Elizabeth Fowler (archaeologist)
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1933
Elizabeth Fowler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Burley 1933 |
| Died | 2017 |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
Elizabeth Fowler was an archaeologist best known for her work on Iron Age and early medieval metalwork, particularly the 'Fowler Type' penannular brooch classification which bears her name. She also undertook fieldwork on Iona where she participated in the excavation of Tòrr an Aba at Iona Abbey.
Fowler was born in London in 1933. As a child she attended Sherrardswood School in Welwyn Garden City. As a young woman she became interested in archaeology, which was still a quite young field that contained very few women. She won a place at Edinburgh University, where she was able to study archaeology.[1] During this period, she catalogued and published the metalwork from the hillfort of Traprain Law, East Lothian, helping establish a rigorous chronology for the fort's occupation.[2]
She was awarded a Carnegie Scholarship to pursue a masters degree at Edinburgh University, and joined a small team to undertake the first modern excavations at Iona Abbey in 1956. It was around this time she met Peter Fowler, who was at the time an undergrad at Oxford and "fellow proto-archaeologist." She transferred her graduate studies to Saint Anne's College in 1957. At Saint Anne's she was supervised by Christopher Hawkes in what would later become the Institute of Archaeology.[1]
Her research on early Insular metalwork continued in these years. In 1961 she completed her B.Litt, entitled "The Historical Significance of Celtic Dark Age Metalwork".[3] Her graduate work led to a series of publications establishing the classification of pennanular brooches known as the 'Fowler Types' which are still used today.[4][5][6] However, pursuing a professional career in archaeology was not possible for Fowler because of gender barriers. Instead, she began to teach history in Wiltshire and later taught adult education classes in archaeology and history at the University of Bristol. Fowler continued to be involved in archaeology where she could, and for many summers she would record and organise finds from her husband's excavations.[1]
In 1979 Fowler and her family moved to St Albans, where she began work as editor of the Magazine Popular Archaeology.
