C. Joshua Pollard (born May 1968) is a British

archaeologist 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 landscap ...

who is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton. He gained his BA and PhD in Archaeology from the

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

, and is a specialist in the archaeology of the

Neolithic period The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

in the UK and north-west Europe, especially in relation to the study of depositional practices, monumentality, and

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

. He is a Fellow of 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. Societ ...

Pollard has been involved in field projects around the Neolithic monument complexes of

Avebury Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in t ...

and

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

, including the 1997–2003 Longstones Project which sought to understand the sequence and context of monument construction in the later Neolithic in the Avebury region, and which led to the rediscovery of a second megalithic avenue (the

Beckhampton Avenue The Beckhampton Avenue was a curving prehistoric avenue of stones that ran broadly south west from Avebury towards The Longstones at Beckhampton in the English county of Wiltshire. It probably dates to the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. ...

) leading from the Avebury henge and an unusual later Neolithic enclosure. The project also examined other key elements of the complex, such as the

West Kennet Avenue Kennet Avenue or West Kennet Avenue is a prehistoric site in the English county of Wiltshire. It was an avenue of two parallel lines of stones 25m wide and 2.5 km in length, which ran between the Neolithic sites of Avebury and The Sanctuar ...

, Falkner's Circle and the Avebury Cove. He has been involved in the Stonehenge Riverside Project since 2004: a field project that he jointly directs with Dr

Mike Parker Pearson Michael Parker Pearson, (born 26 June 1957) is an English archaeologist specialising in the study of the Neolithic British Isles, Madagascar and the archaeology of death and burial. A professor at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, he previous ...

, Dr Colin Richards, Dr

Julian Thomas Julian Stewart Thomas (born 1959) is a British archaeologist, publishing on the Neolithic and Bronze Age prehistory of Britain and north-west Europe. Thomas has been vice president of the Royal Anthropological Institute since 2007, has been Prof ...

, Dr

Chris Tilley __NOTOC__ Chris Tilley is a British archaeologist known for his contributions to postprocessualist archaeological theory. He is currently a Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at University College London. Tilley obtained his PhD in An ...

and Dr Kate Welham. The project's aim is to understand the local and regional context of Stonehenge, not as a monument in isolation, but as part of a more extensive 3rd and early 2nd millennium BC ceremonial complex focused on the River Avon. Work at the henge enclosure of

Durrington Walls Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in England. It lies north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury in Wiltshir ...

in 2004 explored the area of the south-eastern entrance, and the relationship between the henge and River Avon. He can be seen on '

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 2017. Pollard is currently working on the "Living with Monuments” (2016–2021) project in collaboration with Prof. Mark Gillings at

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The univer ...

and the National Trust at Avebury.

Books

* Gillings, M., Pollard, J., Peterson, R. & Wheatley, D. 2008. ''Landscape of the Megaliths: excavation and fieldwork on the Avebury monuments'', 1997-2003. Oxford: Oxbow Books * Pollard, J., Howell, R., Chadwick, A. & Leaver, A. 2006. ''Lodge Hill Camp, Caerleon, and the Hillforts of Gwent''. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports * Gillings, M. & Pollard, J. 2004. ''Avebury''. London: Duckworth * Cleal, R. & Pollard, J. (eds). 2004. ''Monuments and Material Culture: essays on Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain''. East Salisbury: Hobnob Press * Pollard, J. & Reynolds, A. 2002. ''Avebury: the biography of a landscape''. Stroud and Charleston, SC: Tempus * Whittle, A., Pollard, J. & Grigson, C. 1999. ''The Harmony of Symbols: the Windmill Hill causewayed enclosure''. Oxford: Oxbow Books * Pollard, J. 1997. ''Neolithic Britain''. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications * Pollard, J. (ed). 2008. ''Prehistoric Britain''. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing

References

External links

Joshua Pollard's Profile on University of Southampton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Joshua English archaeologists Alumni of Cardiff University Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Living people 1968 births