Overview
In this book, Carr unravels the biography of the archaeologist Tessa Verney Wheeler, a charming, tiny woman whose untimely death left her archaeological career overshadowed by her distinguished husband, Sir Mortimer Wheeler. Despite a short career of just over twenty years, Verney Wheeler published and excavated extensively while simultaneously developing new archaeological techniques, brought archaeology into the lives of the general public through her connections with the Press and the encouragement of site tours, and was an inspiring teacher to an impressive roster of students. In this biography, her life is recovered through an examination of her written work, archives, sites, and photographs, as well as through the memories of those who knew her. By means of a discussion of the very personal life and work of one woman, Carr explores the role of women in early British archaeology, resulting in a fascinating picture of a woman and a vivid evocation of the interwar period in London and Wales. From her work retraining colliery navvies as archaeological diggers in Roman amphitheatres on the Welsh borders, to cheap omelettes with her students at the Lyons Corner House on Piccadilly in London, Verney Wheeler crossed social and physical borders with a grace and appeal that remains very palpable today.
Full Product Details
Author: Lydia C. Carr (Independent scholar)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 14.80cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 22.70cm
Weight: 0.476kg
ISBN: 9780199640225
ISBN 10: 019964022
Pages: 322
Publication Date: 26 April 2012
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
... A thoughtful analysis and a good read. Margarita Diaz-Andreu, Times Higher Education This is, primarily, that too rare thing, a sensitive and convincing biography of an archaeologist ... Carr explains that her task is not to explore or defend the concept of women in archaeology. While the book is informed with a social and academic feminist awareness, it takes care not to exploit Verney Wheeler to promote an agenda. Mike Pitts, British Archaeology
This is, primarily, that too rare thing, a sensitive and convincing biography of an archaeologist ... Carr explains that her task is not to explore or defend the concept of women in archaeology. While the book is informed with a social and academic feminist awareness, it takes care not to exploit Verney Wheeler to promote an agenda. Mike Pitts, British Archaeology
Author Information
L. C. Carr took her D.Phil at Oxford in 2008, where her dissertation focused on Tessa Verney Wheeler's life and work. This is her first book.
