Projects per year
Personal profile
Research expertise
My research interests and expertise lie in palaeoeconomic/environmental reconstruction, with a particular geographic emphasis on Scotland and the North Atlantic islands. I have a specific focus on Orkney where I am currently working with faunas spanning the Neolithic to the Late Norse, providing an unparalleled opportunity to explore four millennia of human-animal relations in an island ecosystem and, perhaps more significantly, the resilience of these island communities in the face of at least three significant periods of environmental change. My research interests in sustainability continue into the present day, where I have recently instigated a series of projects concerned with the teaching of ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) within the HE Humanities curriculum.
A further area of research expertise is in the development of innovative methodologies for understanding human-animal interactions in the past. One of my main research themes here is dental microwear analysis and palaeodiet in ungulates. This research has established methodologies for analysing domestic ungulate microwear and is providing important new insights into the impact of grazing animals in North Atlantic ecosystems, pig domestication in Europe and Asia, and early Neolithic herding strategies in southern Europe. I have also explored the potential of bone histology and morphology for reconstructing animal activity levels; this work has significant implications for understanding both the process of domestication and intensification of animal husbandry practices.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sheffield
Award Date: 1 Jan 1995
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Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Landscapes of Change - Skaill farmstead
Lee, D., Mainland, I., Gibbon, S. J. & Harland, J.
1/06/17 → 31/03/18
Project: Research
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Landscapes of Change - Skaill farmstead excavations and outreach
Lee, D., Mainland, I. & Downes, J.
4/07/16 → 8/07/16
Project: Research
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Trace element ratios in tooth enamel as palaeodietary indicators of seaweed consumption and coastal grazing, and their broader applicability
Blanz, M., Stewart, S., Mainland, I., Ascough, P., Raab, A., Feldmann, J. & Taggart, M. A., 1 Feb 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 139, 11 p., 105551.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Human Impact on North Atlantic Biota: Farming and Farm Animals, Fishing, Sealing and Whaling
Mainland, I. & Harland, J., 20 Apr 2021, Biogeography in the Sub‐Arctic: The Past and Future of North Atlantic Biota. Panagiotakopulu, E. & Sadler, J. (eds.). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Inc., p. 251 21 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Identifying seaweed consumption by sheep using isotope analysis of their bones and teeth: Modern reference δ13C and δ15N values and their archaeological implications
Mainland, I., Blanz, M., Taggart, M., Richards, M., Balasse, M., Ascough, P., Wolfhagen, J. & Feldmann, J., 30 Jun 2020, In: Journal of Archaeological Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
File7 Citations (Scopus)6 Downloads (Pure) -
Ness of Brodgar, as it stands
Card, N., Edmonds, M. (ed.), Mitchell, A. (ed.), Mainland, I., anderson Whymark, H., Johnson, M., clark, A., Timpany, S., Pike, S., Towers, R., Towrie, S., Ackerman, N., Thomas, A., McKenzie, J., Batt, C., MacSween, A., Webster, C., harland, J., Boyar, A., Parker Pearson, M. & 2 others, , 18 Nov 2020, Kirkwall: The Orcadian. 380 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Seaweed fertilisation impacts the chemical and isotopic composition of barley: Implications for analyses of archaeological skeletal remains
Blanz, M., Ascough, P., Mainland, I., Martin, P., Taggart, M. A., Dieterich, B., Wishart, J., Sayle, K. L., Raab, A. & Feldmann, J., 1 Apr 2019, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 104, p. 34-44 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Citations (Scopus)56 Downloads (Pure) -
The nature of the feast: commensality and the politics of consumption in Viking Age and Early Medieval Northern Europe
Mainland, I. & Batey, C., 1 Jul 2019, (E-pub ahead of print) In: World Archaeology. 50, 5, p. 1-23 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)36 Downloads (Pure) -
An isotopic investigation into the origins and husbandry of Mid-Late Bronze Age cattle from Grimes Graves, Norfolk
Mainland, I., Towers, J., Montgomery, J., Evans, J. & Bond, J., Oct 2017, In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 15, p. 59-72 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile8 Citations (Scopus)44 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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University Research Conference
Sarah Jane Gibbon (Speaker) & Ingrid Mainland (Speaker)
13 Jan 2022 → 14 Jan 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Post-Medieval Archaeology Congress
Sarah Jane Gibbon (Speaker), Ingrid Mainland (Speaker) & Jen Harland (Speaker)
29 May 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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LIFTE Project Launch Event
Sarah Jane Gibbon (Organiser), Sarah Jane Gibbon (Speaker), Sarah Jane Gibbon (Chair), Jen Harland (Participant), Ingrid Mainland (Chair), Julia D Gibson (Chair), Paul Sharman (Speaker) & Daniel Lee (Participant)
19 Oct 2020 → 21 Oct 2020Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
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Trade in the North Atlantic, 1400-1700: current knowledge and future research
Sarah Jane Gibbon (Speaker), Paul Sharman (Speaker), Natascha Mehler (Speaker), Ingrid Mainland (Speaker), Mark Gardiner (Speaker) & Bart Holterman (Speaker)
20 Oct 2020Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Rousay Archaeology Day
Sarah Jane Gibbon (Speaker), Jen Harland (Speaker), Ingrid Mainland (Speaker), Daniel Lee (Speaker), Sarah Jane Gibbon (Organiser), Daniel Lee (Organiser), Jen Harland (Organiser) & Ingrid Mainland (Organiser)
5 Oct 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
File
Press / Media
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Hanseatic League's historic role explored
Ingrid Mainland & Sarah Jane Gibbon
2/11/20
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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UHI Archaeology Institute Looks Ahead
Jane Downes, Hugo Anderson-Whymark & Ingrid Mainland
9/06/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Orkney, Shetland and The Merchants of Bremen and Hamburg
Ingrid Mainland, Jane Downes & Sarah Jane Gibbon
22/02/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Archaeologists Unearth Hollowed-Out Whale Vertebra Containing Human Jawbone, Remains of Newborn Lambs
8/11/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Ancient Orcadians used large whale bones as tools
7/11/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Whale DNA sheds light on Iron Age life on Orkney
7/11/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research