Scottish History and Archaeology department

Our archaeological and Scottish collections cover Scottish material culture from the earliest times to the present day.

Our 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.

The wide-ranging material in our Scottish history collections includes military, numismatics and social history. It is the largest collection of its kind anywhere and aims to be a comprehensive record of the life, times and achievements of the people of Scotland at home and abroad.

Access to the collections

Until August 2018, the Department of Scottish History and Archaeology is heavily committed to a major collections move and documentation project, this particularly affects the Medieval, Early Modern and Late Modern collections, including those at the National Museum of Rural Life and the National War Museum. During this period we regret that for these collections we will be unable to offer our normal levels of service for research enquiries and requests to see objects in store. We are keeping a log of requests and meeting these wherever possible, but please be patient as we may be unable to answer your questions or make viewing arrangements until after completion of the project.

Scottish History and Archaeology department

Archaeological Research
Prehistoric & Roman Archaeology
Medieval Archaeology and History
Renaissance and Early Modern History
Modern and Contemporary History
Treasure Trove

	Dr Stuart Allan: Keeper Responsible for: The Department of Scottish History and Archaeology, its staff, projects and collections. Research interests: Collecting, material culture and Scottish traditional identities, the Scottish military tradition in the British armed forces; the material culture of the highland revival of the late 18th and early 19th century; the cultural symbolism of weapons; military collectors and collecting practices; the culture of irregular warfare; the material culture of popular patriotism during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Email: s.allan@nms.ac.uk
	Dr Alison Sheridan: Principal Archaeological Research Curator Responsible for: Individually responsible for the Neolithic collections and human remains, and co-ordination of Departmental radiocarbon dating activities. Research interests: Neolithic and Bronze Age material culture, especially pottery, axeheads, jet, faience and amber; Neolithisation; human remains; radiocarbon dating. Email: a.sheridan@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Dr Alison Sheridan here.
	Dr Fraser Hunter: Principal Curator of Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology Responsible for: The Prehistory section, Iron Age and Roman collections. Research interests: Iron Age and Roman material culture; decorative metalwork and Celtic art; jet and related materials; interactions between Rome and the indigenous population. Email: f.hunter@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Dr Fraser Hunter here.
	Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark: Curator, Early Prehistory Responsible for: Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic collections. Research interests: Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic material culture, especially lithics; the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition; mobility and temporality of settlement in prehistory; deposition practices and structured deposition; rock art and associated artefact assemblages, the post-medieval gun flint industry in Britain. Email: h.anderson-whymark@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Dr Hugo Anderson-Whymark here.
	Matthew Knight: Curator, Early Prehistory Responsible for: Chalcolithic and Bronze Age collections Research interests: the production, use and deposition of Bronze Age material culture particularly metalwork; the deliberate destruction of Bronze Age objects; the relationship between memory and material culture in prehistory. Email: m.knight@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Matthew Knight here.
	Jim Wilson: Assistant Curator, Early Prehistory Responsible for: Co-ordinating and supervising access to the Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology collections by visiting scholars, students and TV crews; maintenance of our displays in the Early People Gallery at National Museum of Scotland; facilitating temporary loan requests from borrowing museums for exhibitions. Email: jim.wilson@nms.ac.uk
	Dr Gemma Cruickshanks: Post-Excavation Officer Responsible for: Post-excavation projects – coordinating specialist work and writing reports. Research interests: Material culture c.1000 BC – AD 1000, particularly the development of ironworking and iron objects throughout this period. Email: g.cruickshanks@nms.ac.uk
	Dr Martin Goldberg: Principal Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History Responsible for: Early Historic and Viking collections. Research interests: Material culture in Northern Britain from Later Prehistory to the Early Historic period; silver – use and manufacture from Roman to Viking period; material culture approaches to the holistic study of ancient religion and ritual practice. Email: m.goldberg@nms.ac.uk
	Alice Blackwell: Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History Responsible for: Early Historic and Viking collections. Alice will join us in Spring 2018.
	Craig Angus: Assistant Curator, Medieval Archaeology and History Responsible for: Graphic and digital imaging for media/publication; co-ordinating department loans and department photographic requests; maintenance of our displays in National Museum of Scotland; support to all curators from Early Prehistory and Later Prehistory sections whenever object movement is required. Email: c.angus@nms.ac.uk
	Dr Adrián Maldonado: Glenmorangie Research Fellow Responsible for: Undertaking and promoting research on early medieval Scotland as part of the Glenmorangie Research Project. Adrián will join us in March 2018. You can find out more about the Glenmorangie Research Project here.
