Staff profile

After studying at the Institute of Archaeology in London (UCL) I spent several years working in commercial archaeology in the UK before completing my PhD studies at The Queen’s College, Oxford and an early career post-doctoral research fellowship at St Cross College Oxford. I took up my first permanent lectureship at the University of Chester in 2004 before moving to the Department of Archaeology at Durham in 2006.

Research Interests

As an early medieval archaeologist focused on the landscapes and material culture of Britain and northern Europe, my research is particularly connected to ways of understanding past human interactions with natural and human altered environments, with particular reference to the role of landscape and material culture in definitions of identity and religion and processes of social and political transformation.

My recently reprinted single-authored monograph

Perceptions of the Prehistoric in Anglo-Saxon England (2019[2013]) explores the centrality of the physical remains of the past in the shaping of early medieval identity and power. Landscape and place provided an important discursive terrain for the situation and performance of emergent power and consensual or assembly practices and this is something I explore with colleagues in Negotiating the North: Meeting Places in the Middles Ages in the North Sea Zone (2020), published with Routledge, which provides the outcomes of a major collaborative international project in 2010-13 that explored the development and performance of administrative and assembly practices in northern Europe from AD 300-1500. Results from The Assembly Project also feature in two Special Volumes of the Journal of the North Atlantic and global perspectives are explored in a special issue of World Archaeology 50.1 on Temporary Places, Gatherings and Assemblies.

Research interests in death and burial, landscape and identity also resulted in a major Leverhulme-funded project People and Place. The Making of the Kingdom of Northumbria. Together with a team of seven researchers, we are using the burial records of northern Britain to explore the　health, wealth, ethnicity and lifestyle of the first Northumbrians, charting the emergence of one of　the largest kingdoms in early medieval Britain in terms of　migration, mobility, social stratification, and political　aggregation AD　300-800. This project is also closely allied to collaborative work with Kate Mees, a British Academy Post-doctoral Fellow, who recently completed a research project on Funerary Landscapes and Social Change in Early Medieval Northwest Europe, c. AD 400-900. Together these have contributed to an international conference Grave Concerns: Death, Landscape and Locality in Medieval Society and number of publications including a major thematic edited volume Life on the Edge: Social, Religious and Political Frontiers in Early Medieval Europe (2017), a recent paper in Cambridge Archaeological Journal (2020) and a Special Issue of World Archaeology 52.2, exploring the topic of Necrogeographies (2020).

With strong research interests in understanding the expression of power, authority and identity through monuments, buildings and objects as well as landscapes also underpinned, I have collaborated with Maria Utrero Agudo on CHISEL: Church Building as Industry in Early Medieval Western Europe. This complements many years of work supporting the seminal and long-running Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Sculpture and its online and free catalogues and resources. In 2018 I led on a successful bid to the AHRC for Worked in Stone. Completing the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture, a final major 3-year programme of research that will bring this seminar project to completion. WIST is popularising the resource in digital form with three workshops with key non-academic stakeholders, a major conference in 2021 at Durham Worked in Stone: Early Medieval Sculpture in its International Context, and a final synthesis or project publication presenting the first general critical and exploratory overview of the entire national corpus. Growing interest in objects as transformative elements in early medieval society has also driven a recent collaboration with Julie Lund on A Cultural History of Objects in the Medieval Age 500-1400 CE (2020) and underpins a successful bid with the National Museum of Scotland for a Collaborative Doctoral Award on Scottish Medieval dress accessories held by Lydia Prosser.

In participated recently in the AHRC-funded Royal Residences Network which, via discussions and workshops, is reinterpreting an influx of new evidence for royal or elite palace/central place sites in Britain. In this context I am currently undertaking preparatory work for a major field project at Yeavering in Northumberland. The Yeavering Project is in collaboration with The Gefrin Trust and has resulted so far in a Resource Assessment, Research Agenda and Project Design. Fieldwork is planned for 2021.　

