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Susan Greaney

Susan Greaney

Research student, Archaeology, School of History, Archaeology and Religion

Overview

I am an archaeologist with a specialism in British prehistory. I work for English Heritage as a Senior Properties Historian as well as undertaking my PhD part-time. Over the last 11 years I have been responsible for archaeological research and developing content of a wide variety of exhibitions and site presentation projects, including Stonehenge, Tintagel Castle and Chysauster ancient village.

Academic History

  • BA Archaeology and Prehistory, 1st, University of Sheffield, 2005
  • MSc Professional Archaeology, distinction, University of Oxford, 2006

PhD Research

Second supervisor: Dr Joshua Pollard (University of Southampton)

Publications

  • Westlake, S. 2006 €˜Routeways and waterways: the Neolithic-Bronze Age rock carvings of the Dingle peninsula in south-west Ireland from a landscape perspective€™ Archaeological Journal 162: 1-30.
  • Westlake, S. and Barnard, S. 2008 Free sites unlocked: facing the challenges at free and unstaffed properties€™ Conservation Bulletin 58: 35.
  • Westlake, S. and Sherman, L. 2009 €˜Seeing is believing Journal of the Association for Heritage Interpretation 14(1):7-10.
  • Westlake, S. and Alexander, M. 2009 Hadleigh Castle, Essex, earthwork analysis. English Heritage Research Department Report 32/2009.
  • Westlake, S. and Alexander, M. 2009 Hadleigh Castle, Essex English Heritage Historical Review 4: 4-21.
  • Hamerow, H. with Westlake, S. 2009 €˜The Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Wallingford€™. In K. S. B.,Keats-Rohan and D. R. Roffe (eds.) The Origins of the Borough of Wallingford: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives (p.13-16). BAR British Series 494. Oxford: BAR/Archaeopress.
  • Westlake, S. 2009 €˜A pyramid in England: Silbury Hill, Wiltshire€™ Country Life 203(2): 40-42.
  • Greaney, S. 2011 €˜John Abraham Bayly’s view of Little Kit€™s Coty House€™ English Heritage Historical Review 5: 6-11.
  • Greaney, S. 2013 €˜Reconstruction drawings: illustrating the evidence€™ In Mills, N. Presenting the Romans: Interpreting the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site (p.31-39).Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
  • Greaney, S. and Last, J. 2013 €˜Houses and settlement€™. In Canti, M., Campbell, G. and Greaney, S.(eds.) Stonehenge World Heritage Site Synthesis: prehistoric landscape, environment and economy. English Heritage Research Report 45/2013.
  • Greaney, S. 2013 Set in Stone: How our ancestors saw Stonehenge. London: English Heritage/ Scala Publishing.

Research

Research interests

  • prehistory
  • monuments
  • heritage presentation and engagement
  • museums.

Thesis

The archaeology of power: understanding the emergence and development of Neolithic monument complexes in Britain and Ireland

The aim of my research is to understand the conditions under which Neolithic monument complexes emerged, and how they were maintained and renewed over time. Specifically I will be looking at the different forms of power within the societies who built these complexes, by charting how power has been articulated in evolutionary, neo-Marxist and post-processual approaches, to more recent ideas about power as inherent within non-human aspects of the world. These various theoretical approaches will be applied to the latest archaeological information and chronological data from well-known monument complexes in Wessex (including Stonehenge and Avebury), Ireland (Bend of the Boyne) and Scotland (Orkney).

Funding source

Funded by the AHRC via the South West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.

Supervisors

Alasdair Whittle

Professor Alasdair Whittle

Distinguished Research Professor in Archaeology

External profiles