Archaeology ‘time and tide’ research project led by Bradford wins coveted magazine award
An archaeological research project dubbed ‘a race against time and tide’ has been named Rescue Project of the Year by Current Archaeology magazine.
The Knowe of Swandro excavation on the Scottish island of Rousay, Orkney, comprises an Iron Age settlement at risk of being lost to the waves.
The University of Bradford-led excavation is working in partnership with the Swandro Orkney Coastal Archaeology Trust (whose patron before the Coronation was Prince Charles) and with Historic Environment Scotland, which also supports the research.
The project was shortlisted for the Current Archaeology annual awards and won its category on Saturday February 24, having featured on the cover of the magazine in March 2023, with the headline: ‘The Knowe of Swandro: Racing against time and tide in Orkney’.
A keynote speech was delivered by BBC Time Team 'geo-phys' expert Dr John Gater, who graduated with a BSc in Archaeological Sciences from Bradford in 1979.
The award was presented by Julian Richards, an archaeologist and educator best-known for presenting the BBC’s Meet the Ancestors.
Dr Julie Bond, from the School of Archaeology and Forensic Sciences, said: “This is a national award voted for by the public and so it’s fantastic because it demonstrates universities have a role to play in field archaeology and in making a major contribution to the subject, especially as it relates to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and climate change.”
Dr Stephen Dockrill said: “This award is both a recognition for the work we are doing and the fact we are losing knowledge to the sea through coastal erosion, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
He added: “This project is also being used as a test-bed for cutting edge technology, such as 3D imaging, and of course, it is fantastic for our students, who get the chance to work on a real archaeological excavation.”
The awards - voted for entirely by the public - celebrate projects and publications that made the pages of the magazine over the past 12 months, and the people judged to have made outstanding contributions to archaeology.
The excavation is part of a number of archaeological projects forming Scotland Digs 2022 #ScotlandDigs2022.
The Knowe of Swandro was once a large settlement occupied from around 1000BC to AD1200 and consists of Iron Age roundhouses, Pictish buildings, a Viking settlement and a Norse Long Hall, and is considered an area of extreme importance due to the insight the dig can provide on the use of existing sites by Scandinavian settlers.
Although coastal erosion is the biggest threat to unearthing sites such as these, it also provides a unique opportunity to investigate the construction of the roundhouse and surrounding settlement.
The excavation has recently uncovered jewellery, tools made from bone, pottery and a late Roman coin as well as a rare Iron Age glass toggle bead. University of Bradford students travel to Orkney to gain practical experience as part of their course.
The prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize was awarded to the University of Bradford in 2021 for their world-leading work in developing archaeological technology and techniques, and its influence on practice, policy and society.