Clare Burke

Clare Burke is a UKRI Post Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, affiliated with BioArCh. Previously, she held post-doctoral positions at the Austrian Academy of Sciences Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology and the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) in Vienna. Her research focuses on prehistoric pottery, particularly in the Balkans and Aegean regions, exploring how raw material choices and technological practices reflect cultural identity, societal habits, and interregional connections. She employs microscopic analysis, thin section petrography, and SEM-EDS to study ceramic production and use.

Education:

• BSc Archaeology (University of Leicester, 2004)
• MA Professional Archaeological Practice (University of Leicester, 2005)
• MSc Archaeomaterials (University of Sheffield, 2006)
• PhD in Archaeology (University of Sheffield, 2017)

Research Interests: Clare’s work centers on understanding technological and social choices in ceramic production across prehistoric societies, with a focus on the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. She examines how pottery functions as a marker of cultural identity, migration patterns, and technological knowledge transfer. Her studies span diachronic and spatial scales, integrating experimental archaeology and organic residue analysis to uncover daily practices and societal structures. Key areas include:

• Early Neolithic pottery in North Macedonia
• Starčevo culture ceramics in Serbia
• Early Helladic pottery technologies in Greece

Grants & Awards: Her current project TECUS is funded by the UKRI Horizon Europe Guarantee Postdoctoral Fellowship (EP/Y025113/1). She also received the Anton Ölzelt-Newin’sche Stiftung grant to support her research on Ada Tepe pottery. Past projects include FWF-funded initiatives like 6500 Years of Solitude? (co-designed with the University of Graz) and NEOTECH (led by Barbara Horejs at ÖAI).

Advising & Collaborations: While no formal advisees are listed, Clare has collaborated extensively with international teams, co-investigating projects in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Turkey. She works closely with institutions like the University of Graz and ÖAI, contributing to excavations such as Svinjarička Čuka and Midea.

Labs & Teams: Affiliated with BioArCh at the University of York, she participates in multidisciplinary research groups. Her current TECUS project involves co-investigators Peter Bickle and Oliver Craig, focusing on Neolithic pottery in North Macedonia. She is also completing analyses on Early-Late Neolithic ceramics from Çukuriçi Höyük in Türkiye.