Katie Green
Contact:k.l.green@ncl.ac.uk
Subject Area: Archaeology
PhD Project Title: Rural Byzantine landscapes and societies: new approaches to characterisation and analysis
Supervision team: Dr Sam Turner and Dr Mark Jackson
Personal Profile:
I am currently in the last year of my PhD thesis entitled “Rural Byzantine landscapes and societies: new approaches to characterisation and analysis”. My research is under the supervision of Dr Sam Turner and Dr Mark Jackson and generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Newcastle University.
PhD Research
Byzantine culture has been described as holding the "key to the development of the modern world" (Angold, 2002, 1), but Byzantine studies have yet to engage with many theoretical approaches and analytical methods that have yielded rewards elsewhere. The growing international recognition of landscape studies highlights the neglect of landscape in contemporary Byzantine studies. Landscape is a product of social dynamics and cultural practices within specific environments. It is vital that Byzantine studies consider new approaches to the organisation of landscape and move beyond a dehumanised history which relies on the discussion of historically-recorded political events. My thesis addresses these issues, analysing space as an expression of social identity and revolutionising our understanding of the interplay between Byzantine rural society and the eastern Mediterranean landscape c.400-1500 AD.
Aims
My thesis will:
- develop new methodologies for analysing rural Byzantine historic landscapes.
- develop new perspectives on rural Byzantine social organisation and landscape change, by applying a unique combination of modern archaeological theory and innovative methodological approaches to existing and newly created data.
Objectives
The heart of my research is a detailed historic analysis of the spatial composition of the settlements and landscapes of three contrasting case-studies: the Göksu Valley, Cilicia; Pednelissos, Pisidia (both Turkey); and the Troodos plain (Cyprus). This draws on high-quality research generated over the last 15 years by international research teams including: the Göksu Archaeology Project (Trent University, British Institute at Ankara); the Kilise Tepe Project (University of Cambridge, Newcastle University); the Rough Cilicia Project (Purdue University); the Sydney Cyprus Project (Sydney Macquarie University, Glasgow University); and the Pisidia Survey Project (Hacettepe University a partner institution to Newcastle, British Institute at Ankara) which has yielded data from an early Byzantine kiln site, a unique discovery that will provide extremely valuable insights into uses of the rural landscape. All of this information provides an excellent basis for a much-needed synthesis analysing early Byzantine landscapes.
To bring the project to completion I will::
- use Geographical Information Systems to combine this data with satellite imagery, which will be used as a source to map the arrangement of settlements in these regions over time. This will employ a new technique I developed during my MA dissertation.
- utilise Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC) and regressive landscape analysis to map the historic processes that have shaped these regions over the last 1500 years and categorize the landscape into character types. These are techniques recently pioneered in Byzantine archaeology by Dr Turner at Newcastle University. I will visit each case-study area to confirm my interpretations of the HLC types.
- analyse the changing spatial relationships I detect and explore the organisation of Byzantine social space by applying new theoretical paradigms that have only been extensively explored in relation to western Europe. This will involve considering the processes that lie behind the development of these landscapes and assessing social, cultural, political and economic forces, including Byzantine beliefs about cosmology, the role of enduring architecture on successive generations and the importance of routines of daily life in shaping the landscape.
My research will complement recent international studies and combine modern methodologies with theoretical approaches focussed on routines and experiences of inhabiting landscapes, creating a seminal piece of work that will significantly influence the direction of future investigation in Byzantine Archaeology.
Other Research Interests
My research interests include:
- Landscape Theory
- Byzantine and Medieval Rural Settlements
- Byzantine and Medieval Landscapes
- Pilgrimage and Sacred Places
- Landscape Survey Techniques
- Early Byzantine Ceramics
Other Information
Qualifications
September 2008 ~ September 2009, Postgraduate Certificate in Research
September 2006 ~ February 2008, Newcastle University, MA Landscape Archaeology and Geographical Information Systems: Distinction
Dissertation: Early Byzantine Settlements: Church Placement, Sacred Space and Controlled Movement
September 2003 ~ July 2006, Newcastle University, BA (Hons) Ancient History and Archaeology: First Class Honours
Awards and Grants
- Study Visit Grant 2010, Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Doctoral Scholarship 2009, Arts and Humanities Research Council
- PhD Fee Scholarship 2008, School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University
- PhD Maintenance Grant 2008, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Newcastle University
- Travel Grant 2007, British Institute at Ankara
- Masters Fee Scholarship 2006, School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University
- Richmond Award for Academic Achievement 2005, School of Historical Studies, Newcastle University
Teaching
- ARA3029 Early Medieval Churches of Europe (lecturer)
- ARA1031 Archaeological Observation and Recording (field skills demonstrator and examiner)
- ARA1030 Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th century (seminar leader)
- ARA2001 Archaeological Theory (seminar leader)
- Pottery Drawing (demonstrator)
Archaeological Experience
June ~ July 2010, Surveyor, Pisidia Survey Project , British Institute at Ankara and Newcastle University
Sept 2009, Supervisor for Student Excavators, Birdoswald Roman Fort, English Heritage and Newcastle University
July ~ Sept 2009, Excavation Supervisor, Kilise Tepe Research Project, Cambridge University and Newcastle University
June 2009, Ceramic Survey Supervisor, Pisidia Survey Project , British Institute at Ankara and Newcastle University
Dec 2008 ~ December 2009, Acting Curator, Gertrude Bell Photographic Archive, Newcastle University
Sept 2008 ~ June 2009, Research Assistant, Archaeology Team, Newcastle University
July ~ Sept 2008, Excavation Supervisor, Kilise Tepe Research Project, Cambridge University and Newcastle University
July ~ Sept 2007, Geophysical Surveyor and Excavation Supervisor, Kilise Tepe Research Project, Cambridge University and Newcastle University
June ~ July 2007, Site Supervisor, College Valley Training Excavation, Newcastle University
Aug ~ Aug 2006, Site Manager, Stokenham House Exploratory Excavation, Exeter University
July ~ Aug 2006, Site Supervisor, Stokenham Minster Church Research Project, Exeter University
June ~ July 2006, Site Manager, College Valley Training Excavation, Newcastle University
Aug ~ Sept 2005, Research Assistant, Göksu Archaeology Project and Newcastle university
July 2005, Supervisor, Mothecombe Beach Archaeology Project, York University and Newcastle University
June 2005, Outreach Officer, Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle University
April 2005, Excavator, Stokenham Minster Church Research Project, Exeter University
August 2004, Excavator, Bamburgh Castle Research Project, Northumberland
June ~ July 2000, Museum Assistant, Museum Stores, Leeds City Council