Miles Clifford
Areas of interest
- Archaeological Theory
- Landscapes and Waterscapes
- GIS and Digital Methods
- Later British Prehistory
- Archaeology of Cult and Ritual
Research centres and groups
Research projects
Three Thousand Years of Rubbish and Ritual in the Thames: A Long Durée Investigation of Riverine Deposition Powered by Collaborative Partnerships
My project will explore river deposition in the Middle Thames region between the Bronze age and Early Medieval period. Rivers like the Thames are known to have been exceptionally important and valuable in the course of human history, being replete with resources, facilitating travel and communication whilst also appearing to be the foci and medium of ever-changing veneration.
I aim to understand how riverscapes have shaped human practices, ideas and experiences in the past through exploring genuinely long-term patterns in material recovered from the Thames. The project will analyse a rich and unique corpus of material, recovered across multiple periods, with the support of the Middle Thames Archaeological Partnership (MTAP) to offer a unique perspective on riverine deposition in Britain.
This project is an AHRC funded project with the South, West & Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWWDTP).
Supervisors:
Dr Gabor Thomas (University of Reading)
Professor Duncan Garrow (University of Reading)
Professor Fraser Sturt (University of Southampton)
Background
I hold a MArc in Archaeology from the University of Southampton (UK). My Master’s project focused on examining animal sacrifice in Romano-British cult through the lens of the nature-culture dichotomy and human-animal agency. I have experience working in commercial archaeology as a field archaeologist prior to beginning my PhD project.
My research interests focus on British archaeology, broadly this encompasses exploration of continuity of ritualised place and practice, human-animal relationships through time and deposition in ‘natural’ contexts. I am also keenly interested in fostering community engagement with archaeology and heritage, most recently working with Corinium Museum as a demonstrator.