Alexandra Fletcher

Assistant Keeper, Anatolia and Prehistory

Turkish archaeological material and Prehistoric collections within the Department of the Middle East

Department: Middle East

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8657
Email: afletcher @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Alexandra‘s research interests encompass social information contained within material culture assemblages, particularly pottery. She also has research interests in the broader prehistory of the Near East and the social impact of stylistic and technological change.

Alexandra has been a member of the Domuztepe excavation project since 1996. Domuztepe is a late Neolithic settlement (c 5700-5500 B.C.) located in south-eastern Turkey www.opencontext.org. Excavations were begun in 1995 by the University of Manchester and the University of California at Los Angeles. Alexandra directs Domuztepe’s programme of ceramic research and is the senior site supervisor. 

Current British Museum projects

Prehistory of the Middle East: new displays in Gallery 51.

Transanatolia conference: publication of proceedings.

The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B plastered skull from Jericho: collaborative investigation by the British Museum, University of Liverpool and the Natural History Museum.

The Ur radiography project: examining objects excavated from the Royal Cemetery at Ur  

Previous British Museum projects

Participated in the “Queen of the Night” national tour and creating a new display for this object.

Assisted with organization of “Focus on Turkey” week of events including lectures, gallery tours and exhibition and film showings.

External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

Council member, British Institute at Ankara

Director of Ceramic research, the Domuztepe project

Member of the Museums Association

Member of the Society of Museum Archaeologists

Member of BANEA

Publications

A. Fletcher, A. Irving, ‘Inter-site Regional Relationships during the Halaf-Ubaid Transition.’, Anatolian Archaeology, 5 (1999) pp. 24-25

A. Fletcher, A. Irving, J. Ambers, ‘Hidden Treasure from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Technology sheds new light on the Ancient Near East.’, Near Eastern Archaeology, 65/3 (2002) pp. 206-213

A. Fletcher, A. Irving, and C. Heywood, ‘The ceramics in the Death Pit at Domuztepe: conservation and analysis.’ Anatolian Archaeology, 10 (2004) p.6

A. Fletcher, A. Irving, ‘Ceramic styles at Domuztepe: evidence for social interaction in the late Neolithic’, Proceedings from the 4th International Congress of the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East Berlin 2004,(forthcoming)

A. Fletcher, J. Pearson  and J. Ambers, ‘The manipulation of social and physical identities in the Neolithic: a new radiographic investigation of a plastered skull from Jericho’, (forthcoming)