Charlotte Roberts | |
---|---|
Born | Charlotte Ann Roberts 25 June 1957 Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Title | Professor of Archaeology |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | University of Leicester University of Sheffield University of Bradford |
Thesis | Trauma and its treatment in British antiquity: An osteoarchaeological study of macroscopic and radiological features of long bone fractures from the historic period with a comparative study of clinical radiographs (1988) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Archaeology |
Sub-discipline | Bioarchaeology Palaeopathology Medical history Medical anthropology |
Institutions | University of Bradford Durham University |
Doctoral students | Mary Lewis |
Charlotte Ann Roberts,FBA (born 25 May 1957) is a British archaeologist,academic and former nurse. She is a bioarchaeologist and palaeopathologist,whose research focuses on health and the evolution of infectious disease in humans. [1] From 2004 to 2020,she was Professor of Archaeology at Durham University:she is now professor emeritus. [2]
Roberts was born on 25 May 1957 in Harrogate,West Riding of Yorkshire,England. She trained as a nurse at St James's University Hospital in Leeds,becoming a State Registered Nurse (SRN) in 1978. She then worked as a staff nurse on the burns unit of St Lawrence Hospital,Chepstow. [3]
In 1979,Roberts left her nursing career and matriculated into the University of Leicester to study archaeology. [3] [4] She graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) degree. [3] She had originally intended to return to nursing after completing her degree,but instead continued to study archaeology. [5] From 1982 to 1983,she studied environmental archaeology and palaeoeconomy at the University of Sheffield, [6] graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) degree. [3] She undertook postgraduate research in bioarchaeology,palaeopathology and medical history on a part-time basis at the University of Bradford,and completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1988. [3] [6] Her doctoral thesis was titled "Trauma and its treatment in British antiquity:An osteoarchaeological study of macroscopic and radiological features of long bone fractures from the historic period with a comparative study of clinical radiographs". [7]
From 1983 to 1988,Roberts was a research assistant at the University of Bradford "on a project focusing on human remains". [3] [5] She was appointed a lecturer in palaeopathology in 1989 and made a senior lecturer in medical anthropology in 1994. [3] [4] While at Bradford,she supervised Mary Lewis' doctoral thesis. [8] In 2000,she moved to Durham University where she had been appointed Reader in Archaeology. [3] [4] She was appointed Professor of Archaeology in 2004. [4] She was also a Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellow from 2006 to 2008,and a Nuffield Foundation Research Fellow from 2006 to 2007. [3] She retired in October 2020,and was appointed professor emeritus. [9]
Roberts is deputy editor of the International Journal of Paleopathology . [10] She was president of the Paleopathology Association from 2011 to 2013. [3] [11] From 2010 to 2014,she served as a member of the Geography,Environmental Studies and Archaeology sub-panel for the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014). [12] [13] In 2015,she was elected president of the British Association of Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO);she will serve a three-year term. [4] [14]
She led the research on the 7th and 8th century Bowl Hole cemetery at Bamburgh Castle. [15]
In 2003,Roberts married Stewart James Gardner. [3] She is a member of the Women's Institute (WI). [4]
In July 2014,Roberts was elected a Fellow of the British Academy,the UK's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. [16]
The term bioarchaeology has been attributed to British archaeologist Grahame Clark who, in 1972, defined it as the study of animal and human bones from archaeological sites. Redefined in 1977 by Jane Buikstra, bioarchaeology in the United States now refers to the scientific study of human remains from archaeological sites, a discipline known in other countries as osteoarchaeology, osteology or palaeo-osteology. Compared to bioarchaeology, osteoarchaeology is the scientific study that solely focus on the human skeleton. The human skeleton is used to tell us about health, lifestyle, diet, mortality and physique of the past. Furthermore, palaeo-osteology is simple the study of ancient bones.
Paleopathology, also spelled palaeopathology, is the study of ancient diseases and injuries in organisms through the examination of fossils, mummified tissue, skeletal remains, and analysis of coprolites. Specific sources in the study of ancient human diseases may include early documents, illustrations from early books, painting and sculpture from the past. Looking at the individual roots of the word "Paleopathology" can give a basic definition of what it encompasses. "Paleo-" refers to "ancient, early, prehistoric, primitive, fossil." The suffix "-pathology" comes from the Latin pathologia meaning "study of disease." Through the analysis of the aforementioned things, information on the evolution of diseases as well as how past civilizations treated conditions are both valuable byproducts. Studies have historically focused on humans, but there is no evidence that humans are more prone to pathologies than any other animal.
Jane Ellen Buikstra is an American anthropologist and bioarchaeologist. Her 1977 article on the biological dimensions of archaeology coined and defined the field of bioarchaeology in the US as the application of biological anthropological methods to the study of archaeological problems. Throughout her career, she has authored over 20 books and 150 articles. Buikstra's current research focuses on an analysis of the Phaleron cemetery near Athens, Greece.
Donald Reginald Brothwell, was a British archaeologist, anthropologist and academic, who specialised in human palaeoecology and environmental archaeology. He had worked at the University of Cambridge, the British Museum, and the Institute of Archaeology of University of London, before ending his career as Professor of Human Palaeoecology at the University of York. He has been described as "one of the pioneers in the field of archaeological science".
