Paula Milburn  PhD, MSc, BSc, FSA Scot, MCIfA

Project Manager, Post-Excavation

Paula joined AOC in June 2019 as one of the team of post excavation project managers and contributes to the design, development and delivery of a range of post excavation programmes for work from excavations across the UK.

Paula has worked as a post-doctoral researcher in environmental archaeology on projects for Edinburgh and Stirling Universities, and as a freelance consultant for commercial archaeological units. Working on sites dating from the Mesolithic onwards one of her key interests is the identification of human activity within the palaeoenvironmental record, primarily using pollen and sediment analysis and radiocarbon dating, and the way this information can be used to interpret the landscape use and evolution.

From 2006-2019 Paula was a project manager for Archaeology Scotland. Paula was joint editor on Archaeology Scotlands journal, Discovery and excavation in Scotland (DES) in 2007-8, and the editor 2009-19. As editor of DES for over a decade Paula’s knowledge of archaeological activity in Scotland is unrivalled. Paula also managed all the data from initial receipt through to its transfer onto the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) public access database, CANMORE. Paula was the manager of an HLF funded project (from the ground up) to encourage the online reporting of archaeological work in Scotland and managed all aspects of the project, from initial project design through development and testing to undertaking training workshops to encourage use of the system. Paula was also the project manager on the OASIS reporting system redevelopment project, a UK wide project led by the Archaeological Data Service in York, and one of only two Scottish representatives on the redevelopment board.

Selected Bibliography

Milburn, P (Editor) Discovery and excavation in Scotland, New Series, Volume 9, 2008 to Volume 19, 2019. Archaeology Scotland.

Milburn, P. 2018. Analysis of two palynological samples from waterlogged deposits beneath a wooden trough below a burnt mound. Technical report for CFA Archaeology.

Tipping, R. and Milburn, P. 2010. Reconstructing the Late Bronze Age environment. In Strachan, D (Ed) Carpow in Context: A Late Bronze Age Logboat from the Tay. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph. 139-150.

Milburn, P. and Tipping, R. 2008. Palaeoenvironmental investigation at South Plateau and Three Tarn Nick. In James H. F. and Yeoman P. (eds) Excavations at St Ethernan’s Monastery, Isle of May, Fife 1992-7. Monograph 6. Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee, 108.