My career in archaeology has included both employment and freelance archaeological consultancy. I began working as a archaeologist, excavating, recording, and processing artefacts and samples in 2003 with the Hertford Archaeological Trust, Cambridge County Council Archaeolgical Field Unit and the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAs, later MOLA). From 2007 to 2010 I worked as an assessments archaeologist for Museum of London Archaeology, undertaking archaeological desk-based and environmental impact assessments. It was during this period that I worked on the Assessment of Archaeological Resource in Aggregate Areas of the Isle of Wight, a project which further dveloped the geographic information system (GIS) skills I had learned undertaking archaeolgical desk-based assessments. I started working as a freelance archaeological consultant, when I left Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) in 2010, initially specialising in desk-based assessment and English Heritage projects undertaken for MOLA. During my PhD in Archaeology, I made use of my academic knowledge of Egyptology when I developed teaching materials for Mouseion Professors and guided tours around the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi gallery. Since completing my PhD in 2015, much of my work has related to GIS research, analysis and dissemination, whether freelance or as an employee. In 2017-2019 I was employed as Asyut Project Curator on the British Museum’s Urban Development and Regional Identities in Middle Egypt: A Deep History of the Asyut Region, undertaking research on the artefacts and archives created by David George Hogarth during his excavations at Gebel Asyut el-Gharbi in 1906-1907 and assisting with the GIS for the excavations at Shutb. I have also undertaken multiple freelance geographic information systems (GIS) projects, most recently combing my GIS and satellite remote-sensing skills with Egyptological knowledge on the Circulating Artefacts and Egyptian Places projects at the British Museum, and the Egypt Exploration Society’s Delta Survey Online. My freelance work has been varied but is all associated with my knowledge of British and Egyptian archaeology and my skills in GIS and satellite remote-sensing.
Description:
Delta Survey Online
From 2024-25 I worked on the conversion of the Egypt Exploration Society Delta Survey data from a book to a dynamic, interactive, online web-map. The completed web-map was published on the Egypt Exploration Society Delta Survey page and presented at the Ninth Delta Survey Conference in Cairo in Cairo from 10th-12th April 2025. Following completion of the online web-map, I will continue as GIS Coordinator, working on updates, improvements and adding new data as it arises.
This work involved the development of a GIS-database with appropriate fields for the Delta Survey data; data input and summarisation from Spencer’s (2024) Archaeological Sites of the Nile Delta of Egypt: A Gazetteer; the identification and inclusion of appropriate web-resources for each site; and upload and dissemination via ArcGIS Online. Prior to the main project, I undertook an initial pilot project, testing the relative merits of ArcGIS Pro and Quantum GIS for the project and whether the inclusion of images in the database was likely to prove appropriate and effective. I also developed user information for working with the Delta Survey Online; data entry forms for users to propose amendments and new sites; a story map describing the Delta Survey Online was created; and a story map and video to accompany the EES Delta Dynasties: Cities of Power in Ancient Egypt study day.
Client:
Egypt Exploration Society
Project Duration:
2015- ongoing
Role:
GIS Coordinator
Description:
Pistiros Project
From 2015 to 2025 I worked on the post-excavation analysis, publication of images, and archival preparation of maps and plans from the excavations of the ancient site of Pistiros (Vetren) in Bulgaria.
This work involved transferring the AutoCAD data into GIS format, georeferencing historic excavation plans, vectorising raster data, organising, checking, and correcting the digital site plans and sections. I then created phase plans, and site location maps in consultation with the client and prepared images for publication. Once the publication is complete, I will also prepare the digital data for archiving with the Archaeological Data Service.
Client:
Zosia Halina Archibald, University of Liverpool
Project Duration:
2015-2025
Role:
GIS specialist
Description:
Olynthos Project
Since 2015 I have been working on the Olynthos Project excavation data, initially consolidating records of previous excavations in a GIS and subsequently managing the GIS data and providing advice on standards and data integration. This work included organising the GIS data on the project repository, collating plans, plotting small finds and samples, digitising analogue data, and incorporating spreadsheet data into GIS formats. I also experimented with mobile-GIS for fieldwalking on site.
Since the completion of the fieldwork component of the project, I have provided suggestions for post-excavation GIS analysis and data management tasks.
Client:
Zosia Halina Archibald, University of Liverpool
Project Duration:
2015-ongoing
Role:
GIS Specialist and data manager
Description:
Egyptian Places
I was employed as a reseach assistant at the British Museum on the Egyptian Places project. This project aimed to update the British Museum’s internal (and by extension online) database of Egyptian places (the Place Authority), relating to objects in the museum. My role was to work with relevant departments to develop a modern place hierarchy, systematise spellings, identify duplicate places, add alternative spellings and provide geographic coordinates on a specified coordinate system. Overall I edited edited 630 place terms, 32 could not be located and 29 were awaiting further approval.
