Patrick Ottaway
Since April 2006 I have been managing my own archaeological consultancy and am currently working on projects in Bristol, Leicester, Winchester and York. I am also Editor of the Archaeological Journal, one Britain's principal peer-reviewed archaeological publications and an Honorary Fellow of the Archaeology Department of York University.
I was previously Head of Fieldwork at York Archaeological Trust with responsibility for all the Trust's fieldwork projects and associated reporting. Before taking this post I had been a Senior Project Manager responsible for a number of excavations in York including sites on the Roman fortress defences and in the Roman civilian town.
On behalf of the Trust I worked as an archaeological consultant in respect of the development and planning process for commercial institutions in London and other English towns including Norwich and Peterborough.
My professional career began in Winchester (Hants) where I was Assistant City Archaeologist from 1976 to 1981.
I have a first degree from Oxford University and then took a Masters in Economic History at Leeds University (studying 16th century village plans) followed in 1990 by a DPhil in archaeology from York University (thesis on Viking Age ironwork). I am a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists.
I have a particular research interest in the archaeology of towns and in 1992 published Archaeology in British Towns (Routledge 1992) - shortlisted for Archaeological Book of the Year at the British Archaeological Awards.
I have written a book for the general reader entitled Roman York (2nd edition, Tempus 2004). My published excavation reports include Excavations and Observations on and adjacent to the Fortress Defences, 1971- 1990, The Archaeology of York 3/3. I also excavated the Roman signal station at Filey, East Yorkshire (report published in Archaeological Journal 157 for 2000, 79-199)
In addition to fieldwork, I have developed a specialism in archaeological ironwork and have published numerous reports including Anglo-Scandinavian Ironwork from 16-22 Coppergate, The Archaeology of York 17/6 (1992) and (with Nicola Rogers) Craft, Industry and Daily Life: Medieval Finds from York, The Archaeology of York 17/15 (2002).
I have a keen interest in archaeology and education and was responsible for setting up and co-ordinating a Certificate in British Archaeology programme, run jointly by the York Archaeological Trust and the University of Leeds (1996-2003). I have also been a freelance tutor in archaeology for the School of Continuing Education at Leeds University (1993 – 2003). Since 1995 I have been a tutor for the annual European Studies Programme (Classical World option based at York University) run by Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee and The University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee U.S.A.
I have been involved in a number of media projects including the Channel 4 archaeology programme Time Team Live broadcast from York in September 1999 and BBC Timewatch programme ‘The Mystery of the Headless Romans’ screened in April 2006. I am particularly proud to have been the manager (in 2000-1) for the British contribution to a tri-lingual web site The Normans : A European People developed in conjunction with the Museum of Normandy, Caen, France, and three Italian institutions, and part-funded by the European Union.
My popular publications include 2000 Years of York (an introduction to archaeological discoveries in York - jointly with R.A. Hall; 1999), Romans on the Yorkshire Coast (an introduction to the Roman signal stations; 1996) and a Roman York trail leaflet produced for visitors by the City of York Council (2004). In 1999 I created an interactive visitor information point at Birdoswald Roman fort for Cumbria County Council and the Scirebröc Group.
I have been Chairman of the Council for British Archaeology Yorkshire Group (1997-2001) and of the Yorkshire Archaeological Research Framework Forum for whom I was joint editor (with T.G. Manby and S. Moorhouse) of The Archaeology of Yorkshire: An Assessment at the Beginning of the 21st Century published by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in September 2003 as part of the Yorkshire section of the English Heritage sponsored programme of regional resource assessment.
