Staff Profiles
Alex Turner
Research Associate (Archaeology)
- Email: alex.turner@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 3444
- Address: School of History, Classics and Archaeology
Newcastle University
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
UK
Research Interests
A major strand of my current research is the development of an holistic methodology employing, amongst other techniques, GIS, laser scanning and geophysical prospection to enable greater understanding of structures ranging from the excavations beneath the streets of Rome to the fabric of early medieval churches in Greece and closer to home the World Heritage site of Hadrian's Wall.
Other Expertise
With over 40 years of experience in the archaeological arena, I have developed a broad range of expertise in the applied fields of GIS, database programming, computer modelling and geophysical, landscape and building survey.
Current Work
I am a Research Associate within the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. The majority of my work currently involves the application of a range of digitally based techniques to two major projects. The first, Rome Transformed with Ian Haynes from Newcastle and Paolo Liverani from Florence looks at the first ever large-scale assessment of the political, military and religious regeneration that emerged between the 1st and 8th centuries in the Caelian quarter of Rome and is funded by an ERC grant. By way of contrast, the second, The Hadrian's Wall Community Archaeology Project, with Sam Turner and Rob Collins from Newcastle, is looking at the Heritage at Risk and investigates the reuse of stone removed from across the whole of this World Heritage Site. WallCAP is funded by a Heritage Lottery grant.
I contribute to teaching on the following modules
Undergraduate
ARA2012 Fieldwork and Archaeological Practice
Post-graduate
ARA8190 Research Themes, Theories and Skills in Archaeology
ARA8120 Recording Historic Buildings (module leader)
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Articles
- McCarty M, Egri M, Rustoiu A, Dragan A, Turner A, Popa A. Provincializing Roman Dacia: The Canadian–Romanian Apulum Roman Villa Project, 2018–2019. Mouseion 2022, 18(3), 350-378.
- Turner S, Kinnaird T, Varinlioglu G, Serifoglu TE, Koparal E, Demirciler V, Athanasoulis D, Odegard K, Crow J, Jackson M, Bolos J, Sanchez-Pardo JC, Carrer F, Turner A, Sanderson D. Agricultural terraces in the Mediterranean: intensive construction during the later Middle Ages revealed by landscape analysis with OSL profiling and dating. Antiquity 2021, 95(381), 773-790.
- Rustoiu A, Egri M, McCarty MM, Rustoiu G, Dragan A, Powers E, Georgescu A, Casalean A, Turner A, Popa A. The role of Iron Age settlements at Oarda – Bulza in the agricultural exploitation of the Middle Mureș Valley. Apulum 2020, 57, 93-112.
- Ravasi T, Liverani P, Haynes I, Kay S. The Lateran Project: interim report fro the 2019-2020 Season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2020, 88. In Press.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Ravasi T, Kay S, Peverett I. The Lateran Project: interim report for the 2018-2019 season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2019, 87, 318-322.
- Haynes I, Turner A, Allison J. Recent work by the Corbridge Roman Station and Environs Project. Hadrian's Wall Archaeology 2019, 9, 35-40.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Ravasi T, Kay S, Peverett I. The Lateran Project: interim report for the 2017-2018 season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2018, 86, 320-325.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Heslop D, Peverett I, Piro S, Spinola G, Turner A. The Lateran Project: Interim Report for the 2016-17 Season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2017, 85, 317-320.
- Kinnaird T, Bolos J, Turner A, Turner S. Optically-stimulated luminescence profiling and dating of historic agricultural terraces in Catalonia (Spain). Journal of Archaeological Science 2017, 78, 66-77.
- Fieber KD, Mills JP, Peppa MV, Haynes I, Turner S, Turner A, Douglas M, Bryan PG. Cultural heritage through time: a case study at Hadrian’s Wall, United Kingdom. International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences 2017, XLII-2/W3, 297-302.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Peverett I, Spinola G, Turner A. The Lateran Project: Interim Report for the 2015-2016 Season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2016, 84, 311-316.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Piro S, Spinola G, Turner A. The Lateran Project: Interim Report for the January 2014 Season (Rome). Papers of the British School at Rome 2014, 82, 331-335.
- Haynes I, Liverani P, Turner A, Ravasi T. Roma si trasforma: gli scavi di San Giovanni in Laterano e l’evoluzione della città eterna tra II e VI sec. d.C. Forma Urbis. Itinerari nascosti di Roma antica 2012, 18(6), 34-42.
- Semple S, Turner A, Howard P. Reappraising Ad Gefrin. New field research by the Gefrin Trust. Archaeology in Northumberland 2010, (20), 41.
- Bilyayeva S, Fialko O, Turner A, Wazny T. Historical-archaeological investigations at Akkerman (Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky) fortress, Ukraine 2010. Anatolian Archaeology 2010, 16, 7-8.
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Authored Book
- Turner S, Semple S, Turner A. Wearmouth and Jarrow: Northumbrian Monasteries in an Historic Landscape. Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press, 2013.
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Book Chapters
- Turner A. Geophysical survey of the curtain at Thirlwall and Drumburgh. In: Collins R; Harrison J, ed. Excavations Along Hadrian’s Wall 2019–2021: Structures, Their Uses, and Afterlives. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2024, pp.24-32.
- Gerrard C, Turner A, Wilkinson K. Geophysical and geoarchaeological survey at the Bishop's Palace, Wells. In: Dunning, R, ed. Jocelin of Wells: Bishop, builder, courtier. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2010, pp.125-136.
- Turner A. Shapwick fieldwalking, A Statistical Assessment. In: Gerrard, CM; Aston, M, ed. The Shapwick Project, Somerset: A Rural Landscape Explored. Leeds: Maney Publishing, 2007, pp.1103-1112.
- Turner A. Geophysics, Part One. In: Gerrard, CM; Aston, M, ed. The Shapwick Project, Somerset: A Rural Landscape Explored. Leeds: Maney Publishing, 2007, pp.200-212.
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Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)
- Morelli L, Mazzacca G, Trybala P, Gaspari F, Ioli F, Ma Z, Remondino F, Challis K, Poad A, Turner A, Mills JP. The Legacy of Sycamore Gap: The Potential of Photogrammetric AI for Reverse Engineering Lost Heritage with Crowdsourced Data. In: ISPRS TC II Mid-term Symposium “The Role of Photogrammetry for a Sustainable World”. 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Copernicus GmbH.
- Turner A. Marvellous metadata: managing metadata for the Rome Transformed project. In: Non-Intrusive Methodologies for Large Area Urban Research. 2023, Online: Archaeopress.
- Peppa MV, Mills JP, Fieber KD, Haynes I, Turner S, Turner A, Douglas M, Bryan PG. Archaeological feature detection from archive aerial photography with a SfM-MVS and image enhancement pipeline. In: International Archives of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information. 2018, Riva del Garda, Italy: International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
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Online Publications
- Turner A. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey - Akkerman Fortress 2010. Akkerman Fortress Project, 2010. Available at: https://akkermanfortress.utoronto.ca/Files/GROUND_PENETRATING_RADAR_GPR_SURVEY.pdf.
- Turner A. Gradiometer and Ground Penetrating Radar Survey - Akkerman Fortress, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky, Ukraine, Summer 2008. Akkerman Fortress Project, 2009. Available at: https://akkermanfortress.utoronto.ca/Files/Akkerman_Survey_Report_2008.pdf.
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Report
- Sanmark A, Semple S, Turner A. Tingsplatsen som arkeologiskt problem: Etapp 3: Anunshog. TAP Field Report No. 3. 2011.