As well as holding the position of Head of Department in Archaeology at Durham, which is truly exciting and a great honour as one of just three women to hold the role since the Department was created, I have recently completed a six-year term as Deputy then Honorary Editor for the international journal Medieval Archaeology – a truly enjoyable career highlight. I also currently serve on the Editorial Board for the journal World Archaeology.

I am committed to furthering research of all kinds on early medieval societies and currently contribute to teaching on Archaeology in Britain, Medieval and Post-medieval Britain and Ireland and Anglo-Saxon Cultures and Societies. I am supervising PhD students working on a wide range of projects including the recycling of Roman objects in early medieval funerary assemblages, naked human imagery in early medieval art and jewellery sets, dress fittings from 7^th-century female graves, the use of jet and jet-like materials by medieval communities and Scottish medieval dress accessories.　

Postgraduate enquiries on all aspects of early medieval archaeology are welcome, particularly on sculpture in　its landscape context, early medieval artefacts, funerary rites and architectures of consensus, power and authority. I am an active member of the Material and Visual Culture, Northern Communities and Landscape Research Groups.

• Religion, belief and popular practices in pre-Christian and Conversion Period Europe
• The archaeology of governance and power in North West Europe
• Death and burial in early medieval Britain
• Church archaeology and monasticism
• Material culture, memory and commemoration
• Landscape archaeology

• Landscapes of Complex Society
• Material and Visual Culture

• CHISEL: Church Building as Industry in Early Medieval Western Europe
• Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture
• Funerary Landscapes and Social Change in Early Medieval Northwest Europe
• People and Place: The Making of the Kingdom of Northumbria AD 300-800
• Seaham Church Recording Project
• Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England
• The Assembly Project
• Wearmouth and Jarrow: One Monastery in Two Places
• Worked in Stone: Completing the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture
• Yeavering: A Palace in its Landscape

• CHISEL: Church Building as Industry in Early Medieval Western Europe
• Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture
• Funerary Landscapes and Social Change in Early Medieval Northwest Europe
• People and Place: The Making of the Kingdom of Northumbria
• Seaham Church Recording Project
• Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England
• The Assembly Project
• Wearmouth and Jarrow: One Monastery in Two Places
• Worked in Stone:Completing the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture
• Yeavering: A Palace in its Landscape

• 2018: Worked in Stone: Completing the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture(£578649.39 from AHRC)
• 2016: 'Funerary Landscapes and Social Change in Early Medieval North-West Europe, c. AD 400-900'. British Academy (£236,435.20)
• 2015: People and Place in the Kingdom of Northumbria AD 300 - 800(£275742.00 from Leverhulme Trust)
• 2010: IP 2. Landscape, Authority and Power: assembly places and structures in Britain and Europe.(£114974.40 from HERA)
• 2009: As One Monastery in Two Places, English Heritage, £59,780, 2009-2012

• 2018: Honorary Editor Medieval Archaeology (2016-18):
• 2017: Member of Editorial Board for World Archaeology:
• 2012: Member of the British Academy Steering Group for the Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture (2012-):
• 2012: Organiser of the Internationales Sachsensympsion at Durham: Life on the Edge: Social, Political and Religious Frontiers in Medieval Europe. International Conference at Durham University.
• 2012: Trustee for the Gefrin Trust (2012-): Independent trust with responsibility for protecting, managing and furthering research at the early medieval site of Yeavering, Northumberland.
• 2011: Member of the UK Steering Group for the Internationales Sachsensymposium (2011-19): Member (by invitation) of the UK Steering Group for the Internationales Sachsensymposium, a European Seminar Series (2011-2019)
• 2010: Associate Director of the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Durham (2010-12):

Available for media contact about:

• History & Archaeology: Medieval Archaeology

Authored book

• Semple, S., Sanmark, A., Iversen, F. & Mehler, N. (2020). Negotiating the North. Meeting-Places in the Middle Ages in the North Sea Zone. Routledge.
• Semple, S.J. (2013). Perceptions of the Prehistoric in Anglo-Saxon England: Religion, Ritual and Rulership in the Landscape. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Turner, S., Semple, S. J. & Turner, A. (2013). Wearmouth and Jarrow: Northumbrian Monasteries in an Historic Landscape. Hatfield, Hertfordshire: English Heritage.

