Lead researchers: Iain Hewitt and Julia Best
School/Faculty: Faculty of Science and Technology
Cluster, centre, institute: Archaeology and Anthropology
URA position title: Archaeological research and prepublication skills development and enhancement
Relevant disciplines:
BSc (Hons) Archaeology
BA (Hons) Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology
BSc (Hons) Archaeological, Anthropological and Forensic Sciences
BA (Hons) Archaeology and Anthropology
Description of the position: It is envisaged that this URA will contribute towards two projects within
SciTech. The first will be the Cultural and Scientific Perceptions of Human-Chicken Interactions
Project. For this the URA will act as an assistant to the post-doc manager of the project undertaking data input and supporting project outreach events. In the second instance time will also be devoted to the Dewlish Roman Villa Publication Project. This is an archaeological site that was excavated by the predecessor institution of Bournemouth University between 1969-1979 but which has remained unpublished. The project is now at an advanced stage of completion and it is envisaged that the
URA will contribute towards the re-drafting of archaeological sections and desk-based research.
These two projects offer the student the valuable opportunity to experience two very different but ultimately integrated strands of research. For the Dewlish work the student will become very familiar with an individual archaeological site and its associated material. This develops an important set of archaeological skills that can be employed in commercial and academic settings. Then, whilst working with the Chicken Project, the student will learn how individual detailed site analyses can be compiled and drawn together in order to create wide period and geographical syntheses of archaeological and ecological data. As such, by working on these two projects the student would gain a valuable insight in the varied aspects of archaeological work that are conducted, from an individual site’s excavation and publication to its encompassment in the wider regional, temporal and archaeological setting.
Explain how this position will enhance and enrich the student's undergraduate experience and
how it relates to the relevant courses/disciplines and/or future career of the student: The student will gain first-hand experience of handling and managing complex datasets from across Europe. The student will benefit from increased understanding of zooarchaeology, data extraction and database use. This will enhance a range of. This will promote and develop a range of transferable skills and research capabilities including independent data assessment and management. The student will be an active contributor in data collection and will be acknowledged as such in forthcoming publications. The student will therefore be able to show advanced data management skills to potential employers and have demonstrable experience in team-based research (the Chicken Project incorporates over 20 researchers at six UK universities and an extensive base of international colleagues). The student will also have the opportunity to be involved in a range of outreach events including the 2015 Festival of Learning, and workshops aimed at encouraging college students to attend university. The URA would also have the opportunity to partake in social media based research dissemination via project websites, blogging, and twitter.
In order to take account of other commitments and with the aim of diversifying the student experience, the student will work on the publication of the Dewlish Roman Villa with particular

reference to the drawn archaeological sections. In this regard the student will learn how to digitise the drawings, feed them into a Computer Aided Design programme in order to produce illustrations for publication. These contributions will be acknowledged as a contribution to the final published report.
How will the position be supervised and mentored: On data handling days the student will work in the same office as the Cultural and Scientific Perceptions of Human/Chicken Interactions Project's post-doc. (Julia Best) who is supervising and conducting the data entry for the Project. As such, guidance will be close at hand and the student will be part of the team.
When working on the Dewlish Villa Publication Project, the student will be supervised by Iain Hewitt and expertise in the use of CAD will be overseen by Bournemouth Archaeology.
List of duties and responsibilities of the position:
1. The undergraduate research assistant will be responsible for aiding in the input of data into the
Chicken Projects database. As part of this project the researchers are gathering large quantities of data from across Europe to form the largest species specific archaeological dataset. The nature of this data input is time-consuming due to the need for accuracy and detail. As such, a dedicated undergraduate research assistant would be a valuable addition to the work in progress. In addition, they will need to help the Project fulfil its wider aims including: the preparing of outreach events, information dissemination, social media engagement, and assisting with the collection of archaeological material which can involve visiting archaeological sites and archives.
2. For the Dewlish Villa Publication Project the student will be responsible for archaeological sections and for the ad hoc archiving of material archive associated with the sections.
List the position qualifications including any special requirements (be specific): This URA would be ideally a Level I or 40-week Placement student from any of the Programmes listed above. However, in the past, similar projects have attracted four Level C students with considerable success with all of the students continuing to take an active part in University life and achieving outstanding honours results. One of these past examples is now employed by the University and two others are on
Masters courses. Therefore any undergraduate student could be considered subject to enthusiasm and commitment.