Having studied Classics at Girton College, Cambridge, I worked for several years as a post-excavation researcher and Roman finds specialist in the UK, France and Turkey. In 2003, I began working for the Portable Antiquities Scheme as a Finds Liaison Officer. While identifying large assemblages of Roman coins, I developed an interest in Roman numismatics and my PhD thesis, published as a Moneta monograph in 2012, concentrated on the use of numismatic evidence to re-interpret the history and archaeology of Roman Britain. In January 2014, I took up a Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford and won the Blunt Prize for Numismatics awarded by the BNS. Following a brief return to the PAS in 2016, I began my Leverhulme-funded research project at Reading in 2018. 'Bridge over troubled water: The Roman finds from the River Tees at Piercebridge in context' was published as a Britannia monograph in May 2021.
My research interests focus on the archaeology of the western provinces of the Roman Empire, and on how the study of small finds and coins can illuminate our understanding of society. I am particularly interested in the material culture of Roman religion. I have taught and examined at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level, on modules including 'Roman Art', 'Imperial Culture and Society AD 50 - AD 150', 'Cities and Settlements of the Roman Empire' and 'Greek and Roman Numismatics', as well as supervising undergraduate dissertations and museum reports. Having lived and worked in Turkey, I also lead study tours exploring the Hellenistic & Roman art and archaeology of Aegean coast. I frequently contribute to both radio and TV programmes and was the Roman finds expert for Channel 4's Time Team for several years.