Chapter in book

• Semple, S., Orsini, C. & Mui, S. (2017). At the Limits: Frontiers and Boundaries in Early Medieval Northern Europe. In Life on the Edge: Social, Political and Religious Frontiers in Early Medieval Europe. Semple, S., Orsini, C. & Mui, S. Braunschweig: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum. 6: 7-25.
• Semple, S., Buchanan, B., Harrington, S., Oliver, D. & Petts, D. (2017). Power at the Edge: Yeavering, Northumberland, England. In Life on the Edge: Social, Political and Religious Frontiers in Early Medieval Europe. Semple, S., Orsini, C. & Mui, S. Braunschweig: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum. 6: 91-112.
• Semple, S. & Williams, H. (2015). Landmarks of the Dead: Exploring Anglo-Saxon Mortuary Geographies. In The Material Culture of the Built Environment in the Anglo-Saxon World. Clegg Hyer, M. & Owen-Crocker, G. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. II: 137-161.
• Semple, S. (2015). The Pre-Christian Landscape in Anglo-Saxon England. In Dying Gods - Religious beliefs in northern and eastern Europe in the time of Christianisation. Ruhmann, C. & Brieske, V. Stuttgart: Niedersächsischen Landesmuseum Hannover In Kommission bei Konrad Theiss Verlag. 5: 101-110.
• Jones, R. & Semple, S. (2012). Making Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England. In Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England. Jones, R. & Semple, S. Shaun Tyas. 1-17.
• Reynolds, A. & Semple, S. (2012). Digging for names: archeology and place-names in the Avebury Region. In Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England. Jones, R. & Semple, S Shaun Tyas. 76-100.
• Semple, S. (2011). Sacred Spaces and Places in Pre-Christian and Conversion Period Anglo-Saxon England. In The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology. Hamerow, H., Hinton, D. A. & Crawford, S. Oxford: University Press. 742-763.
• Reynolds, A. & Semple, S. (2011). Anglo-Saxon non-funerary weapon depositions. In Studies in Early Anglo-Saxon Art and Archaeology: Papers in Honour of Martin G. Welch. Brookes, S., Harrington, S. & Reynolds, A. Oxford: Archaeopress. 40-48.
• Semple, S.J. (2010). In the Open Air. In Signals of Belief in Early England: Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited. Carver, M.O.H, Sanmark, A. & Semple, S.J. Oxford: Oxbow.
• Sanmark, A. & Semple, S. J. (2010). The topography of outdoor assembly sites in Europe with reference to recent field results from Sweden. In Perspectives in Landscape Archaeology. Lewis, H. & Semple, S. J. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. BAR International Series 2103: 107-119.
• Semple, S.J. (2009). Recycling the Past: Ancient Monuments and Changing Meanings in Early Medieval Britain. In Antiquaries and Archaists, the Past in the Past, the Past in the Present. Aldrich, M. & Wallis, R. J. Reading: Spire Books Ltd. 29-45.
• Semple, S.J. (2004). Locations of Assembly in Early Anglo-Saxon England. In Assembly Places and Practices in Medieval Europe. Pantos, A. & Semple, S.J. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 135-154.
• Pantos, A. & Semple, S. J. (2004). Introduction. In Assembly Places and Practices in Medieval Europe. Pantos, A. & Semple, S. J. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 11-23.

