Dr Owen Humphreys | Artefact Specialist, REMADE
Email: o.humphreys@reading.ac.uk
Role:
I am the artefact specialist for the REMADE project. My roles are varied, but I act as a bridge between the chemical data and artefact stories. Previous metallurgical studies have been primarily lead by material scientists, and have tended to see artefacts as self-contained entities that can act as proxies for periods, people, or processes. By employing specialists in chemistry, data science, and small finds, the REMADE project will be better placed to exploit the tremendous complexities of each of these fields.
The ‘small finds’ and numismatics that we recover are often just parts of complex objects and assemblages that were engaged with variably by multiple people across long biographies, only some of which can be knowable to us. Artefact studies are a dynamic area of study, with identifications changing and interpretations gaining nuance as more studies are conducted. The REMADE project will attempt to harness this dynamic complexity, using the new perspective of chemistry to shape our understanding of these objects, whilst drawing on the rich body of artefact studies to tell grounded, nuanced chemical stories.
In this role I work with the REMADE team to develop our recording and data capture processes to allow for the most sophisticated possible analyses. I liaise with our project partners to identify key collections, objects and stories that REMADE can contribute to. As we gather data, I record and research these objects to ensure that all of our identifications and interpretations are up to date and fully contextualised. Working with the REMADE team I look specifically to develop and answer questions related to the typology, chronology, technology and social lives of objects. Ultimately, we will work with our project partners to transform these chemical patterns into new stories about the past.
Background:
I have a varied background across different parts of the UK heritage sector. After gaining an MA in Medieval Archaeology from the University of Reading, I worked as a field archaeologist for three years, on excavations ranging from small trenches to huge infrastructure and construction projects, spanning the Mesolithic to the Victorian.
I then returned to the University of Reading to earn a PhD studying the Roman craft and agricultural tools from London. This project, funded by UKRI and jointly supervised by the University of Reading and Museum of London, worked with museums and commercial units to bring together a unique collection of objects relating to the working lives of ancient Londoners. As in REMADE, I sought to move beyond just reconstructing technical processes, and use these tools to explore the identities and experiences of working people in the past.
Following this I completed two short post-doctoral research projects; cataloguing the Roman leatherwork from the museum of London, and working with local groups and institutions to conduct an assessment of archaeological resources in east Berkshire. The latter project eventually contributed to the University of Reading’s new research excavation and field school at Cookham.
Most recently, I worked for five years as a Senior Registered Finds Specialist for Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). This demanding role involved identifying small finds and coins from MOLA’s excavations, assessing their potential and conservation needs, designing and conducting research projects, and finding ways to maximise the impact of these exceptional assemblages within the constraints of the commercial system. This role allowed me to engage with objects from London and across Britain, covering a wide range of materials from all periods.
I am excited to return to the University of Reading once more and use bring this experience to the unique challenges and opportunities of the REMADE project.
Select Publications:
Humphreys, O., and Sutton, A. (forthcoming). What the Romans did for us. And how. And why. Roman technologies in context, in M Pitts (ed) Communities, connectivity and complexity in Roman Britain. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.
Humphreys, O. (2022). AHRCaeology: the benefits of joined-up thinking. The Museum Archaeologist 37: 18-26.
Humphreys, O. (2021). London’s Roman Tools: Craft, Agriculture and Experience in an Ancient City. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.
Humphreys, O. (2019). Roman Leather in the Core Collection of the Museum of London. Unpublished report for the Museum of London
Humphreys, O. (2019). Archaeology in East Berkshire: A Resource Assessment. Report for the Ardeola Charitable Trust (https://research.reading.ac.uk/middle-thames-archaeology/wp-content/uploads/sites/180/2021/02/East-Berks-Resource-Assessment-FINAL-1.pdf)