Mark Maltby

Mark Maltby, Reader in Archaeology

Mark’s background in prehistoric archaeology and zooarchaeology has seen him look back in time to consider the significant yet complex relationship “between humans and animals”.

Having whetted his appetite with a BA (Hons) in Prehistory and Archaeology at Sheffield University in 1974, Mark moved further up the academic path to gain his MA thesis in Animal Bones and Medieval Sites in 1977.

His first academic post came as a Research Fellow in the University of Southampton’s Department Of Archaeology before joining BU’s School of Applied Sciences as Reader in Archaeology in [2000] where he has continued act upon his fascination through research. “Zooarchaeology can contribute significantly to many questions often asked about past human societies. What did they eat? What rituals did they practise? How much did they rely on trade? Did they keep their own animals? How much did they rely on people trained in specialist trades?”

A vast range of projects, initiatives and collaborations across an assortment of geographical locations have given Mark the opportunity and endeavour to answer many of these potent issues. He has been fortunate enough to work on rare materials from medieval Russia, Poland, Iron Age France, as well as a wealth of sites across England and Wales that still hold prehistoric and historic significance today.

One of the stand-out strands of Mark’s research has involved a recent EU-funded international collaboration in and around the medieval town of Novgorod and its region in north-west Russia. He says, however, that not even his vast academic experience and travelling could prepare him for his previous visit to the site and the surrealism of “travelling in the back of a Russian army truck heading for an unknown destination in 1993 immediately on arrival in Saint Petersberg”.

Mark is clearly proud of his individual and collective achievements. “In terms of research, probably my contribution to understanding much more about how animals were exploited in Roman Britain than we did 30 years ago. In terms of teaching, the success of the MSc Osteoarchaeology course in enabling a high percentage of students to go on to do PhD research and to get jobs in the profession.”

Similarly, his passion for prehistoric archaeology and zooarchaeology shines through when Mark identifies the thing he enjoys most about his job at BU - quite simply “getting students and others interested in what I do”.

Reflecting on the most pressing issues surrounding the field, Mark believes it is imperative that time and resources are pooled to consider the vast amount of data that has emerged from ground-breaking investigations, but quite simply, “has not been fully analysed or published”.

In the time he has to relax, Mark follows his beloved Preston North End, which he ironically describes as “far from relaxing”, and also watches Southampton FC, where he lives. Having previously moved on from his injury-prone relationship with cricket, Mark has quickly adopted golf, thankful that “only pride gets bruised”.