Martin Carver facts for kids

Martin Carver is a very important archaeologist. He was born on July 8, 1941. He is known for his amazing discoveries. He taught archaeology at the University of York in England.

Professor Carver is famous for leading the Sutton Hoo Research Project. This project explored an ancient burial site. He also worked at a Pictish monastery in Portmahomack, Scotland. He has done archaeological research in many countries. These include England, Scotland, France, Italy, and Algeria. He is an expert in the archaeology of early Medieval Europe. This period is from about 500 to 1500 AD.

Early Life and Education

Martin Carver was born to John Hobart Carver and Jocelyn Louisa Grace Carver. He went to Ladycross School, a preparatory school. Later, he attended Wellington College. These schools helped him prepare for his future studies.

Military Service

Before becoming an archaeologist, Martin Carver served in the British Army. He joined the Royal Tank Regiment in 1961. He was promoted to captain in 1967. He retired from the army in 1972. After his military service, he began his exciting career in archaeology.

Academic Career and Discoveries

After leaving the army, Martin Carver became a freelance archaeologist. This means he worked on different projects on his own. In 1973, he helped start the Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit. This group did archaeological work for various clients.

In 1986, he became a Professor of Archaeology at the University of York. He taught students about world archaeology. He also taught them how to do field archaeology. This involves digging and finding ancient objects.

Sutton Hoo and Portmahomack

Professor Carver led major digs at Sutton Hoo. This site is famous for an Anglo-Saxon ship burial. It contained amazing treasures from over 1,300 years ago. He also worked at Portmahomack. This was an early Christian monastery in Scotland. His work helped us understand life in early medieval Britain.

Editor of Antiquity

From 2002 to 2012, Martin Carver was the editor of Antiquity. This is a very important journal about archaeology. He helped publish many articles by other archaeologists.

The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company

Martin Carver is also involved with The Sutton Hoo Ship's Company. This group is building a full-size replica of the ancient ship found at Sutton Hoo. It will be just like the original ship, but seaworthy!

Broadcasting and Public Speaking

Martin Carver shared his archaeological work on TV. He presented four episodes of the BBC 2 show Chronicle (British TV programme). These shows explained his discoveries at Sutton Hoo. They also showed new technologies used in archaeology.

In one episode, he went on a replica Viking ship called Edda. The ship sank, which became a funny story he often told in his lectures.

Honours and Awards

Martin Carver has received many important honours for his work. In 1981, he became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. This is a special group for people who study ancient things. In 2011, he became an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

In 2020, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. This is a very high honour for people in humanities and social sciences. These awards show how much his work has contributed to archaeology.