Wyatt Wilcox

St Cross Graduate Scholarship in Archaeology

Joining us from: Atlanta, Georgia

DPhil in Archaeology, 2023

I am a DPhil in Archaeology student from Atlanta, Georgia. In my DPhil, I intend to explore the landscape contexts of Anglo-Saxon mound burials (barrows) from the 6th and 7th centuries AD. There has been a great deal of research on the barrows’ associated artefacts, however, their landscapes have received relatively little attention, especially for such conspicuous monuments designed for display and commemoration. I plan to explore the barrows’ landscapes by developing Geographic Information Science (GIS) methods and models, which will enable me to digitally analyse the distribution of monuments across England. This approach will enable me to query previous hypotheses related to barrow placement and explore my own hypotheses on why specific locations were chosen for burials.

I am joining St. Cross following an MSc in Archaeology at Oxford (St. Hughs, 2021) and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Spatial Analysis from the University of North Georgia.  Outside of my academic activities, I have participated in several extracurricular activities offered at Oxford, including college rowing. I also enjoy several genres of rock music and play the guitar and bass in my spare time.  

I am very grateful and elated to have been awarded the St. Cross Graduate Scholarship in Archaeology.  This scholarship has made my DPhil studies in Oxford possible.  I am very happy to be at St. Cross College, a very friendly and supportive place.  I have very much enjoyed my time at St. Cross and am looking forward to the opportunity to be here for three years.