Carnegie Vacation Scholarships
Four students received Carnegie Vacation Scholarships - here's what they got up to!
This summer four students from the School of History, Classics and Archaeology received Carnegie Vacation Scholarships, two for history and one for archaeology.
Synnøve Gravdal Heimvik - Archaeology (MA Hons)
My project focuses on the zooarchaeological material from the heavy fracture collected at Çamlıbel Tarlası, a Late Chalcolithic site in Central Turkey. I am looking through all the material and isolating potential diagnostic bones. So far, I have identified mostly small mammals such as mice, voles, and shrews, along with some amphibians such as toads, and some larger mammals. I hope the outcome of this project will give a greater understanding of the ecology of the site and surrounding area.
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Eve Brandon – History (MA Hons)
I’ve just completed my project which centred around a London court case from 1395 in which Eleanor Rykener faced trial on charges of prostitution in an unlicensed area. Baptised John, Eleanor’s experiences have provided a brilliant insight into medieval gender variance and work. I’ve finished this project with an imagined interview with Eleanor Rykener, engaging with new historiographical trends which urge history writing to embrace its inherent and inescapable subjectivity.
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Eve Brandon“I applied for this scholarship because I was fascinated by this primary source, and felt confident I’d get support from the school and my supervisor. In the coming year I know the research skills I’ve gained this summer will prove invaluable. ” |
Jamie Gemmell - History (MA Hons)
Over the summer I worked with James Knight’s “History of Jamaica,” an unpublished manuscript from the 1740s and kept in the British Library. I used the source to explore the history of Atlantic Slavery, with a specific focus on Jamaica in the early eighteenth century. I produced a partial digitised transcript of the manuscript and a short commentary on some aspects of it. In July, I presented my research as part of the British Library’s Summer Scholars series. The final part of the project was an academic poster event where I showcased my work to the Carnegie Trust.
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Jame Gemmell“I originally applied for the scholarship because I was really keen to work with primary sources and get some more research experience. My previous work on Atlantic slavery had been primarily focused on the historiography and so I wanted to explore some of the source material first-hand. It has been a fantastic experience and the skills I gained will serve me well in my dissertation and future master’s applications.” |
Alice Connelly – Archaeology (MA Hons)
I have been working with the animal bone assemblage excavated from the Culzean Caves by the National Trust for Scotland. My task was to go through all the bags of bones from 2017 and 2018 excavations and identify, record and comment upon anything of note on the bones such as cut marks or water wearing. I have now been compiling this into a report where I shall make recommendations for further analysis.
Cave sites are tricky to work with since archaeological material is often churned by water at high tide, but, hopefully, the assemblage can give an indication for the exploitation of animals for food, utensils, and other uses by people who have lived in or around the caves.
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Alice Connelly“I applied for this internship because I wanted to be able to contribute to an archaeological project without the funds and time necessary to join an excavation. I have felt fulfilled by this internship in that regard, however it has also helped me to re-engage with my passion for archaeology.” |
See images from the internships on our social media