I am an archaeologist whose primary period of interest spans the Roman Iron Age through the Viking Age (c. AD 1–1100). Main topics include animal representations, animal style, cult, craft, iconography, metalwork, myth, religion, ritual, symbolism, and warfare, and are frequently approached through the perspective of materiality.

My PhD project, “Clangorous Beasts – A Survey of Metal-Detected Artefacts and Animal Representations from west and east Norway, c. AD 550–750/800”, is two-fold. On the one hand, it assesses the source value of metal detected finds from this period; these are then surveyed to develop and enhance our current understanding of AD 550–750/800, a timeframe, which until the recent influx of metal-detected diagnostic material, was considered “dark”. On the other, it further scrutinizes the artefacts adorned with animal style and animal representations, linking these to the period’s mentality.