Science and Archaeology – How Chemistry Can Tell Us About the Human Past

Thursday 20th April 2023 from 19:15 for 19:45
Northcourt Centre (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1NS, Abingdon)

Please note this event is on the third Thursday and will be held at the Northcourt Centre NOT at the football club. It is also slightly later than our usual time with doors opening at 19:15 for a 19:45 start.

This is a joint event with the Abingdon Area Archaeology and Historical Society.

“Chemistry and Archaeology… how does that work?” is a common response when I tell people that I do research in archaeological chemistry. To answer this question, this talk will present some of the insights that scientific techniques can reveal into life in the past, with a particular focus on reconstructing what people were eating and where they lived at various points in their lives. The early medieval cemetery excavated in Milton, south of Abingdon, in 2015 provides an interesting local case study, revealing insights into the people living in Oxfordshire more than a thousand years ago.

Speaker: Dr Amy Styring

Dr Amy Styring is Associate Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford. As an archaeological chemist, she is interested in advancing scientific methods that reveal a direct and detailed picture of everyday life in the past, particularly in relation to how people produced their food and the impact that this had on the environment.