Career

After my first degree at the Institute of Archaeology, London (now part of UCL), I embarked on a PhD on the major assemblage of Roman (with some Sasanian 'Persian') arms and armour from Dura-Europos, Syria.

While working on this, I started earning a living as a freelance archaeological illustrator, which led to a contract to draw plans and reconstruction drawings for a book for the British Museum. I next moved into a job as an educational curator at the Museum, covering the prehistoric and Roman collections. This led me to extend my research from the Roman world to cover the 'Celtic' Iron Age as well.

I spent a decade at the British Museum, during which time I completed my PhD, published my first books, and then won a Leverhulme post-doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Durham to complete my work on the Dura arms. While at Durham I published my Atlantic Celts book, and undertook some freelance TV work.

Having done some teaching at Durham and Southampton Universities, in 2000, I was fortunate to secure a permanent lectureship in a leading combined department of archaeologists and ancient historians at the University of Leicester, where I have been ever since. From 2001-2010 I was lucky enough to work with French, Syrian, Canadian and other colleagues on new field research at Dura-Europos, and to undertake a visiting professorship in the USA followed by a Kress lecture tour for the Archaeological Institute of America.

In 2012 I was promoted to Professor of Archaeology. I am also proud to be president of the oldest and best UK Roman military research and re-enactment group, the Ermine Street Guard.

Since 2014 I have been privileged to direct the Ancient Akrotiri Project, conducting maritime archaeology research in Cyprus.