The School of Historical and Philosophical Studies Classics and Archaeology

Dr Andrew Jamieson


Lecturer
Curator Classics and Archaeology Collection

Telephone:
(+61 3) 8344 3403
Email:
asj@unimelb.edu.au
Fax:
(+61 3) 8344 4161
Location:
Room 122, Old Quadrangle,
The University of Melbourne VIC 3010

Biography

Andrew Jamieson has extensive archaeological field experience and has worked at sites in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Australia. In the mid-1990s he was deeply involved in the UNESCO post-war salvage operations in Beirut. For ten seasons he worked at Tell Ahmar in northern Syria. He has taught at Monash University and also been involved in a range of curatorial, conservation and field projects with Heritage Victoria. He is currently developing two new research projects in northern Syria: the establishment of an archaeological artefact repository at Qala'at Nejim and a joint Syrian-Australian excavation at Tell Qumluq.

Andrew is also member of the Archaeology Advisory Committee of the Heritage Council of Victoria.


Recent Grants and Awards

 

Dr Andrew Jamieson at his desk in Egypt

Dr Andrew Jamieson at his desk in Egypt


Research

Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (RMIT), Bachelor of Arts Hons, Master of Arts and PhD (Melbourne)

Andrew's research interests include the archaeology of the ancient Near East and Egypt, and historical archaeology in Victoria. He specializes in the study of ancient ceramics and archaeological artefact collections.


Current Projects

From the Field to the Repository: significance of archaeological collections (Qala'at Nejim)

Collaborators: Dr Youssef Kanjou, Director of Archaeological Excavations, Aleppo, Syria

This multi-disciplinary research project addresses a crucial but often ignored aspect of Near Eastern archaeology: the sustainable long-term care of growing numbers of archaeological collections. It will examine the introduction of enhanced practices in the creation of archaeological collections through new processes and technologies in an action research environment that will also encourage changes in archaeological collections management culture. The project will offer Australian and other international scholars previously unrealised research potential to access information and study artefacts across different periods, sites, and regions in ways that will generate new knowledge, informing and enriching our understanding of the past.

Focusing on the archaeological collections from the Euphrates Valley (Tishreen Dam), north Syria, the aim is to develop strategies for short- and long-term collections management. Archaeological resources are non-renewable and any threat to the preservation of archaeological material threatens future research. Curation is seldom raised as a critical issue in an archaeological investigation or research design. The current 'crisis' in repository space has increased awareness that the long-term management of culturally significant material requires serious consideration. The primary objective of this project is to develop and test criteria for determining significance and assessing research potential for archaeological collections.


Joint Syrian-Australian Excavation Project: Tell Qumluq

Collaborators: Dr Youssef Kanjou, Director of Archaeological Excavations, Aleppo, Syria

This joint Syrian-Australian project,) involves salvage excavations at Tell Qumluq; originally located on the east bank of the Euphrates River in north Syria, approximately equal distance between Carchemish and Til Barsib/Tell Ahmar. Since the creation of the Tishreen dam Tell Qumluq is now an island situated within the reservoir, and as a result the site is threatened with destruction caused by flooding. Low lying areas of the site have been inundated and a number of burials from the mid-to-late third millennium BCE were recently destroyed by rising water levels. Large quantities of archaeological artefacts are clearly visible across the surface of the site, especially at the base of the tell. Although there has been no systematic surface survey, previous surface collections and test excavations have indicated evidence for the Uruk, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Classical (Romano-Hellenistic), and Islamic (Ayyubid) periods, clearly demonstrating Tell Qumluq's historical importance.


Publications

Books


Chapters


Articles in Refereed Journals


Technical Publications


Other publications and Short Notes


Recent Conference Papers


Other Significant pre-2000 Publications


Teaching


Recent Exhibitions


Public programs at the Ian Potter Museum of Art

Ancient Culture: Think through ancient cultures

Thinking Through Ancient Cultures is an exciting educational program which provides year 7-12 students with an opportunity to experience the fascinating and rewarding world of Classics and Archaeology. Designed by expert staff at the University of Melbourne's Classics and Archaeology program and coordinated by Dr Andrew Jamieson, this program is offered in cooperation with the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

The program, quite literally puts ancient cultures in the hands of the students. Students can get a 'behind the scenes' look at the Classics and Archaeology Collection at the Potter Museum and actually work with artefacts in the Collection.

The Classics and Archaeology Collection is one of the oldest and most important art collections of the University of Melbourne. With more than 2,400 objects, the collection provides an opportunity for students to explore the cultures of the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Artefacts range from Pre-Dynastic Egyptian vessels more than 6,000 years old to Bronze Age Near Eastern weaponry, Classical Greek vases and Roman coinage.

Furthermore students will see how artefacts are recovered through excavation, how they are processed and conserved, how they are analysed, how they reveal the secrets of the past, and how all of this information is important for us today.

Further information about the Ancient Cultures schools program at the Ian Potter Museum of Art.

 

Recent RHD Completions

 

Current RHD Supervisions

 

top of page