Shahina Farid is a British archaeologist who is best known for her work as Field Director and Project Coordinator at the Neolithic site of

Çatalhöyük Çatalhöyük (; also ''Çatal Höyük'' and ''Çatal Hüyük''; from Turkish ''çatal'' "fork" + ''höyük'' "tumulus") is a tell of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from appr ...

in Turkey. She is currently the scientific dating coordinator for

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 wit ...

Early life and education

Farid was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England to Pakistani parents who had migrated to England. She spent her early years in Camden, England. A school visit to the Tutankhamun exhibition at the British Museum sparked her interest in archeology. She wanted to be an archaeologist by age 15, and she spent time volunteering at local excavations. She studied

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 landscap ...

at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

Archaeological career

After college, Farid worked as a commercial

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 ...

in England, Turkey, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Beginning in 1985, she was hired as field director of the

project in 1999 and worked for 20 years as Field Director and Project Coordinator at the Neolithic site, until leaving in 2012. It is here that she was given the nickname "Lady of the Höyük", which endures today. "Her work in constructing the Çatalhöyük stratigraphic sequence is the cornerstone of countless archaeological and scientific studies, reflected in her publication record of over 40 articles and reports, and without her input, the famous Hodder 'reflexive methodology' would only be a theory". In 2012, Farid joined

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 ...

. As a member of the Scientific Dating Team, she directs the commissioned dendrochronology program and is also honorary secretary for the

British Institute at Ankara The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), formerly British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, is a research institute that supports, promotes, and publishes research into the humanities and social sciences of Turkey and the Black Sea region. The ...

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farid, Sharina British women archaeologists Alumni of the University of Liverpool Year of birth missing (living people) Living people