About
Dr Benjamin Pennington is a Visiting Fellow in Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton.
His research focusses on reconstructing archaeologically-important Holocene palaeoenvironments within deltaic and alluvial environments, in order to answer various geoarchaeological questions. Much of his work has centred on Egypt, and to a lesser extent Iraq and China. Current research centres on the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment around the Ancient Egyptian religious capital of Thebes, in addition to the port of Naukratis and other sites in the western Nile Delta.
Research
Research interests
- Geoarchaeology
- Palaeolandscape reconstruction
- Holocene deltas and alluvial environments
- Environmental change and the Nile in Ancient Egypt
- Protohistory of the Primary States
Current research
Theban harbours and waterscapes survey
Aiming to understand the landscape evolution of the Nile floodplain at Luxor (ancient Thebes), and the changing river’s relationship with major temple complexes.
Naukratis in its riverine setting
Aiming to understand the evolving palaeolandscape setting of the Late Period-Byzantine port of Naukratis in the western Nile Delta, the geoarchaeology of the harbourfront/riverside and human-environment interactions at the site.
Palaeolandscapes of the West Nile Delta
Aiming to understand the ~10kyr environmental history of the Western Nile Delta, flow through the various Nile branches, and the relationships between the changing landscapes and settlement patterns.
Publications
Teaching
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
- Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
- Secondary School teaching experience, including role as Head of Department (Winchester College)
- Undergraduate teaching experience (Undergraduate and Masters), in both Archaeology and Geography departments.
Biography
Dr Benjamin Pennington is a Visiting Fellow in Geoarchaeology in the School of Geography and Environmental Science. He holds a PhD in Geography and Archaeology from the University of Southampton (2017) and First Class Masters and Bachelors degrees in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge (2011). He also holds a PGCE and has taught in both secondary schools (11-18) and within Higher Education (Undergraduate to Masters level). Most recently, he was also Head of Geography at Winchester College, Hampshire, in addition to his role at the University of Southampton.
Much of his research has focussed on reconstructing mid-Holocene environmental changes taking place in the lower alluvial and deltaic regions that harboured the world's first 'state societies. This has led to publications on the potential linkages between these shifts and contemporaneous sociocultural developments.
Field research has taken place primarily in Egypt (Luxor & Nile Delta) on a variety of archaeological projects. By undertaking Holocene palaeolandscape reconstruction within alluvial and deltaic environments, site-specific geoarchaeological questions have been answered, as well as broader questions pertaining to the evolution of the regional landscape.
Current and past research projects include:
- Environmental change in deltaic settings and the emergence of civilisation.
- Hydroclimatic changes in the Nile basin reconstructed from sedimentary XRF analysis (with Cairo University).
- Theban harbours and waterscapes survey (with Egypt Exploration Society / Uppsala Universitet).
- Naukratis in its riverine setting (with The British Museum / Egypt Exploration Society).
- Kom al-Ahmer/Kom Wasit archaeological project (with University of Padua/Centro Archeologico Italo-Egiziano)
- Minufiyeh archaeological survey (with University of Edinburgh).
- Archaeological survey of Tell Tinnis.
- Archaeological survey of Tell Mutubis (with Durham University).
- Archaeological survey of Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli (with The British Museum).