Professor Roberta Gilchrist voted Archaeologist of the Year

Tuesday, 01 March 2016

Professor Roberta Gilchrist FBA, Research Dean for Heritage and Creativity, has become the first woman to win the Current Archaeology award for Archaeologist of the Year.

The award recognises Roberta’s recent research on the archaeology of Glastonbury Abbey, in which the reassessment of archaeological records revealed that several of the Abbey’s best known archaeological 'facts' were in fact myths themselves, perpetuated by excavators influenced by the abbey's legends. Roberta’s research attracted widespread attention from both academic circles and international press alike. 

The winners were announced at Current Archaeology Live! 2016, with each category winner determined by public vote. This year marks the second consecutive year that a University of Reading professor has won the award following Professor Michael Fulford's success last year.

An honourable mention also goes to fellow Reading academic Dr Hella Eckardt, who received a nomination for Book of the Year following the publication of her latest book, Objects and Identities: Roman Britain in the North-Western Provinces. 

On receiving her award, Roberta said:

“I am truly honoured to have been voted Current Archaeology’s Archaeologist of the Year 2016 and I would like to thank the Current Archaeology readers and wider public who voted for me. I’m delighted that my work on Glastonbury Abbey has captured the public imagination. I am particularly proud to be the first woman voted Archaeologist of the Year and to see that women dominated all categories of the Current Archaeology Awards 2016.”

Click here to read more on Roberta’s research.