缅北禁地

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Staff Profiles

Professor Rob Collins

Professor of Frontier Archaeology

  • Telephone: 0191 208 3125
  • Address: School of History, Classics & Archaeology,
    Room 1.40G, Armstrong Building,
    缅北禁地
    缅北禁地 upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background

INTRODUCTION

I am a Professor of Frontier Archaeology in the School of History, Classics & Archaeology, having joined as a Lecturer in 2017.

I am the Head of Archaeology (from Oct 2024).

Between 2017-2022, I was Project Manager to the (WallCAP). Formerly, I was the Research Associate leading on the (FREDHI) at 缅北禁地. I have also worked as the Great North Museum Academic Liaison Officer at 缅北禁地, and I worked for 8 years as the Finds Liaison Officer, North East, for the , based in the late Museum of Antiquities and its successor, the Great North Museum from 2006-2014.

I have an enduring interests in the archaeology and history of Roman armies & frontiers and the Early Middle Ages. I also have a strong interest in landscapes, small finds and material culture.

EDUCATION

  • PhD Archaeology - University of York
  • MA Medieval Archaeology - University of York
  • BA Anthropology - State University of New York at Geneseo

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Hadrian's Wall & Roman frontiers
  • Early Medieval Britain
  • comparative frontiers
  • small finds and coins

MEMBERSHIPS and PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Society of Antiquaries (London)
  • Corresponding Member, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (German Archaeological Institute)
  • Society of Antiquaries of 缅北禁地 upon Tyne
  • Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
  • Roman Finds Group

SCHOOL ROLES

  • Undergraduate Degree Programme Director (DPD), Archaeology (2023-present)
  • Lead Mentor (2020-2024)
  • Admissions Tutor, Archaeology (2017-2020)

ADDITIONAL ROLES

  • Hadrian's Wall representative, Bratislava Group
  • Keeper of Coins, Society of Antiquaries of 缅北禁地 upon Tyne
  • Member, Hadrian's Wall Partnership Board
  • Coordinator, Roman Northern Frontiers Seminar
  • Trustee, Corbridge Excavation Fund
  • Organising Committee, Hadrian's Wall Pilgrimage 2029
  • Organising Committee, Hadrian's Wall Pilgrimage 2019

Google scholar:

Research

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests fall within five broad themes:

  • frontier and border studies
  • artefacts and material culture
  • the collapse of complex societies
  • public archaeology and perceptions of the past
  • heritage

In practice, this has led to my specialization of the transition of Roman frontiers in late antiquity, with a particular focus on Hadrian's Wall. My research makes use of landscape analysis and archaeological remains of built structures and small finds to provide a social interpretation of the material record. Through my work with Hadrian's Wall, and the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, my research has also moved into the sphere of Critical Heritage Studies.

I also have interest in small finds, particularly those of the Roman, Early Medieval, and Medieval periods.

While I am interested very broadly in frontier societies, my geographic focus has been Britain, particularly focusing on the provincial Roman and Early Medieval (incl. Anglo-Saxon) archaeology.

Recent research has seen me exploring notions of sexuality in the Roman frontier (notably phallic imagery), as well as examining the impact and reimaginings of Hadrian's Wall in popular and contemporary culture, which was explored in the conference in June 2016 and through continuing work. I have also begun more actively researching other frontier and border systems to build on comparative analysis of frontiers and borders, for example with the Great Wall of China, the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) of Korea, and the colonial 'backcountry' of the British and French empires where the Haudenosaunee (more popularly known as the Iroquois peoples) lived.

As a result of my professional background and experience (for example, with the PAS), I also have an enduring interest in public archaeology, and much of my work with WallCAP (below) is expanding on this experience with new research.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Developing a New Framework for Great Wall Archaeological Research

An AHRC-funded Catalyst grant building on previous work of the Wall-to-Wall collaboration. The project is working with colleagues in China, particularly in partnership with Northwest University (Xi'an). The project seeks to consolidate existing archaeological research of the Great Wall of China and establish an explicit framework for future archaeological research.

Climate Change and UNESCO World Heritage: Hadrian's Wall Pilot

A brief pilot-project focused on Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site, funded by UNESCO UK and part of a series of pilots. The project assessed work related to climate change and resilience taking place across the many organisations that operate within and across the World Heritage Site.

A National Lottery Heritage Fund project researching and addressing sites on the Heritage At Risk register associated with the Wall, and researching the evidence for dispersal and reuse of the stone building fabric from Hadrian's Wall and its installations.

