About our staff
Dr Jon Henderson
MA (Edin.) DPhil (Oxon.) FSA Scot. MCIfA
Chancellor's Fellow- Global Challenges; Head of Archaeology Subject Area; Archaeology
- Email: jon.henderson@ed.ac.uk
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology Doorway 4, Old Medical School, Teviot Place
Roles
Director of Research (Archaeology)
Affiliated research centres
Biography
I was appointed as a Chancellor’s Fellow in Global Challenges in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh on 1 September 2020. I was previously an Associate Professor in Archaeology at the University of Nottingham where I was also the Director of the Underwater Archaeology Research Centre.
I completed an undergraduate MA degree in Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh in 1994. I then worked as a consultant for commercial archaeology units in Edinburgh (Kirkdale and AOC Archaeology) before undertaking a doctorate in Archaeology at the University of Oxford (1995-2000) supervised by Sir Barry Cunliffe. I was offered a lectureship in Archaeology at the University of Nottingham in 2000 while completing my D.Phil. and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2007.
External appointments
AHRC Peer review College (Academic, Interntaional, Knowledge Transfer)
Organising Committee, UN Ocean Decade Heritage Network
UK National Commission for UNESCO expert network (Underwater Cultural Heritage)
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA)
Useful Links
Rising from the Depths AHRC/GCRF Network+
The Thistlegorm Project Red Sea, Egypt
Twitter @drjonchenderson
Summary of research interests
Places:- Africa
- Europe
- Mediterranean
- Scotland
- Ancient Civilisations
- Culture
- Prehistory
- Antiquity
- Twentieth Century & After
Research interests
I am an archaeologist interested in the potential of heritage, particularly coastal and marine heritage, to lead research that addresses the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
A particular focus of my work is the development of innovative digital techniques for the survey and presentation of underwater sites.
I have specific research interests in coastal societies, submerged settlements, underwater archaeology and the development of innovative digital techniques for the survey and presentation of underwater cultural heritage.
The settlement archaeology of Scotland and Atlantic Europe during the Iron Age forms a further area of interest.
Current research activities
PI AHRC GCRF Grant: ‘Cultural Heritage and Development in Egypt: Wrecks at Risk: stabilising and enhancing submerged cultural heritage in the Red Sea’ (£172,574). 24 months: starting Oct 2019 until Sep 2021.
PI GCRF AHRC Area-Focused Network+: ‘Rising from the Depths: Utilising Marine Cultural Heritage in East Africa to help develop sustainable social, economic and cultural benefits’ (£2,000,000). Project last 4 years and is due to finish at the end of 2021 though follow on funding is expected as the network develops. www.risingfromthedepths.com
PI British Council Newton Institutional Links Grant: ‘Presence in the Past: Preservation of Egyptian Maritime Cultural Heritage through 3D digital modelling and Virtual Reality presentation’ (£80,700) 2016-2018. www.thethistlegormproject.com / www.pip.edu.eg
Research projects
My current research projects use knowledge and data from past human action in the marine and coastal environment to inform solutions to development challenges in that zone.
I am currently the Principal Investigator of a £2 million GCRF AHRC-funded Network based at Nottingham that aims to identify how the coastal cultural heritage of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar can stimulate ethical, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in East Africa.
Knowledge Exchange and Impact
I have a strong media profile and regularly appear on radio and TV discussing maritime archaeological topics.
I am active in the writing, presenting and production of factual documentaries including:
City Beneath the Waves: Pavlopetri BBC2 (2011)
The Last Battle of the Vikings BBC2 (2012)
Drain the Sunken Pirate City Discovery/National Geographic (2017)
Egypt’s Lost Wonders, Legends of Atlantis and Lost Worlds of the Mediterranean National Geographic (2018)
Rise of the Roman Empire National Geographic (2019).
I am currently an academic consultant for the National Geographic Drain the Ocean series and I am due to shoot a new documentary for Unearthed at Pavlopetri in 2020.
Current Students:
I can supervise PhD and MRes students on a range of archaeology, heritage and sustainable development topics. I have 6 PhD completions as main supervisor and 2 as joint supervisor to date.
Current student:
Wycliffe Omondi Cultural Heritage conservation as a stimulus for sustainable development along the coast of Kenya.
I have also successfully managed one post-doctoral researcher working on Theory of Change methodologies in a heritage context (2018-2019) and will have two further post-doctoral researcher as part of the Rising from the Depths project in the 2020 to 2021 academic year (topics to be decided and advertised).
