Nicky Milner

Nicola Jane Milner OBE FBA FSA (born 4 September 1973) is a British archaeologist and academic. She is head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of York.^[1] Her research focuses on the Mesolithic period, and the transition between the Mesolithic and Neolithic. She has worked at the iconic site of Star Carr in the Vale of Pickering for over 15 years,^[2] and has directed excavations at the site since 2004.

Professor Nicky Milner OBE FBA FSA
Born	(1973-09-04) 4 September 1973 (age 50)
Citizenship	British
Alma mater	University of Nottingham University of Cambridge
Known for	Mesolithic Star Carr
Scientific career
Fields	Archaeology
Institutions	University of York Newcastle University

Milner was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2019^[3] and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA) in 2009.^[4]

Early life and education

Milner was born on 4 September 1973 in Bridlington, Yorkshire, England.^[5] She was educated at Hunmanby Hall School, an all-girls private boarding school in Hunmanby, East Riding of Yorkshire.^[5] She studied archaeology at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1995. She then moved to the University of Cambridge, where she undertook a Natural Environment Research Council funder Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.^[6] Her research developed a method for analysing seasonality from the shell of the European oyster, and applied this method to Danish shell midden sites. She completed her doctorate in 1999 with a thesis tiled "Seasonality information from the incremental growth of the European oyster for Ertebølle sites in Denmark".^[7]

Academic career

Following her PhD she was awarded a Sir James Knott postdoctoral fellowship at Newcastle University in 1999, and was employed as a lecturer at the same institution in 2001. She moved to the University of York in 2004 and was promoted to senior lecturer in 2009, and made Professor of Archaeology in 2012.^[6] She has been head of York's Department of Archaeology since 2019.^[8]

She is senior editor of Oxford Research Reviews in Archaeology, and has been the editor for Mesolithic Miscellany journal since 2006,^[9] and co-author of popular book , linked to a major exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum.^[10][11] She is a member of the AHRC peer college, and a member of the assessment panel for the NERC radiocarbon facility.^[12]

Milner was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to archaeology.^[13] She is a member of the Antiquity Trust, which supports the publication of the archaeology journal Antiquity.^[14]

Research

Milner is the principal investigator on the European Research Council funded POSTGLACIAL project,^[15][16] investigating the occupation of north-west Europe and how people adapted to climate change during the early post-glacial period. The major case study for this research is Star Carr and other sites surrounding palaeo-lake Flixton. Her excavations at Star Carr were featured on a special episode of the UK Time Team,^[17] and her work in 2013 on the "earliest house in Britain" was featured on several major news outlets worldwide, including the BBC^[18] in the UK, CBS in the USA and Sky News Australia.

In addition to her work at iconic Star Carr, she has also worked on shell midden sites in Ireland, Scotland, Spain and Portugal, and has co-directed excavations as Howick and Baylet.

In November 2019 Milner was Highly Commended in the category of 'Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year' at the Times Higher Education Awards.^[19]

Selected publications

• Conneller, C, Milner, N, Taylor, B & Taylor, M 2012, 'Substantial settlement in the European Early Mesolithic: new research at Star Carr' Antiquity, vol 86, no. 334, pp. 1004–1020
• Milner, N, Conneller, C, Taylor, B & Schadla-Hall, RT 2012, The Story of Star Carr. Council for British Archaeology.
• Milner, N, Conneller, C, Elliott, B, Koon, H, Panter, I, Penkman, K, Taylor, B & Taylor, M 2011, 'From Riches to Rags: Organic Deterioration at Star Carr.' Journal of Archaeological Science, vol 38, no. 10, 38, pp. 2818–2832
• Milner, N, Lane, PJ, Taylor, B, Conneller, C & Schadla-Hall, T 2011, 'Star Carr in a Postglacial Lakescape: 60 Years of Research' Journal of Wetland Archaeology, vol 11, no. 1, pp. 1–19
• Milner, N & Craig, OE 2009, 'Mysteries of the middens: change and continuity across the Mesolithic Neolithic transition'. in MJ Allen, N Sharples & T O'Connor (eds), Land and People. Papers in Honour of John G. Evans. Prehistoric Society Research Paper, no. 2, Oxbow, Oxford, pp. 169–180
• Milner, N, Mithen, S & Ralston, I 2009, 'Hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic'. in J Hunter (ed.), The Archaeology of Britain. Routledge, London, pp. 53–77
• Milner, N 2002, Incremental growth of the European Oyster, Ostrea edulis: seasonality information from Danish kitchenmiddens. British Archaeological Reports, Archaeopress, Oxford

References

1. "Nicky Milner - Nicky Milner, The University of York". York.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
2. BBC. "BBC - Radio 4 Making History - Latest programme". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
3. "Professor Nicky Milner elected as British Academy Fellow". Department of Archaeology, University of York. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
4. "Fellows Directory - Society of Antiquaries". Sal.org.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
5. "Milner, Prof. Nicola Jane, (born 4 Sept. 1973), Professor of Archaeology, University of York, since 2012". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
6. "Professor Nicky Milner - Head of Department". University of York. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
7. Milner, Nicola Jane (1999). Seasonality information from the incremental growth of the European oyster for Ertebølle sites in Denmark. E-Thesis Online Servie (Ph.D). The British Library. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
8. "Scholar: Nicky Milner". Women Also Know History. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
9. . Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
10. "New exhibition shines light on Stone Age Yorkshire - YorkMix". Yorkmix.com. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
11. "After the Ice: Yorkshire's Prehistoric People - Yorkshire Museum". Yorkshiremuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
12. "Nicky Milner - Nicky Milner, The University of York". York.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
13. "No. 64082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2023. p. B14.
14. "Antiquity Trust". Antiquity. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
15. "POSTGLACIAL - Star Carr". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
16. "Royal Holloway, University of London". Royalholloway.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
17. "Nicky Milner". IMDb.com. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
18. Coughlan, Sean (10 August 2010). "Archaeologists dig 'oldest house'". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
19. Chris Havergal (28 November 2019). "Times Higher Education Awards 2019: winners announced". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 3 December 2019.