Roberta Gilchrist facts for kids

Roberta Lynn Gilchrist is a famous archaeologist and professor. She was born in Canada on June 28, 1965. She is known for studying the medieval period, which is also called the Middle Ages.

Professor Gilchrist has spent her career working in the United Kingdom. She is currently a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading. She also helps lead research at the university.

Early Life and Schooling

Roberta Gilchrist was born in Canada in 1965. When she was 17, in 1982, she moved to the UK. There, she started studying archaeology at the University of York.

She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in 1986. Later, in 1990, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree. For her DPhil, she wrote about "the archaeology of female piety." This means she studied how women's religious beliefs and daily lives were shown through old objects and buildings from the Middle Ages.

Her Career in Archaeology

Professor Gilchrist started her teaching career in 1990. She became a lecturer at the University of East Anglia. In 1996, she moved to the University of Reading. There, she became a Professor of Archaeology.

She used to be the head of the School of Archaeology, Geography, and Environmental Science at Reading. Since 2015, she has been the Dean of Research for Heritage and Creativity. This means she helps guide important research projects about history and art.

Other Important Roles

Besides her university work, Professor Gilchrist has held several other important jobs.

• From 1993 to 2005, she was an expert archaeologist for Norwich Cathedral.
• From 1997 to 2006, she was the editor of World Archaeology. This is a well-known magazine that shares new discoveries in archaeology.
• She was also the president of the Society for Medieval Archaeology from 2004 to 2007.

What She Studies

Professor Gilchrist is an expert in the archaeology of the medieval period in the UK. She especially focuses on:

• The archaeology of religion: how people's beliefs shaped their lives and the places they built.
• The archaeology of gender: how the roles of men and women in the past can be understood through archaeological finds.

She is also a member of the Antiquity Trust. This group helps publish Antiquity, another important archaeology magazine.

Awards and Honors

Professor Gilchrist has received many awards for her work.

• In 2002, she became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA). This is a special honor for people who have made big contributions to the study of history and old objects.
• In 2008, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA). This is another very high honor for experts in the humanities and social sciences.
• Also in 2008, she won the Martyn Jope Award. This award is given for the best new ideas or discoveries published in the Medieval Archaeology journal.

In February 2016, Professor Gilchrist won the "Archaeologist of the Year" award. This award is part of the Current Archaeology Awards. People from the public vote for these awards to recognize great work in archaeology. In 2018, she was also made an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge.

Books She Has Written

Professor Gilchrist has written or helped write many books about archaeology. Here are some of them:

• The Archaeology of Rural Monasteries (1989)
• Religious Women in Medieval East Anglia (1993)
• Advances in Monastic Archaeology: Conference on urban monasteries (1993)
• Gender and Material Culture: the archaeology of religious women (1994)
• Contemplation and Action: the other monasticism (1995)
• Gender and Archaeology: Contesting the Past (1999)
• The Archaeology of Reformation (2003)
• Requiem: the Medieval Monastic Cemetery in Britain (2005)
• Norwich Cathedral Close: the Evolution of the English Cathedral Landscape (2005)
• Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course (2012)
• Glastonbury Abbey: archaeological investigations 1904-79 (2015)
• Sacred Heritage: Monastic Archaeology, Identities, Beliefs (2020)

See also

In Spanish: Roberta Gilchrist para niños