Distinguished Lincoln Archaeologist Carenza Lewis Awarded British Academy Medal

Professor Carenza Lewis has been awarded a British Academy medal, in recognition of her distinguished accomplishments in landscape archaeology and lasting impact on social sciences.

Carenza Lewis is Professor of Public Understanding of Research at the University of Lincoln, UK, and is awarded the British Academy Landscape Archaeology Medal 2023.

This annual award was created by British Academy Fellow, Professor John Coles, to establish an Academy medal for its field – awarded for the very first time in 2007. Professor Lewis is the first woman to receive this award.

Professor Lewis is well-known for her time on the hit Channel 4 show Time Team and joined the University of Lincoln in 2015 as Professor of Public Understanding of Research. A specialist in medieval archaeology, her research into the historic development of rural settlements has over decades involved thousands of members of the public in new excavations. These have thrown new light on the origins of today’s villages and towns and the impact of events such as the Black Death plague pandemic.

Since 2019, she has introduced this publicly engaged approach to archaeological investigation into Europe and spearheaded innovative research into the public benefits of participation in heritage.

Some of Lewis’ other public engagement initiatives include ‘Dig School’ which provided a virtual experience of archaeology to teachers and school children during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, and real-world archaeological digs for University of Lincoln humanities students, investigating a never-before explored location within the beautiful and historic grounds of the University’s Riseholme Campus.

Speaking about her accolade, Professor Lewis said: “I was stunned to be awarded the British Academy Landscape Archaeology Medal 2023! Such a very prestigious award has to be a pinnacle of anyone’s career, and I am absolutely delighted.

“I am both immensely proud of and humbled by this honour, not least on behalf of all the people – including literally thousands of members of the public – who have taken part with me in archaeological fieldwork advancing knowledge about the historic landscapes we all share.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work with so many people over the years in developing new insights into the past development of historic settlements and landscapes in the UK and Europe, in benefitting so many people and places in the present, and in widening access to historic landscape archaeology for the future.”

Professor Lewis will be awarded her medal in person at a dedicated British Academy ceremony in London on Wednesday 11 October 2023, alongside fellow distinguished academics in the SHAPE subjects (Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy).