Dr Claire Corkill

Claire is the Development Manager at the Council for British Archaeology. She grew up on the Isle of Man surrounded by loads of exciting archaeology and studied archaeology at the University of York where she did her PhD in First World War archaeology. Claire has excavated on lots of different sites around the British Isles and was once lucky enough to excavate the site of a coin hoard which led to the discovery of a medieval chapel. When she's not working Claire loves to explore archaeological sites around Scotland where she now lives.

Latest questions answered by Dr Claire Corkill

Is archaeology boring? I was reading an article and came across a comment that archaeology is very boring. I want to become an archaeologist. And is it all about travelling and stuff? Celsa Fernandes (18)

Hi Celsa, Archaeology definitely isn’t boring! One of the great things about archaeology is that you never know exactly what you’re going to find when you’re digging. Sometimes […]

Can you tell me a bit about the different areas of archaeology that I could study? Katie Knight (16)

Hi Katie, Great question! There are lots of universities around the country where you can study archaeology. They will all teach you the basic principles of archaeology but […]

What other things have you discovered? Are there any pictures of the things you found? Lucia (9)

Thanks for your question Lucia! Over the years I’ve found all sorts of different things on lots of different types of sites. One excavation I worked on was […]

What kind of material did early humans have to make things? Eloise Adams (4)

Hi Eloise, what a great question! People used all sorts of different things they found naturally in the world around them to make everything they needed including clothes, […]

What kind of World War 2 things have you found? Xavier (11)

Hi Xavier, I’ve only ever worked on one site from the Second World War and that was an RAF airfield at Jurby on the Isle of Man. We […]

What is the greatest dig or greatest artefact you have found you have ever been on? Eliza Jennings (11)

Hi Eliza! That’s a tricky question as all the sites I’ve worked on have been fascinating. I think if I had to pick one, the greatest may have […]

Recently I have been studying the legend of El Dorado and Francisco de Orellana. Do you know if the two have anything in common? I know Orellana was an important conquistador that explored the Amazon River and El Dorado was the chief of the Muisca Indians. Jacob M Dean (15)

Hi Jake, unfortunately, all my experience is in the archaeology of Britain and so I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question. I think I’m going […]

When did the Clovis culture flourish? Jan (16)

Hi Jan I’m afraid I don’t know very much about the Clovis culture but I have been doing a little research and hopefully I’ll be able to help […]

Have you ever found a follis? Robert (13)

Hi Robert, No, unfortunately I have never found a follis when digging. For those of you who might not know what a follis is, it’s a Roman coin […]

We were on a walk in the woods near a stream a week ago and found old pots and brick and an odd shaped thing with holes in the bottom. How can I find out what they are? Ben (11)

Hi Ben, thanks for your question. It’s great to hear about the things you’ve discovered on your walk. I’m not sure I can tell you what they are […]