, here is a sample of recent dissertations from our students:

• The Sword in the Stream: Continuity and change in aquatic sword deposits of the Middle Ages
• Saxon London and the Lower Thames Region: Setting recent excavations in a broader context
• How were Roman Objects used on Anglo-Saxon Settlements?
• Anglo-Saxon Amulets: A re-assessment of the symbolic nature and iconography of amulets in early Anglo-Saxon England
• Medieval water control systems in the Wey Valley and their potential for environmental reconstruction

Further Information

For more details why not download the MA Archaeology of Medieval Europe brochure or you are welcome to contact the course convenor directly: Professor Grenville Astill

Apply Now