Currently accepting research student applications : Yes
Areas accepting Research Students in:
Heritage and the Sustinable Development Agenda
Coastal and marine heritage
Underwater Archaeology
Submerged settlements
Scottish Crannogs
Iron Age archaeology of Scotland and Atlantic Europe
Publications
Books
Brown, S., Henderson, J. C., Mustard, A. and Postons, M. 2020: Diving the Thistlegorm. The ultimate guide to a World War II shipwreck. Dived Up Publications, Oxford.
Henderson, J. C. (ed.) 2012: Beyond Boundaries: The 3rd International Congress on Underwater Archaeology, IKUWA 3 London 2008 Römisch-Germanische Kommission.
Henderson, J. C. 2007: The Atlantic Iron Age: Settlement and Identity in the First Millennium BC. London: Routledge.
Barber, J., Clarke, C., Crone, A., Hale, A., Henderson, J.C., Housely, R., Sands, R. and Sheridan, A. (eds.) 2007: Archaeology From The Wetlands: Recent Perspectives, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph, Edinburgh.
Henderson, J. C. (ed.) 2000: The Prehistory and Early History of Atlantic Europe. Papers from a session held at the European Association of Archaeologists Fourth Annual Meeting in Göteborg 1998. British Archaeological Reports International Series 891, Oxford.
Articles and Book Chapters
Gilmour, S. and Henderson, J. 2020: Brochs and beyond: excavations at Old Scatness, Shetland. Antiquity 94, Issue 75, 797-801.
Henderson, J. 2019: Oceans without History? Marine Cultural Heritage and the Sustainable Development Agenda. Sustainability 11 (18): 5080. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11185080
Trakadas, A., Firth, A., Gregory, D., Elkin, D., Guerin, U., Henderson, J., Kimura, J., Scott-Ireton, D., Shashoua, Y., Underwood, C. and Viduka, A. 2019: The Ocean Decade Heritage Network: Integrating cultural heritage within the UN Decade of Ocean Science 2021–2030. Journal of Maritime Archaeology 14, 153–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-019-09241-0
Henderson, J. C. and Abbott, B. 2017: Using Sector-Scan Sonar for the Survey and Management of Submerged Archaeological Sites. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 46(2).
Johnson-Roberson, M., Bryson, M., Freidman, A., Pizarro, O., Troni, G., Ozog, P. and Henderson, J. C., 2016. High-Resolution Underwater Robotic Vision-Based Mapping and Three-Dimensional Reconstruction for Archaeology, Journal of Field Robotics. 33(4), 1-19.
Henderson, J. C. 2015: The recording, management and presentation of Underwater Cultural Heritage. In The First Ningbo Forum of Underwater Archaeology, China: 5-20.
Henderson, J. C., O. Pizarro, M. Johnson-Roberson, and I. Mahon, 2013, Mapping Submerged Archaeological Sites Using Stereo-Vision Photogrammetry, International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 42(2): 243-256.
Henderson, J. C. 2012: Meeting Expectations? The underwater investigation of Scottish Lake Dwellings. In Henderson, J. C. (ed.) Beyond Boundaries, Proceedings of IKUWA 3, The 3rd International Congress on Underwater Archaeology, Römisch-Germanische Kommission (RGK), Frankfurt.
Henderson, J. C. and Cavers, M. G. 2012: An Iron Age crannog in south west Scotland: Underwater survey and investigation at Loch Arthur Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 141, 103-124.
Henderson, J. C. and Gilmour, S. 2012: A first millennium BC dun in Argyll: Excavations at Dun Glashan. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 141: 75-102.
Henderson, J.C. and Sands, R. 2012: Irish and Scottish crannogs. In Menotti, F. and O’Sullivan, A., (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Wetland Archaeology. Oxford University Press: 269-282.
Gallou, C. and Henderson, J.C., 2012. Pavlopetri, an Early Bronze Age Early harbour town in south-east Laconia, Pharos, Journal of the Netherlands Institute in Athens 18.1: 79-104.
Henderson, J. C., Gallou, C., Flemming, N. and Spondylis, E., 2011: The Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project: investigating an ancient submerged town. In Benjamin, J., Bonsall, C., Pickard, C. and Fischer, A. (eds.), Underwater Archaeology and the Submerged Prehistory of Europe. Oxbow Books: 207-218.
