Staff profile

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology.

My main research focus is on the social archaeology of the 1st millennium AD, with a particular interest in the development of Christianity. As part of this I am carrying out fieldwork on the Holy Island on the site of the early medieval monastery of Lindisfarne with my collaborators DigVentures, funded through crowdfunding and a series of other grants including one from National Geographic.

Whilst most of my current work is focused on the north of England, I have significant research interests in Wales and Scotland, as well as the wider North Sea world. I and have written books on the early medieval church in Wales and a more theoretical consideration of the process of conversion in the early medieval world in Britain and elsewhere. Outside Britain and Ireland I have had a particular long-standing interest in the early church in Brittany and Western Normandy, and I am currently researching the early medieval sculpture in Southern Brittany (Morbihan).

Other key interests include the archaeology of the post-medieval and contemporary past, particularly in Britain. I have recently completed an innovative new investigation of the impact of the Great Depression of the 1930s on the landscape of Northern England funded by the Leverhulme Trust. My interest in the more recent past also extends to using material-studies approaches to better understand vernacular belief and traditions, particularly traditional dance.

In addition to my work on Holy Island I have run a number of field projects. I ran the Department’s major field school at the Roman fort of Binchester (Co. Durham). This was a joint initiative being run by Durham University, Durham County Council and a number of US Universities and aims to explore the Roman and early medieval activity at this important cavalry fort and its associated civilian settlement, which formed part of the frontier defences of Roman Britain.

In 2011 I was been chosen as one of the winners of BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) inaugural New Generation Thinkers Scheme. I am a member of the Institute for Archaeology’s Research and Impact Special Interest Group.

 

Impact and Engagement

A key element of my work involves extensive work with local community groups to help them understand their heritage. This has involved the major involvement of local groups and individuals in our excavations at Binchester, which has been supported by funding from the AHRC, English Heritage and Durham County Council. This involvement continues all year round with volunteers working with us extensively in our post-excavation programme, and even attending master classes in environmental archaeology.

In 2012 I led a team that won £14k from the AHRC for a project which provides training in heritage skills to the general public. This has also allowed us to offer bespoke support and advice to a range of local history and archaeology groups, including supporting them in grant applications and providing training in a range of archaeological skills.

I also have a close interest in heritage management, growing out of my experience working in local government and my current role in developing a research framework for the Durham World Heritage Site. This has seen my involvement with a number of heritage projects developed with local government and English Heritage in the region, including the North-East and Hadrian’s Wall Research Frameworks and the Durham Archaeology Assessment. I am currently leading a new project to revise and develop the NE Regional Research Framework.

My interest in developing impact and engagement has been recognised through by award of a Beacon North-East fellowship in Community Engagement in 2008, an invitation to sit on the Community Participation committee of the HLF-funded Lindisfarne Peregrini Project and my role as Chairman of the Chartered Institute For Archaeologists Research and Impact Special Interest Group.

I have also carried out some media work engaging with the region’s heritage, including a number of broadcasts on Radio 3’s Nightwaves programme and speaking at the Festival of Freethinking held at the Sage in Gateshead.

Research Projects

• Lindisfarne: Holy Island Archaeology Project
• Landscapes of the Great Depression in NE England (Leverhulme)
• Yeavering Anglo-Saxon Palace (Gefrin Trust)
• Mapping Early Christianity in Western Normandy
• Roman Binchester Research Project
• Durham Medieval Archaeologists

• early medieval Britain, particularly northern England and Scotland
• early medieval Christianity
• early medieval to contemporary maritime cultural landscape
• post-medieval religion, ritual and belief
• 20th century archaeology

• Heritage Partnerships
• Northern Communities

• Binchester Roman Fort
• Durham Medieval Archaeologists (DMA)
• Hadrian's Wall Research Framework
• Landscapes of the Great Depression in North-East of England
• Lindisfarne: The search for the heart of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
• Mapping the early church in Western Normandy: AD400-1200
• North-East Heritage Partnership
• Rievaulx Landscapes Project
• Sockburn Project, Co Durham

• Binchester Roman Fort
• Durham Medieval Archaeologists (DMA)
• Hadrian's Wall Research Framework
• Landscapes of the Great Depression in North-East of England
• Lindisfarne: The search for the heart of Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
• Mapping the early church in Western Normandy: AD400-1200
• North-East Heritage Partnership
• Personal blog: Outlandish Knight
• Rievaulx Landscapes Project
• RomanBinchester blog
• Sockburn Project, Co Durham

• 2014: Chairman, Research and Impact Special Interest Group, Chartered Institute for Archaeology:
• 2006: Frend Prize for Early Christian Studies: Awarded to young scholars for distinction in Early Christian studies by the Society of Antiquaries of London
• 2006: Member, Archaeological Advisory Committee: Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust 2006-2007

Available for media contact about:

