Hannah Morris

Current position

Heritage Consultant/Archaeologist at GML Heritage.

Where did you study?

I undertook my undergraduate at the University of New South Wales and University of Sydney, and completed a Masters at University College London.

How did you become interested in archaeology?

Archaeology was something that I always wanted to do. I remember watching a lot of shows about Egyptian archaeology which definitely piqued my interest.

What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?

I’m working as a heritage consultant and archaeologist for GML Heritage where I’m fortunate enough to be working on the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney Modern Project) and Hyde Park Barracks upgrades, as well as the Mount Gilead Estate development in Campbelltown. The sites are located in beautiful landscapes and have incredibly interesting histories.

Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.

For the past four years I’ve been excavating on an Early Bronze Age site called Dhaskalio which is located on the island of Keros in the middle of the Greek Cyclades. Obsidian, used to make stone tools, was primarily obtained from a nearby island called Milos. However, we found a number of pieces of obsidian potentially imported from Cappadocia in Turkey or the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.

Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.

I remember working on one of my first excavations—a multi-phase church site in Italy. It happened about three days before the excavation season was to finish. My supervisor asked me to excavate a posthole abutting a wall, and jokingly told me not to find any human feet! I started digging and came across some bones that were larger than the animal bones we had been previously finding. I hesitantly called her over and mentioned that I might have actually found some human feet. We removed some blocks from the wall and continued exploring the bones, revealing the skeleton of a youthful female with one rib cage missing. She was wearing a ring and a beautiful necklace made from 165 bone and glass beads. It felt incredible to find something so unexpected.

What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?

I love the outdoor nature of the job, as well as the opportunities for travel. I also really appreciate that archaeology allows the blending of academia and hands-on work.

Follow up reading.

A documentary on Keros by Greek National Television was broadcast in July 2020 and is now available to view on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdQpvPnnFqo&t=1s