	David Forsyth: Principal Curator of Renaissance and Early Modern History Responsible for: The management and overall curation of the section’s collections, which span the history and archaeology of Scotland from c.1100-1750. This encompasses medieval archaeology, applied arts, Scottish weapons, early modern history and culture. And most notably includes our Mary, Queen of Scots and Jacobite material; objects relating to Scotland’s religious and ecclesiastical history, including the Covenanters; clarsachs; and Scottish carved woodwork. The section has particular responsibility for Kingdom of the Scots and Scotland Transformed, on Levels 1-3 of the Scotland galleries of the National Museum of Scotland. Research interests: The material culture: of religion since 1560; of the Scottish diaspora; and material cultural expressions of Scottish national identity. Email: d.forsyth@nms.ac.uk
	Lyndsay McGill: Curator, Renaissance and Early Modern History Responsible for: Collections from the early Stuart kings to the Enlightenment. Research interests: Silver from the 16th - 19th centuries, Scottish goldsmiths, Treasure Trove finds, the insignia of the Order of the Thistle, the relationship of material culture with the historic interior. Email: l.mcgill@nms.ac.uk
	Jackie Moran: Assistant Curator, Renaissance and Early Modern History Responsible for: Supporting the work of the Renaissance and Early Modern History section; co-ordinating and supervising access to the Renaissance and Early Modern collections; maintenance of the displays on Levels 0-3 in the Scotland galleries of the National Museum of Scotland; facilitating outward loans to borrowing museums for exhibitions Email: j.moran@nms.ac.uk
	Elaine M Edwards: Senior Curator, Modern and Contemporary History Responsible for: Working life collections, including rural life, forestry & fishing c.1750- present, Scottish Diaspora and the Scottish Collections 1830 – 1914. Research interests: Women’s history and the social history of both world wars including Arctic convoys of WWII, war and remembrance. Email: e.edwards@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Elaine Edwards here.
	Dorothy Kidd: Senior Curator, Modern and Contemporary History Responsible for: Social History collections from 1750 to the present including: domestic and community life; sport and leisure; vernacular furniture; building materials, fixtures and fittings; areas of the traditional craft and trade collections and artefacts relating to business and finance. Also responsible for the maintenance of the Scottish Life Archive’s search facility. Research interests: 20th-century collecting and documentation, and in particular collaborative recording and collecting with other institutions and organisations; oral history; archival storage and documentation. Email: d.kidd@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Dorothy Kidd here.
	Dr Sarah Laurenson: Curator, Modern and Contemporary History Responsible for: Contemporary collecting, with a focus on objects that reflect political, social and cultural developments in Scotland over the last 10 years, and jewellery from 1750 to the present day. Research interests: Collecting and collectors; culture, identity and industry in Scotland’s islands; the jewellery craft in Scotland from the eighteenth century to the present day; the impact of changing perceptions of Scotland’s landscape on material culture; and the historical development of skill. Email: s.laurenson@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Sarah Laurenson here.
	Patrick Watt: Curator, Modern History and Military Collections Responsible for: Military collections from 1750 to the present day: military service issue weapons, orders and medals, uniform and insignia, fine art, photographs and documents. Research interests: Scottish associational culture in the diaspora, the formation of army regiments with Scottish characteristics; Scots who fought in foreign armed forces; the history of creating miniature military medals and decorations. Email: p.watt@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Patrick Watt here.
	Vicky Brown: Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary History Responsible for: Supporting curatorial activity across the Scottish Modern & Contemporary History section of collections from 1914 to the present day, including the Scottish Life Archive. Email: v.brown@nms.ac.uk
	Adrienne Hynes: Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary History Responsible for: Scottish decorative arts collections, religious collections and general support for Modern and Contemporary collections 1750-1914. Research interests: Scottish pottery post-1750, Jacobite material culture and religious material culture. Currently working on a PhD at the University of Edinburgh on the material culture of religion in Medieval Scotland. Email: a.hynes@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about Adrienne Hynes here.
	Nicole Hartwell: Postdoctoral Researcher Responsible for: Research associated with the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project ‘Baggage and Belonging: Military Collections and the British Empire, 1750-1900’ examining the diverse nature of objects collected by members of the British armed forces across the Empire in the 19th century. Research interests: The material culture of conflict; collecting practices of the British armed forces; the arms and armour of India, Africa and the Middle East; the military, cultural and intellectual history of the British Empire. Email: n.hartwell@nms.ac.uk You can find out more about the Baggage and Belonging project here.
	Emily Freeman: Treasure Trove Officer Responsible for: Daily running of the Treasure Trove Unit operation, outreach. Research interests: Numismatics, the Romans in Scotland and the impact of metal detecting on museum collections. Email: e.freeman@nms.ac.uk Tel: 0131 247 4025