Helena Francisca Hamerow,
FSA (born 18 September 1961) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
-born
archaeologist, best known for her work on the archeology of early medieval communities in
Northwestern Europe
Northwestern Europe, or Northwest Europe, is a loosely defined subregion of Europe, overlapping Northern and Western Europe. The region can be defined both geographically and ethnographically.
Geographic definitions
Geographically, North ...
. She is Professor of Early
Medieval archaeology
''Medieval Archaeology'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering the archaeology of the medieval period, especially in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in 1957 by the Society for Medieval Archaeology and is publishe ...
and former Head of the
School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
The School of Archaeology is an academic department of the University of Oxford comprising the Institute of Archaeology and the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA), and is part of Oxford's Social Sciences Division ...
.
Early life and education
The daughter of
Theodore S. Hamerow, Hamerow attended the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
from 1979 to 1983, where she earned a BA in
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
. She continued her education at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, where she completed her PhD in 1988.
Academic career
She was a
Mary Somerville research fellow at
Somerville College
Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, ...
until 1990. In 1991, she was appointed as a lecturer in Early medieval archaeology at
Durham University. In 1996, Hamerow returned to Oxford as Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology, where she continues today. She is also a Fellow of
St Cross College, where she was Vice-Master from 2005 to 2008. She was Head of the School of Archaeology from 2010 to 2013.
Hamerow an elected member of the Council of the University of Oxford.
Research
Hamerow's research centres on the archaeology of rural communities during the
Anglo-Saxon era, specifically the impact on farmers and the early medieval settlements by the founding of monasteries, kingdoms and towns.
She has researched and written on the settlement archaeology of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
regions from the period 400—900 AD. She has participated in several projects on the
Upper Thames Valley during the Anglo-Saxon period, notably at
Sutton Courtenay and
Dorchester-on-Thames
Dorchester on Thames (or Dorchester-on-Thames) is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. The town is a few hundred yards from the confluence of the River Thames and River Thame. A c ...
.
Hamerow is currently leading a four year project funded by the
European Research Council (ERC): ''Feeding Anglo-Saxon England: The Bioarchaeology of an Agricultural Revolution''. The project's aim is to investigate the "agricultural revolution" that occurred in Europe between 800 and 1200 AD, as a result of the expansion of cereal farming.
Hamerow is co-Director of the ongoing excavation at Dorchester-on-Thames, the ''Discovering Dorchester'' research project. She was instrumental in the project's design in 2007 and has continued to co-lead the project since the beginning. The project is sponsored by three co-partners: Oxford's School of Archeology,
Oxford Archaeology
Oxford Archaeology (OA, trading name of Oxford Archaeology Limited) is one of the largest and longest-established independent archaeology and heritage practices in Europe, operating from three permanent offices in Oxford, Lancaster and Cambridge, ...
, and the
Dorchester Museum
The Dorset County Museum is located in Dorchester, Dorset, England. Founded in 1846, the museum covers the county of Dorset's history and environment. The current building was built in 1881 on the former site of the George Inn. The building w ...
. The site is notable for the large quantity of important archeological remains dating from the
prehistoric period to the medieval era.
Hamerow is Principal Investigator (PI) of the multi-disciplinary project, ''Origins of Wessex'', which has been investigating the development of the kingdom of
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
in the
Upper Thames Valley. The area is renowned for its heavy concentrations of Anglo-Saxon archaeology. The project team is currently excavating a large Anglo-Saxon settlement at
Long Wittenham
Long Wittenham is a village and small civil parish about north of Didcot, and southeast of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it from Berkshire to Oxfordshire, and from the former Wallingford Rura ...
in
Oxfordshire. The site is well known for having an exceptionally furnished Anglo-Saxon cemetery and many large Anglo-Saxon buildings.
Media
British television
Hamerow has appeared on BBC Four's ''
Digging for Britain
''Digging For Britain'' is a British television series focused on last and current year archaeology. The series is made by 360 Production (now Rare TV) for the BBC and is presented by Alice Roberts. It was first aired in August 2010.
The series ...
'' in 2010 and ''
King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons'' in 2013.
From 2008 to 2010, she appeared on two episodes of the long-running
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
TV series, ''
Time Team
''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...
''.
Open letter to the ''Guardian''
In 2008, the British government announced that all human remains uncovered during archaeological excavations in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
were to be reburied within two years.
In 2011, Hamerow was one of forty leading archaeologists who published an open letter to the Justice Secretary,
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...
in the ''Guardian'', asking for more time to study ancient human remains found in archaeological excavations.
Later that year, in response to the letter, the
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) began issuing licences to museums, allowing them to keep human remains for analysis. They also renewed negotiations with representatives of
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
and the
Institute for Archaeologists
The Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) is a professional organisation for archaeologists working in the United Kingdom and overseas. It was founded in 1982, and at 21 July 2020 had 3,931 members overall, of whom 3,033 were accredited ...
to develop a new policy for the retention and burial of human remains.
Awards and honours
Hamerow was elected as a Fellow to the
Society of Antiquaries of London
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...
in May, 1996.
She is a Commissioner of
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...
, a former President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology and Vice-President of the
Royal Archaeological Institute
The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...
. .
Selected publications
Books
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Journals
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamerow, Helen
Alumni of the University of Oxford
American women archaeologists
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Living people
1961 births
Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford
British women historians
Academics of Durham University
American women academics
21st-century American women