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Dr Andy Seaman
FHEA ACIfA FSA
Lecturer in Early Medieval Archaeology
School of History, Archaeology and Religion
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
Andy is a specialist in the archaeology of late antique and early medieval Western Britain. He is currently engaged in several research projects, with a particular focus on Wales and south-west England. An active field archaeologist, he has directed excavations on the Dinas Powys 'southern banks' and at Mount St Albans near Caerleon. He has recently started a new project investigating early medieval sites within the environs of Fonmon Castle. He has published widely on a range of topics and is currently working on a monograph on hillforts in early medieval western Britain.
Publication
2023
- Campbell, E., Seaman, A., Lane, A. and Noble, G. 2023. A new chronology for the Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys. Antiquity 97(369), pp. 1548-1563. (10.15184/aqy.2023.156)
- Comeau, R., Seaman, A. and Bloxam, A. 2023. Plague, climate and faith in Early Medieval Western Britain: Investigating narratives of change. Medieval Archaeology 67(1), pp. 1-28. (10.1080/00766097.2023.2204655)
- Seaman, A. 2023. Hillforts in Southern Britain: Power and Place in the Late Antique Landscape. Presented at: Congrès International d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, France, 19-25 October 2019Perchement et réalités fortifiées en Méditerranée et en Europe (Vème-Xème siècles) – Formes, rythmes, fonctions et acteurs. Archaeopress pp. 420-432.
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. 2023. Research framework for the archaeology of Early Medieval Wales c. Ad 400–1070. Discussion Paper. CIFA Wales/Cymru.
- Seaman, A. 2023. Rulers and ‘royal courts’ in late antique Wales and southwest England. In: Lavan, L. and Crawford, P. eds. Imperial Archaeologies. Leiden: Brill
2022
- Seaman, A. 2022. Late antique hillfort occupation in south Britain: chronology, context, and interpretation. Presented at: Intentions and Meaning: A comparative view of Late Antique Hilltop sites in Europe, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 22-24 September 2021 Presented at Pavlovič, D. and Heinrich-Tamáska, O. eds.Book of Abstracts - International Workshop - Intentions and Meaning: A comparative view of Late Antique Hilltop sites in Europe. National Museum of Slovenia pp. 21-23.
- Seaman, A. 2022. Fonmon Castle landscape project: geophysical survey on land west of Fonmon Castle. Archaeology in Wales 61, pp. 65-70.
- Richardson, A. et al. eds. 2022. Transitions and relationships over land and sea in the Early Middle Ages of Northern Europe. Canterbury: Canterbury Archaeological Trust.
2020
- Seaman, A. 2020. Finnaun y Doudec Seint: A holy spring in the Early Medieval kingdom of Brycheiniog. In: Ray, C. ed. Sacred Waters: A Cross-Cultural Compendium of Hallowed Springs and Holy Wells. London: Routledge, pp. 194-210.
- Seaman, A. and Thomas, L. S. 2020. Hillforts and power in the British Post-Roman West: A GIS analysis of Dinas Powys. European Journal of Archaeology 23(4), pp. 547–566. (10.1017/eaa.2020.19)
- Seaman, A. 2020. The Llangorse Charter material. In: Lane, A. and Redknap, M. eds. The Llangorse Crannog: An Early Medieval Island Residence of the Kings of Brycheiniog. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 414-421.
2019
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. 2019. Introduction. In: Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. Living off the Land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 1-14.
- Seaman, A. 2019. Landscape, settlement and agriculture in early medieval Brycheiniog: the evidence from the Llandaff Charters. In: Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. Living off the Land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 153-173.
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. 2019. Living off the land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow.
- Seaman, A. and Lane, A. 2019. Excavation of the Ty'n-y-Coed Earthworks 2011-14: the Dinas Powys 'Southern Banks'. Archaeologia Cambrensis 168, pp. 1-27.