Wall-to-Wall

An international collaboration lead by the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH) and Historic England, in which organisations, academics, and professionals of the Great Wall of China and Hadrian's Wall met to share best practice and insights to enhance international collaboration and World Heritage for the global public. A conference was held in 缅北禁地 in 2018, followed by another conference in Jinshanling in 2019. Both conference proceedings have been published.

I was the lead researcher for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire Digital Humanities Initiative (FREDHI), which developed cutting-edge digital research tools using Hadrian's Wall and other Roman frontiers as the focus of this research.

This project emerged out of FREDHI, in building a digital archive of the world-class material culture assemblages from the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site. We offer 3D scans of inscribed and scultped stones and artefacts, which can be used for teaching and research.

Burial in Early Bernicia

Recent discoveries of early Anglo-Saxon artefacts reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme have highlighted new sites of archaeological interest. I am leading on this research, including site-based evaluations in collaboration with Prof Sam Turner (缅北禁地) and Dr Sarah Semple (Durham).

The End of Empire: The northern frontier in the fourth-fifth centuries AD

The End of Empire project was funded by the AHRC, resulting in the publication of my 2012 book with Routledge, Hadrian's Wall and the End of Empire.

Teaching

2024-2025 Academic Year

  • ARA2091: Archaeologies of the Roman Empire
  • ARA2101: Artefacts
  • ARA3021: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8030: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8291: Graduate Seminar in Historical Archaeology
  • ARA8394: Past Bodies

2023-2024 Academic Year

  • ARA1030: Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century
  • ARA2020: Fieldwork and Post-excavation
  • ARA2091: Archaeologies of the Roman Empire
  • ARA2101: Artefacts (module leader)
  • ARA3000/3001/3002/3003: Dissertations in Archaeology (module leader)
  • ARA8128: The Sharp Edge of Empire? Armies and Frontiers of Imperial Rome (module leader)
  • ARA8190: Research Themes, Theories, and Skills in Archaeology

2022-2023 Academic Year

  • Research Leave

2021-2022 Academic Year

  • ARA1030: Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century
  • ARA3021: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8030: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8128: Armies and Frontiers of the Roman Empire (module leader)
  • ARA8150: Graduate Seminar in Roman Archaeology

Prior to 2021, I have contributed to a number of modules, including:

  • SHS1000: Stage 1 Archaeology
  • ARA1030: Archaeology of Britain from the Romans to the 20th Century
  • ARA2012: Fieldwork and Archaeological Practice
  • CAH2013: Sex, Bodies, and Identity in Antiquity
  • ARA2091: Archaeologies of the Roman Empire
  • ARA2101: Artefacts
  • SHS3000: Stage 3 Archaeology
  • ARA3013: Early Medieval Northern Europe
  • ARA3021: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8030: Frontier Communities of Roman Britain (module leader)
  • ARA8113: Early Medieval Northern Europe
  • ARA8128: Armies and Frontiers of the Roman Empire (module leader)
  • ARA8150: Graduate Seminar in Roman Archaeology

I was also an Educator on the Hadrian's Wall MOOC (massive on-line open course), developing content and tutoring during the first three runs.

Publications

  • Articles

    • Collins R, Sands R. . Antiquity 2023, 97(392), 419-435.
    • Collins R, Turner S. . Medieval Archaeology 2018, 62(1), 28-52.
    • Dolfini A, Collins R. . Open Archaeology 2018, 4, 36-49.
    • Collins R. . Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society 2014, 14, 286-291.
    • Collins R. . Archaeologia Aeliana 2013, 42(Ser. 5), 235-267.
    • Collins R. . Medieval Archaeology 2010, 54, 386-390.
    • Collins R. The Latest Roman Coin from Hadrian's Wall: A small 5th Century Purse Group. Britannia 2008, 39, 256-261.

  • Authored Books

    • Collins R, Harrison J. . Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2024.
    • Collins R, Kille I, O'Donnell K. . Oxford: Oxbow, 2023.
    • Collins R, Birley B, Croom A, Laskey J, McIntosh F, Padley T, Parkin A, Price E. Living on the Edge of Empire: The objects and people of Rome’s Northern Frontier. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2020.
    • Collins Rob, Symonds Matthew. . Kendal: Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society and Society of Antiquaries of 缅北禁地 upon Tyne, 2019.
    • Collins R. . New York: Routledge, 2012.