Mahon, I., Pizarro, O., Johnson-Roberson, M., Friedman, A., Williams, S. and Henderson, J.C. 2011: Reconstructing Pavlopetri – Mapping the World’s Oldest Submerged Town Using Stereo Vision. In Robotics and Automation, (ICRA) IEEE International Conference, Shanghai 2011: 2315-2321
Cavers, G., Henderson, J. C., Barber, J. and Heald, A., 2011: Towards a Total Archaeological Record: Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Archaeological Recording at Keiss, Caithness, Scotland. In Jerem, E., Redo, F. and Szeverenyi, V., (ed.) On the Road to Reconstructing the Past: Computer Applications and Quantitive Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 36th International Conference, Budapest, April 2-6, 2008. Archaeolingua: 25-34.
Pydyn, A. and Henderson, J.C. 2010: Application of a Total Station in the interpretation of underwater archaeological sites based on the example of the settlement at Polanowo, Gniezno Lake District, Poland. In Pydyn, A., (ed.), Archeologia Jeziora Powidzkiego Nicolaus Copernicus University Scientific Publishing House: 259-270.
Henderson, J.C. 2009: Taking the Waters: Scottish crannogs and the Atlantic Iron Age. In Cooney, G., Becker, K., Coles, J., Ryan, M. and Sievers, S., (eds.), Relics of Old Decency: Archaeological Studies in Later Prehistory. Wordwell: 39-49.
Henderson, J.C. 2008: Finding the V-81: a Scapa Flow wreck in Caithness Archaeology Scotland. 8-9.
Henderson, J.C. 2007: The Atlantic West in the Early Iron Age. In Haselgrove, C. and Pope, R. (eds.), The Earlier Iron Age in Britain ad the Near Continent, Oxford, Oxbow Books: 306-327.
Henderson, J.C. 2007: Recognising complexity and realizing the potential of Scottish Crannogs. In Barber, J., Clarke, C., Crone, A., Hale, A., Henderson, J.C., Housely, R., Sands, R. and Sheridan, A. (eds.), Archaeology From The Wetlands, Recent Perspectives, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph, Edinburgh: 231-241
Henderson, J.C. 2007: Resisting decay, wind and waves: new research on the lake dwellings of South West Scotland. In Barber, J., Clarke, C., Crone, A., Hale, A., Henderson, J.C., Housely, R., Sands, R. and Sheridan, A. (eds.), Archaeology From The Wetlands: Recent Perspectives, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph, Edinburgh: 289-302.
Henderson, J. C. and Cavers, M. G. and crone, B. A. 2006: The South West Crannog Survey. Recent work on the lake dwellings of Dumfries and Galloway. Transactions of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Vol. 80: 2951.
Henderson, J. C. 2005: An underwater survey of Loch Glashan, Argyll. In Campbell, E. and Crone, A., A crannog of the 1st millennium AD; excavations by Jack Scott at Loch Glashan, Argyll, 1960, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph: 20-25.
Cavers, M. G. and Henderson, J. C. 2005: Underwater excavation at Ederline Crannog, Loch Awe, Argyll, Scotland. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 34.2: 282298.
Henderson, J. C. 2004: The Scottish Wetland Archaeology Programme: Assessing and Monitoring the Resource. Journal of Wetland Archaeology 4: 61-75.
Henderson, J. C., Crone B. A. and Cavers, M. G. 2003: A condition survey of selected crannogs in south west Scotland. Transactions of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. Vol. 77: 79-102.
Henderson, J.C., Crone, A. and Sands, R., 2002: Scottish crannogs: construction, collapse and conflation - problems of interpretation. In: Recent Developments in Wetland Research 2. 55-68
Henderson, J.C., 2001: The continuity of coastal lives. Times Higher Education Supplement. 24 Aug, 26
Henderson, J.C., 2000. Shared Traditions? The Drystone Settlement Records of Atlantic Scotland and Ireland 700 BC-AD200 In: The Prehistory and Early History of Atlantic Europe, Proceedings of the 4th European Association of Archaeologists Annual Meeting: 117-154
Henderson, J. C. 1999: A survey of crannogs in the Lake of Menteith, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 128: 273-292.
Henderson, J. C. 1998: Islets through time: the definition, dating and distribution of Scottish crannogs. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 17:2: 227-244.
Henderson, J. C. and Burgess, C. 1996: Close contour survey of submerged sites to create data terrain models with particular reference to Scottish crannogs. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 25:3: 250-256.