• Environment and culture:
• Medieval history:
• Middle Ages & Early Modern History:
• Roman, Greek & ancient civilisations:
• Museums:
• Regional Heritage:
• Medieval history: Archaeology of medieval Britain
• Middle Ages & Early Modern History: Archaeology of medieval Britain
• Roman, Greek & ancient civilisations: Archaeology of medieval Britain
• World perspectives & techniques: Archaeology of medieval Britain

Authored book

• Petts, David (2011). Pagan and Christian. Bloomsbury Academic.
• Petts, D. (2009). The Early Medieval Church in Wales. Stroud: The History Press.
• Petts, D. & Gerrard, C.M. (2006). Shared Visions: The North-East Regional Research Framework for the Historic Environment. Durham: Durham County Council.
• Petts, D. (2003). Christianity in Roman Britain. Stroud: Tempus.
• Foreman, S., Hiller, J. & Petts, D. (2002). The Archaeology of a Middle Thames Landscape. Volume 3: Anglo-Saxon to post-medieval. Oxford: Oxford Archaeology.

Chapter in book

• Petts, D. (2023). Early medieval monasteries on the North Sea coast of Anglo-Saxon England. In St Peter-On-The-Wall Landscape and heritage on the Essex coast. Dale, Johanna UCL Press. 159-176.
• Petts, D. (2021). Space and place in English morris dance. In Music and Heritage New Perspectives on Place-making and Sonic Identity. L. Maloney & J. Schofield Routledge.
• Petts, D. (2020). Patterns in Monumentality: Characterising sculptural assemblages at early medieval monastic sites in Northern Britain. In Peopling Insular Art: Practice, Performance, Perception. Thickpenny, Cynthia, Forsyth, Katherine, Geddes, Jane & Mathis, Kate Oxbow Books. 127-140.
• Petts, David (2019). Britain and Ireland, 100–700 CE. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Archaeology. OUP. 601.
• Petts, D. (2018). Early medieval Carham in its Landscape Context. In The Battle of Carham: A Thousand Years On. McGuigan, N. & Woolf, A. Birlinn. 151-173.
• Petts, D. (2018). Materializing Morris Dancing. In The Histories of the Morris in Britain. Papers from a conference held at Cecil Sharp House, London, 25 - 26 March 2017, organized in partnership by Historical Dance Society with English Folk Dance and Song Society and The Morris Ring, The Morris Federation and Open Morris. Heaney, M. English Folk Dance and Song Society & Historical Dance Society. 331-362.
• Petts, D. (2017). ‘A place more venerable than all in Britain’ The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon Lindisfarne. In The Lindisfarne Gospels: New Perspectives. Gameson, R. Leiden, Boston: Brill. 57: 1-18.
• Petts, D. (2017). Places and spaces: some reflections on reconstructing the spatial organisation of Northumbrian monasteries. In Early medieval monasticism in the North Sea Zone: proceedings of a conference held to celebrate the conclusion of the Lyminge excavations 2008-15. Thomas, Gabor & Knox, Alexandra Oxford: Oxford University School of Archaeology. 20: 43-54.
• Semple, S., Buchanan, B., Harrington, S., Oliver, D. & Petts, D. (2017). Power at the Edge: Yeavering, Northumberland, England. In Life on the Edge: Social, Religious and Political Frontiers in Early Medieval Europe. Semple, S., Orsini, S. & Mui, S. Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum with the Internationales Sachsensymposion. 6: 91-112.
• David Petts (2016). Christianity in Roman Britain. In Oxford Handbook of Roman Britain. Millett, M., Revell, L. & Moore, A. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 660-81.
• Petts, D. (2015). Churches and Lordship in Western Normandy, AD 800-1200. In Churches and Social Power in Early Medieval Europe: Integrating Archaeological and Historical Approaches. Sánchez-Pardo, José C. & Shapland, Michael G. Turnhout: Brepols. 297-328.
• Petts, D (2015). Late Roman military buildings at Binchester (Co. Durham). In Roman military architecture on the fronties: Armies and their architecture in Late Antiquity. Collins, R & Weber, M Oxbow. 32-45.
• Petts, D. (2014). Christianity and cross-channel connectivity in late and sub-Roman Britain. In AD410: The History and Archaeology of Late and Post-Roman Britain. Haarer, F., Collins, R., Fitzpatrick-Matthews, K., Moorhead, S., Petts, D. & Walton, P. London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies. 73-86.
• Petts, D. (2013). Late Roman to early medieval settlement at Ingleby Barwick: discussion. In A Roman Villa at the Edge of Empire: Excavations at Ingleb Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees, 2003-04. Council for British Archaeology. 195-200.
• Petts, D & Turner, S (2012). Introduction: Northumbrian Communities. In Early medieval Northumbria: Kingdoms and Communities AD450-1100. Petts, D & Turner, S Brepols. 1-14.
• Petts, D. (2012). Place-names and archaeology on a border: churches in Ergyng. In Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England. Jones, R. & Semple, S. Shaun Tyas. 130-146.
• Hewitt, Richard, Brightman, James, Mason, David, Petts, David, Radford, Sally, Vyner, Blaise & Waddington, Clive (2011). An Archaeological Assessment of County Durham: The Aggregate Producing Areas. Durham County Council; Archaeological Research Services.
• Petts, D. & Turner, S. (2009). Multiple church complexes on early medieval ecclesiastical sites in Western Britain. In The Archaeology of the Early Medieval Celtic Churches. Edwards, N. Leeds: Maney.
• Petts, D. (2009). Variation in the British burial rite: AD400-700. In Mortuary Practices and social identities in the Middle Ages. Sayer, Duncan & Williams, Howard Exeter: University of Exeter Press. 207-221.
• McOmish, J.M. & Petts, D. (2008). Fey Field, Whithorn: Excavations by David Pollock and Amanda Clarke. In The Archaeology of York Web Series. York: York Archaeological Trust.
• Petts, D. (2006). Landscapes of Memory in the Colonial City: Building History in Imperial India. In Cities in the World: 1500–2000. Green, A. & Leech, R. Leeds: Maney. 195-212.
• Petts, D. (2006). The Roman lead tank from Perry Oaks. In Landscape Evolution in the Middle Thames Valley: Heathrow Terminal 5 Excavations Volume 1, Perry Oaks. Framework Archaeology Oxford: Framework Archaeology. 227-230.
• Petts,D. (2004). Early Medieval or Late Antique?: Burial in Western Britain AD410 to 600. In Debating Late Antiquity AD300–700: Proceedings of the York Conference. Collins, R. & Gerrard, J. Oxford: Archaeopress. 77-87.
• Petts, D. (2003). Memories in stone: changing strategies and contexts of remembrance in early medieval Wales. In Archaeologies of Remembrance: death and memory in past societies. Williams, H. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. 193-214.
• Petts, D. (2002). Cemeteries and boundaries in western Britain. In Burial in early medieval England and Wales. Lucy, S. & Reynolds, A. Leeds: Society for Medieval Archaeology. Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph Series 17: 24-46.
• Petts, D. (2002). Votive Hoards in Late Roman Britain: Pagan or Christian? In The Cross Goes North: Processes of Conversion in Northern Europe, AD 300–1300. Carver, M. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer. 109-118.
• Petts, D. (1999). Christianity and the End of Roman Britain. In TRAC 98: Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, University of Leicester, April 1998. Baker, P., Forcey, C., Jundi, S. & Witcher, R. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 86-95.
• Petts, D. (1998). Landscape and cultural identity in Roman Britain. In Cultural Identity in the Roman Empire. Berry, J. & Laurence, R. London: Routledge. 79-94.
• Petts, D. (1998). Burial and gender in late and sub-Roman Britain. In TRAC 97: Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, University of Nottingham, April 1997. Forcey, C., Hawthorne, J. & Witcher, R. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 112-124.
• Petts, D. (1997). Elite settlement in late Roman and sub-Roman Britain. In TRAC 96: Proceedings of the sixth annual Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, Sheffield 1996. Meadows, K., Lemke, C. & Heron, J. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 101-112.

