Katherine McCullough French
Ph.D. in Archaeological Anthropology
NYU Department of Anthropology
Email: kcm317@nyu.edu
Research Interests
- zooarchaeology
- bioarchaeology
- medieval archaeology
- bone histology
- mortuary reconstruction
- heritage management
- forensic archaeology
- proteomics
Current Research
I am an anthropological archaeologist specializing in comparative osteology and the archaeology of early medieval England. My dissertation focuses on the prevalence of multispecies cremation burials in the Early Saxon period with particular focus on the sites of Bidford-on-Avon, Alveston Manor, and Wasperton. My aim in this project is to explore the multiscalar variability of mortuary practice amongst pagan communities. This research is funded through a NYU Lane Cooper Fellowship and by the NYU Global Research Institute.
More broadly, I am interested in methods for differentiating fragmentary skeletal material, particularly burnt material. My own research integrates histological analysis of bone with traditional gross morphological analysis. I am interested in all laboratory methods for identifying fresh or partially burnt bone to the genus level, especially the emerging field of proteomics.
Publications
[ Academia | ResearchGate ]Kamesh, Z, Gosden, C. and Lock, G. (with contributions by Brophy, E., Coe, R., Glyde, R., Harrison, J., Kinory, J., Levick, P., McCullough, K., Ravin, S., Smallridge, J., & Walford, J.) 2011. The Vale and Ridgeway Project: Excavations at Marcham/Frilford: 2010 interim report. Available at <http://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/ VRP1.html>.
McCullough, K. 2010. Cultural Resources Survey of Fuel Treatment Areas at Crater Lake National Park. Report prepared for Crater Lake National Park.
McCullough, K. 2009. Cultural Resources Survey of Fuel Treatment Areas – Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Report on file at Whiskeytown N.R.A.
Ogle, H. & McCullough, K. 2009. Archeological Inventory of Fuel Treatment Units at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Report on file at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Selected Presentations
French, K.M. A Multiscalar Approach to Medieval Cremains: From bone microstructure to Regional Trends. 81st Annual Meeting for the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, FL, April 6-10, 2016.
French, K.M., Dominguez, V., & Mavroudas, S. Prevalence of Drifting Osteons across Mammal Species [poster]. 84th Annual Meeting American Association of Physical Anthropologists, St. Louis, MO, March 25-28, 2015.
French, K.M. Graveside Feasting in Anglo-Saxon England: pagan tradition and Christian taboo. 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, May 8-11, 2014.
French, K.M. Interspecies Cremations in the Pagan World: local practice or multiregional trend? 79th Annual Meeting for the Society for American Archaeology, Austin, TX, April 23-27, 2014.
McCullough, K. Theorizing Paganism in the Early Medieval Period. Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) USA, Buffalo, NY, May 27-30, 2012.
McCullough, K. Is there a single Early Anglo-Saxon Culture? Regional Differences in England c.450-600 A.D. New York, NY, 2011.
McCullough K. Cattle as Wealth in Anglo-Saxon England. What is Bettre than Gold? New York, NY, 2010.