British Academy elects Helena Hamerow as new fellow
The British Academy has announced its newly elected fellows for 2023, including St Cross Fellow and Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology, Helena Hamerow.
The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences and this year, 86 Fellows were elected, with 52 elected from 29 universities across the UK, representing various specialisms in arts, humanities, and social sciences. Helena expressed her gratitude stating that “It is a great honour to be recognised in this way by the British Academy. Medieval archaeology, indeed, the discipline of archaeology as a whole, lies at the interface of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. It is therefore particularly pleasing to be joining a community of such distinguished scholars whose work encompasses an exceptionally wide range of subjects and approaches."
Helena's research centres on the archaeology of early medieval Europe, with a focus on rural communities. Her recent work investigates the bioarchaeological evidence for the spread and impact of the medieval 'agricultural revolution.' This revolution involved the extensive use of the mouldboard plough, systematic crop rotation, and extensive arable regimes, supporting rapid population and market growth.
Helena is also leading a five-year project called 'Feeding Anglo-Saxon England: The Bioarchaeology of an Agricultural Revolution' (FeedSax). This project examines preserved cereal grains, faunal remains, pollen, and other data to trace the emergence and spread of innovative agricultural practices that enabled medieval farmers to feed the growing population.
Heartiest congratulations, Helena, on this well-deserved honour!
