John C. Barrett

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John C. Barrett, FSA (born 1949, died 27th December 2024) was a British archaeologist, prehistorian, and Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield. [1] His research was primarily focussed on archaeological theory, European Prehistory from early agriculture to Romanisation, and the development of commercially funded archaeology in the UK. [1] Barrett has been seen as an influential figure in the development of archaeological theory, critiques of archaeological practice, and British Prehistory. [2] He died in December 2024, aged 75.

Contents

Education

Barrett's interest in archaeology came from encountering excavations at St Albans around the age of 12. He later graduated from the University of Wales (University College Cardiff). [1]

Academic career

Early positions and Fragments from Antiquity

Barrett first taught at the University of Leeds as a lecturer from 1976 and became a Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow in 1980. [1] [2] While at Glasgow, Barrett co-directed excavations and projects at major Prehistoric sites in Scotland, such as the Pitcarmick excavations in North East Perth. [3] Barrett had contributed a section on Early Bronze Age hoards and metalwork to the 1985 book Symbols of Power: At the Time of Stonehenge , written by D.V. Clarke, T.G. Cowie and Andrew Foxon which had been published by the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. [4] Barrett further wrote Fields of Discourse: Reconstituting a Social Archaeology in 1988 which continues to be an influential and revisited framework in modern archaeological practice. [2]

In 1994, also during his tenure at Glasgow, Barrett wrote Fragments from Antiquity: An Archaeology of Social Life in Britain, 2900-1200 BC which became an influential text amongst archaeologists studying British prehistory. In the text, Barrett criticised the trend amongst processual archaeologists to focus on the generalisation of past societies into a series of processes, instead arguing that archaeologists should instead think about the individuals of the past, who are otherwise forgotten. He therefore accepts the role that post-processual theory plays in the book, but argued that "this is not a book about archaeological theory", and instead "an empirical study aimed at building a history of the period between about 2900 and 1200 BC in southern Britain". [5]

Research and positions at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield (1995 onward)

Barrett joined the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield in 1995 and appointed to a chair in Archaeology in 2001. Barrett further acted as Head of Archaeology between 2002 and 2006, Dean of Arts (2007-2008), and Acting Head of Department of Biblical Studies (2009-2011). Additionally, Barrett was invited as a Visiting Professor to the University of Heidelberg in 2005. [1]

From the mid-1990s until 2009, Barrett acted as a consultant on the Framework Archaeology project which provided archaeological services to BAA during the construction of Heathrow Terminal 5 and expansion of London Stanstead Airport in conjunction with Oxford Archaeology and Wessex Archaeology. [6]

Select publications

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prehistoric archaeology</span> Archaeological discipline

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Caroline Ann Tuke Malone is a British academic and archaeologist. She was Professor of Prehistory at Queen's University, Belfast from 2013 and is now emeritus professor.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronze Age Britain</span> Period of British history from c. 2500 until c. 800 BC

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Archaeology or archeology is the 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 landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology, history or geography. The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research.

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<i>Fragments from Antiquity</i> Book by John C. Barrett

Fragments from Antiquity: An Archaeology of Social Life in Britain, 2900-1200 BC is a book on the archaeology of Britain in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages written by the British archaeologist John C. Barrett, then a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow. It was first published in 1994 by the Oxford-based company Blackwell as a part of their ‘Social Archaeology’ series, edited by the archaeologist Ian Hodder of the University of Cambridge.

<i>Symbols of Power</i> Book about British archaeology

Symbols of Power: At the Time of Stonehenge is a book dealing with the archaeology of hierarchical symbols in the British Isles during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages. Co-written by the archaeologists D.V. Clarke, T.G. Cowie and Andrew Foxon, it also contained additional contributions from other authors including John C. Barrett and Joan Taylor. Published by the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1985, it was designed to accompany an exhibition on the same subject that was held that year in Edinburgh, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold working in the Bronze Age British Isles</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield</span>

The Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield, UK, is an academic department providing undergraduate and postgraduate courses in archaeology and its sub-disciplines based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. It conducts archaeological associated research with several dedicated research centres. It was founded in 1976, stemming from early archaeology programs in the 1960s as one of the first universities in the UK with a dedicated Department of Archaeology.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Professor John C Barrett | Archaeology | The University of Sheffield". www.sheffield.ac.uk. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Boyd, Michael J.; Doonan, Roger C. P., eds. (2021). Far from equilibrium : an archaeology of energy, life and humanity : a response to the archaeology of John C. Barrett. Oxford: Oxbow Books. ISBN   978-1-78925-604-8. OCLC   1236251226.
  3. Carver, Martin; Barrett, John; Downes, Jane (2014). "Pitcarmick Excavations 1993-5". Archaeology Data Service. doi:10.5284/1021677 . Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  4. Clarke, D. V. (1985). Symbols of power at the time of Stonehenge. Trevor G. Cowie, Andrew Foxon, John C. Barrett, National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. Edinburgh: National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. ISBN   0-11-492455-4. OCLC   13582402.
  5. Barrett, John C. (1994). Fragments from antiquity : an archaeology of social life in Britain, 2900-1200 BC. Oxford, UK: B. Blackwell. ISBN   0-631-18953-X. OCLC   27172298.
  6. "Framework Archaeology: About Framework". framearch.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.