COURTNEY NIMURA

Curator for Later European Prehistory

Courtney Nimura - Bronze and Iron Age specialist

Contact
Email: courtney.nimura@ashmus.ox.ac.uk
ORCID: 0000-0001-5084-5843

University of Oxford webpages

Biography

Courtney is currently the Curator for Later European Prehistory at the Ashmolean Museum, a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, and a Research Associate at the Institute of Archaeology. She completed her PhD in Archaeology at the University of Reading, for which she created a Scandinavian-wide GIS survey of prehistoric rock art and used this to discuss maritime rock art and human responses to environmental change. The monograph of this research was published in 2015. Courtney has an MA Distinction in Maritime Archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Prior to her settlement in the UK, Courtney worked at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA) in Conservation and Collections Management. She completed my BFA (University of California, Santa Cruz) and MFA (Tufts University, SMFA) in fine art, art history and museum studies.

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My research explores what material culture can tell us about the societies which created it; how humans interact with their environments; and the interpretive intersections of anthropology, art history, and archaeology. I specialise in the later prehistoric
rock art and portable art of Europe, as well as rock art from across the globe. My interests extend to coastal and intertidal archaeology, and the ways in which contemporary art can converse with archaeology and archaeological theories.

Current activities and projects

  1. Sir John Evans (1823–1908) and the Hallstatt Collection at the Ashmolean Museum: since 2021
  2. NoMAD: Non-destructive Mobile Analysis and imaging Device: since 2023
  3. LINXS Heritage Science Theme: since 2023
  4. Portable RTI and museum collections: since 2023
  5. Iron Age Coins from Britain and the Celtic Coin Index Digital: since October 2018

Previous activities and projects

Recent projects include: Ebb & Flow: Exploring Rivers in Later Prehistoric Britain and BALMS: Bronze Age Landscapes and Metalwork in Sweden.
Previously, I was a Research Fellow at the Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit at Griffith University (Australia) on the Australian Research Council Laureate project: Australian Rock Art History, Conservation and Indigenous Wellbeing. Prior
to that, I was a researcher on the Leverhulme-funded project European Celtic Art in Context at the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford
and a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College.

I have lectured and delivered tutorials for the School of Archaeology, Magdalen and Hertford Colleges, Department of Continuing Education, and the Oxford Study Abroad Programme. These have included Module 1: 'Introduction to World Archaeology', undergraduate and MSc modules on 'The Later Prehistory of Europe,' as well as courses on 'Maritime Archaeology and Art and Archaeology'. I was the Tutor for Archaeology at Magdalen College (2021–22) and previously a course lecturer at the University of Reading for the 3rd year undergraduate course, 'Coastal and Maritime Archaeology'.

Since 2015, I have been a College Advisor at Wolfson College. I also have a background in teaching general audiences through Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) and the Nautical Archaeology Society, as well as lecturing to general audiences, such as clubs, societies, and through museum outreach events. 

PhD Supervisor. CDP student, University of Reading: October 2023–October 2027

  • Co-supervisor (with Dr Peter Bray) of a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership student for the project 'Rivers of Bronze'

DPhil Supervisor. School of Archaeology, University of Oxford: February 2015–July 2018

  • Co-supervisor (with Prof Dame Jessica Rawson) of a DPhil candidate Rebecca O’Sullivan (Merton College), whose thesis was on Altai rock art;  viva voce 27/11/2017

Selected previous grants (> £10k):

2023. International LINXS Theme (£25,210). Funded by: LINXS Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-Ray Science, University of Lund, Sweden. Group application: ‘Heritage Science Theme’.

2023. AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (£60,000). Funded by: Arts and Humanities Research Council. Group application for the project ‘Rivers of Bronze in the age of Iron (RoBIn): an interdisciplinary study of Iron Age copper-alloy material culture from the middle–upper Thames Valley’. PIs: Dr Courtney Nimura & Dr Peter Bray, University of Reading

2022. UKRI Develop basic technologies in sensing and imaging Award (£224,021). Funded by: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Group application for the project ‘NoMAD: Non-destructive Mobile Analysis and imaging Device’ with Dr Tessa Charles, University of Liverpool; Prof Jamie Hampson, University of Exeter

2020. Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant (£253,783). London. Group application for the project ‘Ebb & Flow: Exploring rivers in later prehistoric Britain' with Prof Rick Schulting, Oxford; Prof Fraser Sturt, University of Southampton; Dr Christophe Snoeck, Vrije Universiteit, Belgium

2015. Heritage Lottery Fund (£1.4 million), Crown Estate (£60,000), National Trust (£75,000). Group application for the project ‘CITiZAN: Coastal and InterTidal Zone Archaeological Network’ with Dr Gustav Milne, UCL

Selected small project grants (< £10,000):

2023. British Numismatic Society (£5000). British Numismatic Society, London. John Casey Fund grant for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project

2023. Lorne Thyssen Grant (£1955). Ancient World Research Cluster, Wolfson College, Oxford. Group Application for the project: Portable RTI and the Hallstatt Collection with Alison Roberts, Ashmolean Museum, and Richard Allen, PaleoPi

2023. Royal Numismatic Society (£2500). Royal Numismatic Society, London. John Casey Fund grant for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project

2021. Collections Study Award (£3000). The Prehistoric Society, London. Group Application for the project: Sir John Evans (1823–1908) and the Hallstatt Collection at the Ashmolean Museum with Alison Roberts, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and Jennifer Foster, Oxford

2020. Royal Numismatic Society (£2000). Royal Numismatic Society, London. John Casey Fund grant for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project

2020. Barclay Head Fund grant (£6000). University of Oxford. Grant for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project

2020. John Fell Fund Grant (£7450). University of Oxford. Group application for the 'BALMS: Bronze Age Landscapes and Metalwork in Sweden' project with Dr Peter Skoglund, Linnaeus University, Sweden

2019. British Numismatic Society (£2000). British Numismatic Society, London. John Casey Fund grant for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project

2019. Barclay Head Fund grant (£3600). University of Oxford. Group application for the Celtic Coin Index Digital project with Prof Chris Gosden, Oxford

2018. Lennart J. Hägglunds stiftelse för arkeologisk forskning och utbildning (£700/8000 SEK). Gothenburg, Sweden. Group application for fieldwork on the rock art around Lake Vänern, Sweden. PI: Dr Peter Skoglund, Linnaeus University, Sweden

2016. Lennart J. Hägglunds stiftelse för arkeologisk forskning och utbildning (£700/8000 SEK). Gothenburg, Sweden. Group application for fieldwork on the rock art around Lake Vättern, Sweden with Dr Peter Skoglund, Linnaeus University, Sweden

2016. Publication grant (£6,000). Swedish Rock Art Research Archives, Gothenburg, Sweden

Public engagement grants:

2021. Public Engagement with Research grant (£2850). University of Oxford. Group application for the project The Ripple Effect with Prof Rick Schulting, Oxford

2019. Public Engagement with Research grant (£3950). University of Oxford. Group application for the project More than Money with Dr Peter Hommel, Liverpool

Archaeology; Historical studies

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