Edited book

• Semple, S., Orsini, O. & Mui, S. (2017). Life on the Edge: Social, Political and Religious Frontiers in Medieval Europe. Neue Studien Sachsenforschung, 6. Braunschweig: Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum.
• Jones, R. & Semple, S. (2012). Sense of Place in Anglo-Saxon England. Shaun Tyas.
• Carver, M.O.H., Sanmark, A. & Semple, S.J. (2010). Signals of Belief. Anglo-Saxon Paganism Revisited. Oxford: Oxbow.
• Lewis, H. & Semple, S. J. (2010). Perspectives in Landscape Archaeology. BAR International Series 2103. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.
• Semple, S. J. & Williams, H. M. R. (2007). Early Medieval Mortuary Practices. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, 14. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
• Pantos, A. & Semple, S. J. (2004). Assembly Places and Practices in Medieval Europe. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
• Griffiths, D., Reynolds, A. & Semple, S. J. (2003). Boundaries in Early Medieval Britain. Anglo-Saxon Studies in History and Archaeology, 12. Oxford: Oxbow Books.

Edited Journal

• Semple, S.J & Brookes, S. (2020). Necrogeographies. World Archaeology, 52 (1): Taylor and Francis.
• Semple, S.J (2018). Temporary Places, Gatherings and Assemblies. World Archaeology, 50 (1): Taylor and Francis.
• Semple, S & Pettitt, P (2017). Debates in World Archaeology. World Archaeology, 59 (5): Routledge, Taylor Francis.
• Semple, S.J. (2006). Anglo-Studies in Archaeology and History, 13. Oxbow.

Journal Article

• Semple, S. J & Brookes, S. (2020). Necrogeography and necroscapes: living with the dead. World Archaeology 52(1): 1-15.
• Harrington, S, Brookes, S, Semple, S & Millard, A (2020). Theatres of Closure: Process and Performance in Inhumation Burial Rites in Early Medieval Britain. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 30(3): 389-412.
• Semple, S.J (2018). Temporary Places, Gatherings and Assemblies: Editorial. World Archaeology 50(1): 1-6.
• Semple, Sarah & Pettitt, Paul (2017). Editorial. World Archaeology 49(5): 569-573.
• Skinner, A. T. & Semple, S. (2015). Assembly Mounds in the Danelaw: Place-name and Archaeological Evidence in the Historic Landscape. Journal of the North Atlantic 8(sp8): 115-133.
• Semple, S. J. & Sanmark, A. (2013). Assembly in North West Europe: collective concerns for early societies? Journal of European Archaeology 16(3): 518-542.
• Stephen Mitchell, Neil Price, Ronald Hutton, Catharina Raudvere, Carlo Severi, Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Sarah Semple, Aleks Pluskowski, Martin Carver & Carlo Ginzburg (2010). Witchcraft and Deep Time - a debate at Harvard. Antiquity 84(325): 864-79.
• Semple, S.J. (2008). Polities and Princes AD 400-800: New Perspectives on the Funerary Landscape of the South Saxon Kingdom. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 27(4): 407-429
• Sanmark, A. & Semple, S. J. (2008). Places of Assembly: New Discoveries in Sweden and England. Fornvännen 103(4): 245-259.
• Semple, S (2007). Defining the OE Hearg: a preliminary archaeological and topographic examination of hearg place names and their hinterlands. Early Medieval Europe 15(4): 364-385.
• Semple, S.J. (2003). Illustrations of Damnation in Late Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts. Anglo-Saxon England 32: 31-45.
• Semple, S. J (2003). Burials and Political Boundaries in the Avebury region, North Wiltshire. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 12: 72-91.
• Pitts, M., Bayliss, A., McKinley, J., Bylston, A., Budd, P., Evans, J., Chenery, C., Reynolds, A. & Semple, S. J. (2002). An Anglo-Saxon Decapitation and Burial at Stonehenge. Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine 95: 131-146.
• Semple, S.J. (1998). A fear of the past: the place of the prehistoric burial mound in the ideology of middle and later Anglo-Saxon England. World Archaeology 30(1): 109-126.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Sanmark, A. & Semple, S. J. (2009). tingsplatsen vid anundshog. Popular Arkeologi 4: 13-14.