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The University of Southampton
ArchaeologyPart of Humanities
Email:
D.Serjeantson@soton.ac.uk

Ms Dale Serjeantson 

Visiting Fellow

Ms Dale Serjeantson's photo

Ms Dale Serjeantson is a Visiting Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Southampton.

I was the Director of the Faunal Remains Unit in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Southampton from 1991 to 2000. I co-founded the MA in Osteoarchaeology and taught undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Zooarchaeology at Southampton.  Before that I researched and taught zooarchaeology and prehistory at Birkbeck College, University of London. My major recent publications were on aspects of animals in Neolithic Britain.
 
I was instrumental in setting up the Diet Group, a group of historians and archaeologists interested in Medieval social and economic history.  I have been closely associated with the Bird Working Group of the International Council for Zooarchaeology since its inception and have edited publications of the group. I am an associate Editor of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. I am a member of the the Institute of Field Archaeology and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Research interests

My research interests are in archaeological animal remains. Within this wide field I have focussed on three main topics. I have made a special study of people and birds in the past; this has included the development of new methods of study and investigation into the origins of domestic birds, wildfowling and the social zooarchaeology of birds. I am carried out research into animal husbandry in prehistoric and early historic times in the British Isles, with a particular interest in the Neolithic period and in Early Historic times in western Scotland. The third topic is food production and consumption in Medieval England, This research has been carried out in collaboration with archaeologists and historians from Southampton and Oxford.

I am also involved in the Kalaureia Research Program, studying the bird remains from this sanctuary to Poseidon on the Greek island of Poros.  My aim is to contribute to interpreting the rituals that were practiced in the sanctuary and what they say about the gods sacrificed to. The early domestic chickens will help to show the relationship between the Sanctuary,  the ancient city of Kalaureia, and and the wider world. The research program is being carried out by the Swedish School at Athens.

Research group

Centre for Applied Archaeological Analyses

Affiliate research groups

Osteoarchaeology, Laboratory for Social Zooarchaeology

Research project(s)

Pelekita Cave, Crete

Pelekita Cave in Eastern Crete was occupied during the Neolithic period.

Bretta Ness Excavations, Rousay, Orkney

Bretta Ness is sites on a peninsula in the Loch of Wasbister on the island of Rousay.

St Albans Abbey, Hertfordshire: Food in a High Status Benedictine Abbey

The excavations at St Albans Abbey were carried out by Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle in 1978 and 1983-5.

PhD Supervision

I am happy to supervise and advise PhD research in zooarchaeology, especially the zooarchaeology of birds.

I am currently supervising a PhD student on the following topics:

  • The significance of animals in Late Iron Age and Roman graves and cremations.
Ms Dale Serjeantson
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Southampton
Avenue Campus, Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BF
United Kingdom

Room Number : 65A/2203

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