Rob Engl MA (HONS) FSA Scot

Project Manager (Fieldwork)

Rob has worked for AOC since 2001 and in that time, he has supervised and directed a wide range of projects. In addition to his current role as Project Manager, Rob is the company Lithic Specialist and has prepared numerous lithic reports and assessments for sites within Scotland, England & Ireland, including the large chipped and coarse stone assemblage from the Mesolithic house site at East Barns, Dunbar. He has also completed a Historic Scotland funded overview of the complex flint knives of Scotland which is currently being peer reviewed ahead of publication. 

Rob has directed a significant number of field excavations over the past eight years, the majority of which have or are in the process of being published. These include the large scale multi period excavations at Beechwood, Inverness, Newbridge, Edinburgh, Granton Road, Forres, Newbigging Quarry and Greenan, Ayr. Over the last couple of years Rob has directed substantial Medieval and Post Medieval excavations at Advocates Close, and Caltongate Edinburgh and at the lost settlement of Newton House near Cambuslang. Excavations of several post-medieval settlement sites have also been completed in Caithness, Sutherland and the Lothians. Rob is currently directing and managing the excavation of the 19th century Portobello Brick and Tile Works. In addition, Rob has also directed the majority of AOC’s battlefield archaeology projects including the battle sites of Pinkie, Bothwell Bridge and Sherrifmuir.

Rob is currently in the process of finalising the publication of two major Mesolithic sites at Cramond, Edinburgh and the robust Mesolithic House discovered at Dunbar.

Prior to joining AOC, Rob worked on a wide variety of sites in both supervisory and assistant roles. In 2000 Rob worked for the De Soto National Park Service in Mississipi, USA where he was involved in the analysis of lithic material from various site excavations and surveys. Rob also has particular experience in metal detecting, field-walking and test-pit surveying both in the UK and US.

As with many of AOC’s staff Rob has undertaken many community based excavations and had given talks at numerous conferences and community events.

Selected Bibliography

Engl, R & Gooder J ‘Home By The Sea’ – The Excavation of a Late 9th Millenium Robust Mesolithic House at East Barns , East Lothian

Engl, R ‘Complex Flint Knives of the Scottish Neolithic and Early Bronze Age: Distribution, Context and Regionality’, Historic Scotland funded research paper.

Cook, Martin & Engl, R 2007 ‘Neolithic and Iron Age Structures at Grantown Road, Forres, Morayshire’, Northern Studies, The Journal of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies, 40 (2007), 11.

Engl, R & McLaren, D The excavations of Neolithic and Beaker pit groups and a later prehistoric settlement at East Beechwood Farm, Inverness

Engl, R Advocates Close, Edinburgh; The Excavation of a Post Medieval Tenement Block and Associated Midden.

Engl, R & Cook, M. Rich Man Poor Man: Excavations at the Canongate Poorhouse Site, Calton Road, Edinburgh

Engl, R A Newhaven Murder Mystery? The Excavation of an Unmarked Burial at Victoria Primary School, Newhaven, Edinburgh.