‘I want a really good man…’ Judy Birmingham and the origin of Australian Historical Archaeology

Описание: ‘I want a really good man and I have written to Professor Mallowan …’ Judy Birmingham and the origin of Australian Historical Archaeology

Presented online 22 November 2023.

Andrew Wilson, University of Sydney

Judy Birmingham is well known for her roles in the development of historical archaeology and cultural heritage management in Australia. Yet she was appointed to The University of Sydney in 1961 based entirely on her credentials as a Near Eastern archaeologist. The ongoing process of cataloguing the University’s archaeological collections has revealed contemporaneous documents that throw a fascinating light on the circumstances of her appointment and identify for the first time the origin of Historical Archaeology in Australia.

About Andrew Wilson

Andrew Wilson’s major interest has always been historical archaeology, analysing either the adaptations made by the invaders or their interaction with First Nations peoples. He taught with Judy Birmingham and directed the teaching excavation at Regentville for more than a decade and co-directed the Central Australia Archaeology Project from 1992 to 1997. He is the Archaeological Collections Registrar at the University of Sydney, establishing a permanent home for the collections so they are preserved and made available for further research.