- Seaman, A. 2019. Llywarch Hen’s Dyke: Place and narrative in Early Medieval Wales. Offa’s Dyke Journal 2019(1), pp. 96-113. (10.23914/odj.v1i0.252)
- Seaman, A. 2019. Power, place and territory in early Medieval South-East Wales. In: York, B., Reynolds, A. and Carroll, J. eds. Power and Place in Europe in the 1st Millennium AD. London: British Academy, pp. 325-345.
2018
- Seaman, A. 2018. Landscape, economy and society in late and post Roman Wales. In: Diarte Blasco, P. and Christie, N. eds. Interpreting Transformations of Landscapes and People in Late Antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 123-136.
- Seaman, A. 2018. The Church of Julius, Aaron, and Alban at Caerleon. Monmouthshire Antiquary 34, pp. 3-16.
2017
- Seaman, A. 2017. Further research on a predictive model of early medieval settlement location: exploring the use of field-names as proxy data. Medieval Settlement Research 32, pp. 27-34.
2016
- Seaman, A. 2016. Defended settlement in early Medieval Wales: Problems of presence, absence and interpretation. In: Christie, N. and Herold, H. eds. Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe: Defended Communities of the 8th-10th Centuries. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 37-50.
- Seaman, A. 2016. La religión en Britania. Desperta Ferro Antiqua y Medieval 36, pp. 46-51.
2015
- Seaman, A. 2015. Julius and Aaron, 'Martyrs of Caerleon': In search of Wales' first Christian. Archaeologia Cambrensis 164, pp. 201-219.
2014
- Seaman, A. 2014. Tempora Christiana? Conversion and Christianization in Western Britain AD 300-700. Church Archaeology 16, pp. 1-22.
2013
- Seaman, A. 2013. Dinas Powys in context: Settlement and society in Post-Roman Wales. Studia Celtica 47, pp. 1-23.
2012
- Seaman, A. 2012. The multiple estate model re-considered: Power and territory in Early Medieval Wales. Welsh History Review 26, pp. 163-185.
2011
- Seaman, A. 2011. Towards a predictive model of early medieval settlement location: A case study from the Vale of Glamorgan. Medieval Settlement Research 25, pp. 12-22.
Articles
- Campbell, E., Seaman, A., Lane, A. and Noble, G. 2023. A new chronology for the Welsh hillfort of Dinas Powys. Antiquity 97(369), pp. 1548-1563. (10.15184/aqy.2023.156)
- Comeau, R., Seaman, A. and Bloxam, A. 2023. Plague, climate and faith in Early Medieval Western Britain: Investigating narratives of change. Medieval Archaeology 67(1), pp. 1-28. (10.1080/00766097.2023.2204655)
- Seaman, A. 2022. Fonmon Castle landscape project: geophysical survey on land west of Fonmon Castle. Archaeology in Wales 61, pp. 65-70.
- Seaman, A. and Thomas, L. S. 2020. Hillforts and power in the British Post-Roman West: A GIS analysis of Dinas Powys. European Journal of Archaeology 23(4), pp. 547–566. (10.1017/eaa.2020.19)
- Seaman, A. and Lane, A. 2019. Excavation of the Ty'n-y-Coed Earthworks 2011-14: the Dinas Powys 'Southern Banks'. Archaeologia Cambrensis 168, pp. 1-27.
- Seaman, A. 2019. Llywarch Hen’s Dyke: Place and narrative in Early Medieval Wales. Offa’s Dyke Journal 2019(1), pp. 96-113. (10.23914/odj.v1i0.252)
- Seaman, A. 2018. The Church of Julius, Aaron, and Alban at Caerleon. Monmouthshire Antiquary 34, pp. 3-16.
- Seaman, A. 2017. Further research on a predictive model of early medieval settlement location: exploring the use of field-names as proxy data. Medieval Settlement Research 32, pp. 27-34.
- Seaman, A. 2016. La religión en Britania. Desperta Ferro Antiqua y Medieval 36, pp. 46-51.
