Caroline Malone facts for kids

Caroline Ann Tuke Malone, born in 1957, is a British expert in archaeology. She is known for studying ancient times, especially before written history. She was a Professor of Prehistory at Queen's University, Belfast starting in 2013. Now, she is an emeritus professor, which means she has retired but still keeps her title and connection to the university.

Education and Early Career

Caroline Malone studied archaeology and anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in 1980. Later, in 1986, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, also from Cambridge. Her PhD research was about how different groups of people exchanged goods and shared styles in the central Mediterranean region.

After her studies, Dr. Malone worked at the Alexander Keiller Museum, Avebury from 1985 to 1987. She was a curator there, which means she helped look after the museum's collections. From 1987 to 1990, she worked for English Heritage as an Inspector of Ancient Monuments. In this role, she helped protect old historical sites.

University Life and Research

Dr. Malone then moved into teaching and research at universities. She was a lecturer at the University of Bristol from 1990 to 1997. In 1997, she went back to the University of Cambridge, where she had studied before. There, she became a Fellow at New Hall, Cambridge and taught archaeology.

She also held important roles at major institutions. She was the editor of Antiquity, a well-known archaeology journal, from 2000 to 2002. From 2000 to 2003, she was a Keeper at the British Museum, looking after the Department of Prehistory and Early Europe.

Exploring Ancient Societies

Dr. Malone's research focuses on many interesting areas. She has done fieldwork, which means digging and studying sites, in Italy since 1983, Malta since 1987, and Sicily since 1997. She also works on sites in Britain.

Her main interests include:

• How archaeologists study the past.
• The societies of the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and Copper Age in Britain, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
• How people lived on islands.
• Studying ancient landscapes and settlements.
• Managing and protecting cultural sites.
• Understanding ancient tools and technology.

The FRAGSUS Project

In 2013, Dr. Malone led a big research project called FRAGSUS. This project received funding from the European Research Council. It was a team effort involving the University of Malta, the University of Cambridge, Heritage Malta, and Queen's University Belfast.

The FRAGSUS project looked at how the first people who settled in Malta affected the environment. The team excavated at several ancient temple sites, including Ggantija, Santa Verna, Kordin III, and Skorba. They also explored Tac Cawla and the Bronze Age site of In Nuffara. Their goal was to learn about the timeline of these sites, the ancient economy, and how people used the land.

Family Life

Caroline Malone is married to Simon Stoddart, who is also an archaeologist from Cambridge. They have worked together on fieldwork projects since 1983. They have two children.

Selected Books and Publications

Dr. Malone has written and edited many books and articles about archaeology. Here are a few examples:

• Megaliths in Malta. Orme dei Giganti (2009), co-edited with Simon Stoddart. This book is about the huge stone structures found in Malta.
• Mortuary Customs in prehistoric Malta: excavations at the Brochtorff-Xaghra Circle, Gozo, 1987-1994 (2009), where she was a lead author. This book shares findings from excavations at an ancient burial site in Malta.
• Changing beliefs in the human body in prehistoric Malta 5000-1500 BC (2008), co-authored with Simon Stoddart.
• Stonehenge (Digging for the Past) (2002), a book about the famous Stonehenge monument.
• Neolithic Britain And Ireland (2001), a book exploring the New Stone Age in Britain and Ireland.
• God of Goddess? The Temple Art of Ancient Malta (1999), an article discussing the art found in ancient Maltese temples.
• Territory, Time and State: The Archaeological Development of the Gubbio Basin (1994), co-edited with Simon Stoddart.