Alice May Roberts is an English biological anthropologist, biologist, television presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been professor of the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was president of the charity Humanists UK between January 2019 and May 2022. She is now a vice president of the organisation.
Barbara Yorke FRHistS FSA is a historian of Anglo-Saxon England, specialising in many subtopics, including 19th-century Anglo-Saxonism. She is currently emeritus professor of early Medieval history at the University of Winchester, and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She is an honorary professor of the Institute of Archaeology at University College London.
Sir Marc Armand Ruffer CMG was a Swiss-born British experimental pathologist and bacteriologist. He is considered a pioneer of modern paleopathology.
John Lawrence Angel (1915–1986) was a British-American biological anthropologist born on 21 March 1915 in London. His writings have had the biggest impact on paleodemography.
Helena Francisca Hamerow, FSA is an American-born archaeologist, best known for her work on the archeology of early medieval communities in Northwestern Europe. She is Professor of Early Medieval archaeology and former Head of the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford.
George J. Armelagos was an American anthropologist, and Goodrich C. White Professor of Anthropology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Armelagos significantly impacted the field of physical anthropology and biological anthropology. His work has provided invaluable contributions to the theoretical and methodological understanding human disease, diet and human variation within an evolutionary context. Relevant topics include epidemiology, paleopathology, paleodemography, bioarchaeology, evolutionary medicine, and the social interpretations of race, among others.
Dame Rosemary Jean Cramp, was an English archaeologist and academic specialising in the Anglo-Saxons. She was the first female professor appointed at Durham University and was Professor of Archaeology from 1971 to 1990. She served as president of the Society of Antiquaries of London from 2001 to 2004.
Tony James Wilkinson, FBA was a British archaeologist and academic, specialising in landscape archaeology and the Ancient Near East. He was Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh from 2005 to 2006, and Professor of Archaeology at Durham University from 2006 to until his death in 2014.
Thomas Dale Stewart was a founder of modern forensic anthropology and a major contributor to most areas of human skeletal biology, paleopathology, and related areas of physical anthropology. Stewart was known to have a more even temperament than his mentor, Aleš Hrdlička. Stewart began his career in 1927 as an Aid to Hrdlička in the Division of Physical Anthropology of the United States National Museum at the Smithsonian Institution. He advanced to Curator of the Division in 1942 and to Head Curator of the Department of Anthropology in 1961. In 1963, he was appointed Director of the National Museum of Natural History and also served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Science in 1964. He retired from administration in 1966 to pursue his research as Senior Anthropologist. Upon his retirement in 1971, he was appointed Anthropologist Emeritus.
Medieval Bioarchaeology is the study of human remains recovered from medieval archaeological sites. Bioarchaeology aims to understand populations through the analysis of human skeletal remains and this application of bioarchaeology specifically aims to understand medieval populations. There is an interest in the Medieval Period when it comes to bioarchaeology, because of how differently people lived back then as opposed to now, in regards to not only their everyday life, but during times of war and famine as well. The biology and behavior of those that lived in the Medieval Period can be analyzed by understanding their health and lifestyle choices.
Kathryn Hunt is an American archaeologist and paleopathologist specializing in paleo-oncology, the multidisciplinary study of cancer in human history.
Mortuary archaeology is the study of human remains in their archaeological context. This is a known sub-field of bioarchaeology, which is a field that focuses on gathering important information based on the skeleton of an individual. Bioarchaeology stems from the practice of human osteology which is the anatomical study of skeletal remains. Mortuary archaeology, as well as the overarching field it resides in, aims to generate an understanding of disease, migration, health, nutrition, gender, status, and kinship among past populations. Ultimately, these topics help to produce a picture of the daily lives of past individuals. Mortuary archaeologists draw upon the humanities, as well as social and hard sciences to have a full understanding of the individual.
Mary Lewis is Professor of Bioarchaeology at the University of Reading. After completing a PhD in bioarchaeology at the University of Bradford in 1999, Lewis went on to lecture at Bournemouth University (2000–2004) before moving to the University of Reading in 2004. She conducted the first osteological study of a body which has been hanged, drawn, and quartered. Lewis has held editorial roles with the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, International Journal of Paleopathology, and the American Journal of Biological Anthropology.
Rebecca Gowland is a bioarchaeologist. She is a Professor of Archaeology at Durham University.
Lucile Eleanor St. Hoyme was an American biological anthropologist who conducted research related to human variation, bioarcheology, and paleopathology. St. Hoyme served as an Assistant Curator in the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History. St. Hoyme analyzed human remains excavated from the John Kerr Reservoir Basin using a new bioarcheological approach combining data from other disciplines. Beyond her work with the Smithsonian collections, St. Hoyme also worked on FBI forensic cases in the 1960s with National Museum of Natural History Anthropology Curator J. Lawrence Angel.
Tony Waldron was a British physician and bioarchaeologist specialising in occupational medicine, palaeopathology, and palaeoepidemiology. He was an honorary professor at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, a lecturer in occupational medicine at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a consultant physician at University College Hospital and St Mary's Hospital. He wrote a number of books on bioarchaeology, including the widely used textbooks Palaeoepidemiology (2007) and Palaeopathology (2009).