Dr Hajnalka Herold
Senior Lecturer
Archaeology
I am an archaeologist with two principal fields of interest, the study of the early Middle Ages in Europe and beyond (c. 400–1100 CE), and the archaeometric and experimental analysis of pottery from various geographical and chronological backgrounds. I have studied and worked in archaeology and archaeological science in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary.
I have been PI of the recent Leverhulme Trust-funded project ‘Glass Networks: Tracing Early Medieval Long-Distance Trade, c. 800–1000 CE’, and have since 2018 led a fieldwork-based enquiry into post-Roman to medieval landscape transformations in the Erlauf Valley, Austria, funded by the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Society for Medieval Archaeology (United Kingdom), and the County of Lower Austria. My earlier research, funded, among others, by the Austrian Science Fund and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, has included the study of élite settlements in central Europe from the 9th and 10th centuries CE, with a particular focus on connections to the Carolingian and Byzantine worlds; the investigation of aspects of the archaeology of the Avar Khaganate and its relation to former Roman sites; as well as the examination of connections between the production technology of early medieval ceramic artefacts and the identity of their producers/users.
Through my research and teaching, I aim to contribute to making medieval archaeology and the study of medieval heritage more international in various regions of Europe and beyond. While prehistoric archaeology frequently tackles questions on a large geographical scale and views the past as part of a common human heritage, archaeology of historical periods, including the Middle Ages, is often focused on one present-day country or smaller region. Medieval archaeology is necessarily diverse and has its regional characteristics; however, I am convinced that by promoting a supra-regional perspective much can be gained for the subject area, both in terms of research results and relevance for present-day society. In my view, medieval heritage should become a part of our common human history, as opposed to national approaches of (often conflicting) narratives. This can be facilitated by an intensive exchange between researchers from different backgrounds as well as by connecting research results from various regions and different schools of thought.
Selected indicators of esteem
- Member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council – AHRC Peer Review College (since 2014)
- Member of the European Association of Archaeologists – EAA Scientific Advisory Committee (since 2024)
- Reviewer/selection panel member for European Commission; German Science Fund (DFG); Irish Research Council; Italian Science Fund; Fulbright Commission; REF equivalent of the Czech Republic; Czech, Polish, and Hungarian Science Funds; Austrian Academy of Sciences; Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; Central European University; German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development
- External roles: Society of Antiquaries of London (Fellow since 2015, member of the Fellowship Committee 2022–2024); International Sachsensymposion (member since 2016); MERC – Medieval Europe Research Community (Committee member 2015–2020); Society for Medieval Archaeology, United Kingdom (Council member 2015–2018); Austrian Society for Medieval Archaeology (Council member since 2022); European Association of Archaeologists – EAA 2020 conference (Scientific Committee member); Journal Dissertationes Archaeologicae (Editorial Board member since 2022)
- Reviewer for publishing houses Brill, Routledge, Equinox, Medieval Institute Publications/Arc Humanities Press, BAR Publishing, Sidestone Press, and journals Antiquity, Archaeometry, Medieval Archaeology, Journal of Urban Archaeology, STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research, Archaeologia Austriaca, Acta Archaeologica Carpathica, Beiträge zur Mittelalterarchäologie in Österreich
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), United Kingdom (since 2014)
Edited volume
academia.edu profile
ORCID iD
Biography
I completed my PhD in Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology at the University of Vienna (Austria) in 2002, and my Diploma in Archaeology at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest (Hungary) in 1999. During my undergraduate and postgraduate years, I was a visiting student at the Universities of Sheffield (United Kingdom) and Vienna, as well as at the J. W. Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). After finishing my PhD, I joined the Vienna Institute of Archaeological Science (VIAS), University of Vienna, and was a Research Associate (2002-2009) and Project Leader (2009-2013) there until my appointment at the University of Exeter.
In 2010, I was awarded a Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Bonn, Germany), which I spent at the Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg (Germany) and at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom). The research topic that I pursued during this 18-month fellowship was ‘The Archaeology of the Frankish Empire and its Successor States as a Basis for the Analysis of their South-Eastern Border Region’. Over 2003/04 and 2005, I held postdoctoral fellowships in ceramics archaeometry at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in the framework of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships Programme.
Prior to joining Exeter, my teaching experience included positions as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Vienna (2003-2013), and as a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Graz (Austria, 2012), Freiburg (2011), Basel (Switzerland, 2009), and Budapest (2009 and 2005).
At Exeter, I have been Senior Lecturer in Historical Archaeology (since 2018), and Lecturer in Historical Archaeology (2013-2018).
Membership of Societies and Networks
- Member of the European Association of Archaeologists (since 2013; member of the EAA Scientific Advisory Committee since 2024)
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (since 2015; member of the Fellowship Committee 2022–2024)
- Society for Medieval Archaeology, United Kingdom (Council member 2015–2018)
- Committee member for MERC – Medieval Europe Research Community (2015–2020)
- Member of the International Sachsensymposion – Research network for the archaeological study of the Saxons and their neighbouring peoples (since 2016)
- Austrian Society for Medieval Archaeology – ÖGM (Council member since 2022)
- Medieval Settlement Research Group, United Kingdom
- LandCover6k – a working group of the PAGES (Past Global Changes) project
- Medieval Central Europe Research Network – MECERN
- Rethinking the Medieval Frontier Network, United Kingdom
- Austrian Society for Prehistory and Early History – ÖGUF
- Working Group Medieval and Post-medieval Ceramics in Austria
- Commission for Archaeometry, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
CV
Research supervision
I supervise research students for PhD/MPhil/MRes degrees in the following areas
- late antique and early medieval archaeology (400–1100 CE)
- archaeometric analysis of ceramic finds from any geographical and chronological background
- experimental archaeology of pottery
Funded studentships are available for UK and international students – please consult the University of Exeter's Postgraduate Funding Database at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/money/fundingsearch/ and/or send me an email (for the email address see the Overview tab).
Currently, I am looking for a strong candidate for a PhD project on the theme of 'Ceramics archaeometry in early medieval central Europe, 8th–10th centuries CE'. Please email me if you are interested in this opportunity.
