Early Prehistory collections encompass Europe north of the Alps
and span at least 50,000 years, ranging from the Palaeolithic to
the end of the Bronze Age. Most of the items are from Scotland and
date to between the eighth and the first millennium BC; they
include objects of stone, pottery, bone, antler and wood.
Iron Age, Roman and Early Historic collections cover the period
from c.800BC – AD1100, the formative centuries of Scotland as a
nation.
Archaeology department
Interim Keeper: Dr. David H Caldwell
Dr Alison Sheridan: Head of Early Prehistory
Email: a.sheridan@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Neolithic
collections.
Research interests/expertise:
Mesolithic-Neolithic transition, Neolithic and Bronze Age ceramics
(including their Continental background); stone axeheads and battle
axeheads; jewellery of jet and jet-like materials, amber and
faience; radiocarbon dating; human remains.
Trevor Cowie: Curator of Bronze Age Collections
Email: t.cowie@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Bronze Age
collections.
Research interests/expertise: Bronze Age
metalwork; Neolithic and Bronze Age ceramics; Antiquarian
collections; Western Isles; Borders.
Alan Saville: Senior Curator of the Earliest Prehistoric
Collections
Email: a.saville@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Palaeolithic and
Mesolithic collections
Research interests/expertise:
Palaeolithic and Mesolithic studies; portable antiquities'
issues.
Dr Fraser Hunter: Head of Later Prehistory and Early
History
Email: f.hunter@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Iron Age and Roman
collections.
Research interests/expertise: Iron Age and Roman
small finds - especially metal and "jet"; Celtic art in north
Britain; carnyces; Roman / native interaction. North-East Scotland,
particularly Moray; Borders; Galloway. See some of the exciting
finds from Fraser's archaeological digs at Birnie, an Iron Age
power centre with our web resource, Celts
and Romans at Birnie.
Dr Martin Goldberg: Curator, Early Historic period
Email: m.goldberg@nms.ac.uk
Responsible for: Early Historic and Viking
collections.
Research interests: Northern Britain from Later
Prehistory to the Early Historic period; material culture
approaches to the holistic study of ancient religion and ritual
practice; hoards and votive deposition; Roman/native interaction;
Post-Roman legacy including silver, Early Historic sculpture and
the advent of Christianity.
Dawn McLaren: Post-Excavation Officer
Email: d.mclaren@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Organising and conducting
identification, analysis and production of reports on artefact
assemblages from archaeological excavations.
Research interests/expertise: Later prehistoric
coarse stone tools; ferrous metalworking; Bronze Age children’s
burials in Britain.
Alice Blackwell: Glenmorangie Research Officer
Email: a.blackwell@nms.ac.uk
Specific responsibility: Glenmorangie Research
Project on Early Historic Scotland.
Research interests/expertise: Early Historic small
finds – especially Anglo-Saxon material, metalwork and glass beads;
interaction within Early Historic Britain.
For general enquiries
Tel 0131 247 4051 or email a.sheridan@nms.ac.uk