Senior Zooarchaeologist

Polydora Baker

Qualifications

BA Anthropology (with specialisation in archaeology). University of Toronto, Canada (1985)

MA Anthropology and Zooarchaeology. Trent University, Canada (1991)

PhD Zooarchaeology. Institute of Archaeology, University College London (2000)

Main activities

Responsible for advising on best practice in the recovery, assessment and analysis of animal bone assemblages from English Heritage sites and funded projects and for management of regional reviews in zooarchaeology. Current research includes analysis of the bird bones from Medieval deposits at Windsor Castle and a project on sheep biometry and maturation (Medieval Wool Project). Other activities include management and development of the vertebrate skeleton reference collection. Various training responsibilities include training days in osteoarchaeology for archaeological curators, consultants and field practitioners and development of program and supervision of the first English Heritage Professional Placement in Conservation archaeological science internship (zooarchaeology).

Main interests

Analysis of mammal and bird remains from Britain and Continental Europe; zooarchaeology of early Medieval societies; biometry of Roman – Medieval livestock; current external work includes analysis of animal bone data from Kilise Tepe, Southcentral Turkey (Bronze Age-Byzantine period); participation as zooarchaeologist on the Nogara project, Medieval site and landscape study in Northern Italy (collaboration with the University of Padua and Museo Civico Archeologico “Giovio”, Como); strong interest in teaching and have developed courses for the Nautical Archaeology Society and animal bone activities for National Archaeology Week and Festival of History; contribution to the BSc Forensic Biology course, University of Portsmouth; co-organisation of the Professional Zooarchaeologists Working Group (with University of Southampton and Wessex Archaeology); co-organising with Andy Hammon a session on Landscape Zooarchaeology for the International Council for Archaeozoology 2006 conference in Mexico City.