  • Book Chapters

    • Collins R. . In: AE Blackwell; F Hunter; A Rau; M Goldberg, ed. Silver Beyond Empire: The Transition between Late Roman and Early Medieval Europe. Leiden: Sidestone, 2026, pp.56-68.
    • Collins R, Fairclough G, Turner S. . In: Rodenberg J; Wagenaar P; Burgers GJ, ed. Calling on the Community : Understanding participation in the heritage sector: an interactive governance perspective. Oxford: Berghahn, 2023, pp.71-92.
    • Collins R. . In: Hodgson N; Griffiths B, ed. Roman Frontier Archaeology – in Britain and beyond. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2022, pp.243-255.
    • Collins R. . In: Alberti, M; Mountain, K, ed. Hadrian's Wall: Exploring Its Past to Protect Its Future. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2022, pp.82-91.
    • Collins R, Shaw K. Public engagement with World Heritage: An assessment from Hadrian’s Wall. In: N. Mills, ed. Visitor Experiences and Audiences for the Roman Frontiers: Developing Good Practice in Presenting World Heritage. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 2021, pp.177-186. In Preparation.
    • Collins R. . In: Ivleva, T; Collins, R, ed. Un-Roman Sex: Gender, Sexuality, and Lovemaking in the Roman Provinces and Frontiers. New York: Routledge, 2020, pp.274-309.
    • Collins R. . In: Smith C, ed. Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Cham: Springer, 2020.
    • Collins R. . In: N. Christie and P. Diarte-Blasco, ed. Interpreting Transformations of Landscapes and People in Late Antiquity. Oxford, UK: Oxbow, 2018, pp.149-161.
    • Collins R. . In: S. Semple, C. Orsini and S. Mui, ed. Life on the Edge: Social, Political and Religious Frontiers in Early Medieval Europe. Hanover: Hanover Museum, 2017, pp.45-54.
    • Collins R. . In: Varga R; Rusu-Bolindet V, ed. Official Power and Local Elites in the Roman Provinces. London: Routledge, 2017, pp.127-144.
    • Collins R. . In: Nico Roymans, Stijn Heeren and Wim De Clercq, ed. Social Dynamics in the Northwest Frontiers of the Late Roman Empire: Beyond Decline or Transformation. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam Press, 2017, pp.203-220.
    • Collins R. . In: D. Breeze, B. Jones & I. Oltean, ed. Understanding Roman Frontiers. Edinburgh, UK: Birlinn Ltd, 2015, pp.101-110.
    • Collins R. . In: R. Collins, M. Symonds, M. Weber, ed. Roman Military Architecture on the Frontiers: Armies and their Architecture in Late Antiquity. Oxford, UK: Oxbow, 2015, pp.18-31.
    • Collins R. . In: Collins, R; McIntosh, F, ed. Life in the Limes. Oxford: Oxbow, 2014, pp.166-171.
    • Collins R, Breeze D. . In: R. Collins, K. Fitzpatrick-Matthews, S. Moorhead, D. Petts, F.K. Haarer, ed. AD 410: The History and Archaeology of Late and Post-Roman Britain. Oxford: Oxbow, 2014, pp.61-72.
    • Collins R. . In: Hunter, F; Painter, K, ed. Late Roman Silver: The Traprain Treasure in Context. Edinburgh, UK: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2013, pp.29-43.
    • Collins R. . In: R. Collins and M. Symonds, ed. Breaking Down Boundaries: Hadrian's Wall in the 21st Century. Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2013, pp.123-137.
    • Collins R. . In: Totten, D; Lafrenze Samuels, K, ed. Making Roman Places, Past and Present. Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2012, pp.65-80.
    • Collins R. . In: Petts, D; Turner, S, ed. Early Medieval Northumbria: Kingdoms and Communities, 450-1100. Turnhout: Brepols, 2011, pp.15-34.
    • Collins R. . In: Collins,R; Allason-Jones,L, ed. Finds from the frontier: material culture in the 4th-5th centuries. York: Council for British Archaeology, 2010, pp.64-77.
    • Collins R. Hadrian's Wall and the Collapse of Roman Frontiers. In: A. Morillo, N. Hanel, and E. Martin Hernandez, ed. Limes XX: Estudios Sobre la Frontera Romana (Leon). Madrid: Anejos de Gladius, 2009, pp.181-197.

  • Edited Books

    • Collins R, Symonds M, ed. . London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 2026.
    • Ivleva T, Collins R, ed. . London: Routledge, 2020.
    • Collins R, Symonds M, Weber M, ed. . Oxford, UK: Oxbow, 2015.
    • Collins R, McIntosh F, ed. . Oxford: Oxbow, 2014.
    • Haarer F, Collins R, Fitzpatrick-Matthews K, Moorhead S, Petts D, Walton P, ed. . London, UK: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, 2014.
    • Collins R, Symonds M, ed. . Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2013.
    • Collins R, Allason-Jones L, ed. . York: Council for British Archaeology, 2010.
    • Collins R, Gerrard J, ed. . Oxford: British Archaeological Reports, 2004.