Sydney Hunter

University of Liverpool Postgraduate Award, University of Liverpool - Archaeology

I am originally from Ellicott City, a small historic town in Maryland, and recently graduated summa cum laude from Boston University with a B.A. in Archaeology. As an undergraduate, I focused on environmental archaeology, investigating how societies of the past interacted with, affected, and were affected by their environments. For my senior thesis, I analysed plant micro-remains, known as phytoliths, to investigate agricultural production and environmental change at the archaeological site of Sim-Ata in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan. I sought to complete my master’s study in the United Kingdom because of the unique emphasis placed on archaeological sciences at UK universities. At the University of Liverpool, I will take classes on the archaeology of the Near East and various materials analyses and will focus specifically on archaeobotany for my thesis work. I will conduct research at the Liverpool Archaeobotany Laboratory, focusing on human-environmental interactions and early agricultural development in the Near East. I hope to combine the skills I learn through my classes and research at the University of Liverpool to conduct multidisciplinary research in my future postgraduate study.