- Seaman, A. 2015. Julius and Aaron, 'Martyrs of Caerleon': In search of Wales' first Christian. Archaeologia Cambrensis 164, pp. 201-219.
- Seaman, A. 2014. Tempora Christiana? Conversion and Christianization in Western Britain AD 300-700. Church Archaeology 16, pp. 1-22.
- Seaman, A. 2013. Dinas Powys in context: Settlement and society in Post-Roman Wales. Studia Celtica 47, pp. 1-23.
- Seaman, A. 2012. The multiple estate model re-considered: Power and territory in Early Medieval Wales. Welsh History Review 26, pp. 163-185.
- Seaman, A. 2011. Towards a predictive model of early medieval settlement location: A case study from the Vale of Glamorgan. Medieval Settlement Research 25, pp. 12-22.
Book sections
- Seaman, A. 2023. Rulers and ‘royal courts’ in late antique Wales and southwest England. In: Lavan, L. and Crawford, P. eds. Imperial Archaeologies. Leiden: Brill
- Seaman, A. 2020. Finnaun y Doudec Seint: A holy spring in the Early Medieval kingdom of Brycheiniog. In: Ray, C. ed. Sacred Waters: A Cross-Cultural Compendium of Hallowed Springs and Holy Wells. London: Routledge, pp. 194-210.
- Seaman, A. 2020. The Llangorse Charter material. In: Lane, A. and Redknap, M. eds. The Llangorse Crannog: An Early Medieval Island Residence of the Kings of Brycheiniog. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 414-421.
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. 2019. Introduction. In: Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. Living off the Land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 1-14.
- Seaman, A. 2019. Landscape, settlement and agriculture in early medieval Brycheiniog: the evidence from the Llandaff Charters. In: Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. Living off the Land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 153-173.
- Seaman, A. 2019. Power, place and territory in early Medieval South-East Wales. In: York, B., Reynolds, A. and Carroll, J. eds. Power and Place in Europe in the 1st Millennium AD. London: British Academy, pp. 325-345.
- Seaman, A. 2018. Landscape, economy and society in late and post Roman Wales. In: Diarte Blasco, P. and Christie, N. eds. Interpreting Transformations of Landscapes and People in Late Antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 123-136.
- Seaman, A. 2016. Defended settlement in early Medieval Wales: Problems of presence, absence and interpretation. In: Christie, N. and Herold, H. eds. Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe: Defended Communities of the 8th-10th Centuries. Oxford: Oxbow, pp. 37-50.
Books
- Richardson, A. et al. eds. 2022. Transitions and relationships over land and sea in the Early Middle Ages of Northern Europe. Canterbury: Canterbury Archaeological Trust.
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. eds. 2019. Living off the land: Agriculture in Wales c. 400-1600 AD. Oxford: Oxbow.
Conferences
- Seaman, A. 2023. Hillforts in Southern Britain: Power and Place in the Late Antique Landscape. Presented at: Congrès International d’Histoire et d’Archéologie, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, France, 19-25 October 2019Perchement et réalités fortifiées en Méditerranée et en Europe (Vème-Xème siècles) – Formes, rythmes, fonctions et acteurs. Archaeopress pp. 420-432.
- Seaman, A. 2022. Late antique hillfort occupation in south Britain: chronology, context, and interpretation. Presented at: Intentions and Meaning: A comparative view of Late Antique Hilltop sites in Europe, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 22-24 September 2021 Presented at Pavlovič, D. and Heinrich-Tamáska, O. eds.Book of Abstracts - International Workshop - Intentions and Meaning: A comparative view of Late Antique Hilltop sites in Europe. National Museum of Slovenia pp. 21-23.
Monographs
- Comeau, R. and Seaman, A. 2023. Research framework for the archaeology of Early Medieval Wales c. Ad 400–1070. Discussion Paper. CIFA Wales/Cymru.