Edited book

• Petts, D & Turner, S (2012). Early Medieval Northumbria: Kingdoms and Communities AD450-1100. Brepols.

Journal Article

• Petts, D., O’Donnell, R. & Armstrong, K. (2021). Material Responses to the Great Depression in Northeast England. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 25(4): 1165-1193.
• Petts, David (2019). Ecclesiastical Tidescapes: Exploring the Early Medieval Tidal World. Norwegian Archaeological Review 52(1): 41-64.
• O'Donnell, R & Petts, D (2019). 'Rural' Rhetoric in 1930s Unemployment Relief Schemes. Rural History 30(1): 53-69.
• Petts, David (2013). Military and Civilian: Reconfiguring the end of Roman Britain in the North. European Journal of Archaeology 16(2): 314-335.
• Petts, D. (2013). Expanding the archaeology of Holy Island (Lindisfarne). Medieval Archaeology 57: 302-307.
• Petts, DA (2011). Landscapes of Belief: Non-conformist mission in the North Pennines. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 15(3): 461-480.
• Petts, D (2009). Coastal landscapes and early Christianity in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. Estonian Journal of Archaeology 13(2): 79-95.
• Petts, David (2007). De Situ Brecheniauc and Englynion y Beddau: Writing about burial in early medieval Wales. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology & History 14: 163-172.
• Challinor, D., Petts, D., Poore, D. & Score, D. (2003). Excavations at Manor Farm, Drayton, Oxfordshire. Oxoniensia 68: 279-311.
• Petts, D. (2002). Beacon Hill, Aspatria an early Christian carved stone rehabilitated. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmoreland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society 2: 103-109.
• Petts, D. (2002). The Reuse of Prehistoric Standing Stones in Western Britain? A Critical Consideration of an Aspect of Early Medieval Monument Reuse. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 21(2): 195-209.

Other (Print)

• Petts, D. (2013). CD Sleevenotes.