During the first phase of the project in January to March 2023, I also assessed the accuracy of automated location using an externally provided AI. Overall, the automated process was useful for providing an initial idea of where a place might be, but it was sufficiently inaccurate that all its results required manual checking. The slightly improved results from ‘pre-cleaning’ the data did not justify the additional time required to both ‘pre-clean’ and then check the data after the automated process. I presented the results of the AI automation at a workshop at the British Museum in March 2023.
Employer:
British Museum
Project Duration:
January to March and September to November 2023
Role:
Research Assistant
Description:
Circulating Artefacts Project
As part of the British Museum’s s Circulating Artefacts Project I used satellite imagery and historic excavation data to georeference plans of ancient Egyptian sites from the Topographical Bibliography and other sources. These plans allowed me to provide world coordinates for the locations of artefacts tracked by the project. I worked with the client and an external provider to create a semantic database with names and types based on the TGN (Getty Thesaurus) which was then joined to the GIS polygons and/or points marking the tombs, temples, structures and features. The resulting ‘Place Authority’ comprised a semantic database with geographic coordinates based on the GIS point and polygon data. This Place Authority model was archaeologically and geographically robust and could be extended to all the artefacts included in the project, modelling their movement from the original excavations or findspot to their ultimate destination in museums worldwide.
Client:
Marcel Marée, Department of Ancient Egypt and the Sudan, British Museum
Project Duration:
2020 – 2021
Role:
GIS specialist
Description:
Urban Development and Regional Identities in Middle Egypt: A Deep History of the Asyut Region
As Project Curator I was responsible for identifying and accessing relevant archival and published records, researching artefacts, updating the artefact database. I continued the transcription of Hogarth’s notebook, diary and object register from the 1907 excavations, researched the development of his pottery corpus, and artefacts from the excavations.
I also provided advice on high-resolution satellite imagery, and undertook GIS tasks associated with the excavations at Shutb and other research. I presented a paper at the Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference in 2019 and published two articles about the research. For more details of my work and subsequent independent research on this subject please see the project page https://hannahpethen.com/projects/urban-development-and-regional-identities-in-middle-egypt-a-deep-history-of-the-asyut-region/.
Employer:
British Museum
Project Duration:
2017-2019 (including 5 months maternity leave)
Role:
Project Curator
Description:
Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh Exhibition
From November 2019 until March 2020 I regularly guided small groups around the Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. I tailored each visit to the interests of the group, identifying artefacts and explaining their history and meaning of theobjects in the past and now. I also translated hieroglyphs, and provided context for the discovery and excavation, including the history of the 18th Dynasty, the ancestry of Tutankhamun and the colonial context for the excavations.
Client:
Saatchi Gallery
Project Duration:
2019-2020
Role:
Guide
Description:
Analysis of Barry J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation, 2nd ed.
(London and New York: Routledge, 2006).
During 2012 and early 2013 I created a 13,500 word analysis of Kemp’s Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation. This peer-reviewed analysis was extremely detailed. I covered the book, its themes, core ideas, origins, critiques and position within Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology. I also undertook several peer reviews of other germinal works on ancient Egyptian culture.
Client:
Mouseion Professors Limited
Project Duration:
2012-2013
Role:
Creator of academic teaching materials
Description:
Archaeological desk-based assessments
From 2007 until 2010 I was employed at Museum of London Archaeology as a Senior Archaeologist in the Assessments Team, undertaking multiple archaeological desk-based assessments and environmental impact assessments. From 2010 until 2013 I continued to undertake desk-based assessments on a freelance basis as required. I was responsible for identifying known and potential archaeological assets on development sites and preparing appropriate plans for mitigation for including in planning proposals. I also completed the English Heritage (now Historic England) funded Assessment of Archaeological Resources in Aggregate Areas of the Isle of Wight project, and wrote several draft funding proposals, including the ultimately successful Hulk Assemblages project.
Employer/Client:
Jon Chandler, Museum of London Archaeology
Project Duration:
2007-2013
Role:
Senior Archaeologist (Assessments) undertaking archaeological desk-based assessor and grant writing.
Description:
Archaeologist
From 2003-2007 I was employed as an archaeologist, undertaking excavation, archaeological recording, artefact and sample processing at sites around Cambridgeshire, Hertforshire, Huntingdon, Lincolnshire and London. During this period I was responsible for the excavation and recording of archaeological features in the field, using both ‘strip, map and record’ excavation techniques and ‘single context excavation’. I was also responsible for the recording of excavated features, including planning, sections, matrices and photography. From 2003-2005 I periodically undertook finds and sample processing, including floatation as necessary.
Employer:
Hertford Archaeological Trust (later Archaeological Solutions) in 2003; Cambridge Country Council Archaeological Field Unit 2004-2005; and Museum of London Archaeology Service (later MOLA) in 2007.
Project Duration:
2003-2007
Role:
Archaeologist undertaking archaeological excavation and recording, artefact and sample processing as required.
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Scribe in the House of Life: Hannah Pethen Ph.D. 