Research
Andy's research interests include:
- Late Antique and early medieval western Britain;
- Hillforts and defended settlements;
- Power and kingship;
- Christianity and the early church;
- Agriculture, landscape and economy;
- The formation of the Welsh March.
Andy has a particular interest in landscape archaeology and multidisciplinary research. He has led numerous research projects, including the AHRC-funded Manifestations of the Empire, which uses high-resolution pollen analysis to explore continuities and changes in environment and land-use between the Roman and early medieval periods. He is currently PI on the Leverhulme-funded Making the March: Contesting Lands in the Early Medieval Frontier and CI on Hidden Kingdoms: The South West of Britain in Late Antiquity also funded by the Leverhulme Trust. He recently co-authored the latest archaeological research framework for is early medieval Wales, and is involved in several British and European research networks, including Late Antique Hilltop Settlements in Europe (LAHIS).
Teaching
Andy is a Fellow of Advance HE. He teaches early medieval archaeology, coordinates fieldwork training and placements, and contributes to a range of other modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Biography
2022 - present: Lecturer in Early Medieval Archaeology, Cardiff University
2012 - 2022: Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer and Subject Lead in Archaeology, Canterbury Christ Church University
2011 - 2012: Lecturer in Archaeology (fixed-term), Cardiff University
2010-2011: Commerical archaeology
2002-2010: BA, MA and PhD in archaeology, Cardiff University
Honours and awards
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy: 2021-present
AHRC Peer Review College (Academic): 2020-present
Elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London: 2019
Elected member of the Sachsensymposion: 2016
Research Associate at the Dept. of Continuing Education University of Oxford: 2020-present
Professional memberships
Chartered Institute of Archaeologists: Associate
Speaking engagements
2023 New Research on Two Elite Settlements in Early Medieval Wales: Dinas Powys and Longbury Bank. Presentation at Medieval Rural Settlement in Wales and South West England: Recent Research and New Perspective. Conference held at Cardiff University.
2023 Fonmon Castle Landscape Archaeology Project: Results from the First Two Years of Survey and Excavation. Invited lecture to the Society of Antiquaries of London.
2023 Reconsidering Hillforts in Late Antique Southern Britain: Fifty Years After Arthur’s Britain. Invited lecture to the Cardiff Archaeological Society.
2023 ‘Cae dan yr Eglwys’ and the royal estate at Llangors. Presentation at East and West in Early Medieval Europe and Beyond. Conference held at Cardiff University.
2022 Caergwrle and the Emergent Eastern Contested Landscapes of the Eastern Marchlands of Wales, Early Medieval Wales Archaeology Research Group, Abergavenny (with Dr Charles Insley and Prof Keith Ray).
2022 Plague, Climate and Faith in Early Medieval Western Britain: Investigating Narratives of Change, Early Medieval Wales Archaeology Research Group, Abergavenny (with Dr Rhiannon Comeau and Dr Anna Bloxham).
2022 Pollen Analysis and Early Medieval Landscape in the Dinas Powys Environs, Early Medieval Wales Archaeology Research Group, Abergavenny (with Dr Tudur Davies and Prof Stephen Rippon).
2022 Hillforts and Hilltop Settlement in Post-Roman Western Britain: Re-examining Function and Interpretation. Invited lecture, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
2022 Late Antique Hillforts and Hilltop Settlement in the Dyrham Region. Presentation at Dyrham 577. Conference held by Newcastle University/University of St Andrews.
Committees and reviewing
Medieval Settlement Research Group: Treasurer: 2017-present
Royal Archaeological Institute: Council member: 2018-2023
Archaeological Journal: Editorial Committee: 2020-present
Society for Medieval Archaeology: Council member: 2020-present
Co-convener: Offa’s Dyke Collaboratory: 2022-present
Supervisions
- Late antique and early medieval archaeology, particularly Wales and western Britain;
- Landscape archaeology;
- Hillforts and defended settlements;
- Material culture.
Current supervision
Molly Johnson
Research student
