Dr Paul R Preston

About

Paul is a dedicated and professional archaeologist, geographer and historian with a passion for teaching people, making an impact in their lives, and helping those who may not believe they have the potential to achieve. He has had a successful career in the education, heritage, and financial sectors. His mission is to apply his knowledge, teaching skills, leadership, organisation, and planning skills in a more positive way.

His studies in archaeology, history and geography significantly inform his teaching, commercial work, and research.  His university education concerned the study of human archaeology, history and geography in the past within a physical environment and changing climate through the analysis of material culture, historic, geomorphic, geological, climatological and other environmental evidence.  He has a wide experience covering most prehistoric periods in Britain and the Near East but especially The Palaeolithic, Epipalaeolithic/Mesolithic, and Neolithic.

He is an exceptional researcher and teacher with an eye for detail and quality with a proven track record of original creative ideas and research that has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and books. He has an increasingly international profile having presented papers at numerous prestigious conferences. He is also a strong leader with highly developed interpersonal skills who is currently directing several projects. He has organised several fieldwork projects, conferences, seminars, academic courses, and training.

Research interests

  • Palaeolithic & Mesolithic lithic technology.
  • The palaeoecology of human habitation response to climate and environmental change in the landscape.
  • The history and philosophy of archaeology and science.
  • First World War history and archaeology.
  • Quaternary geomorphology & geology.
  • History and archaeology of mountaineering.
  • Human evolution.
  • Neolithic archaeology.
  • Archaeology, history, and geography education.

Recent Positions

  • 2012-Present. Director/Lecturer/Lithicist. Lithoscapes Archaeological Research.
  • 2009-2010. Associate Lecturer, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
  • 2007-2009. Archaeology Tutor, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK.
  • 2006-2007. Junior Librarian, Hertford College, Oxford, UK.
  • 1994-2009. Various excavations/surveys positions in the financial sector.

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) Archaeology, University of Oxford
    • Thesis: Lithics to landscapes: lithic technology, tool use, resource exploitation, & mobility during the Mesolithic of the Central Pennines
  • Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) World Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
    • Thesis: The influence of raw material on chipped stone tool morphology at the Mesolithic site Star Carr.
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc (Hons)). Archaeology, University of Liverpool.
    • Thesis: The chipped stone industries of the Konya Plain, Anatolia.

Publications

  • Preston, R.J. with contributions by Preston, P.R., Preston, S.H., & The Research Group of Penrith Remembers., 2019. Penrith Civic War Memorial: The 201 People Commemorated. Penrith, Penrith Remembers 1914-1918. pp 842.
  • Preston. P.R., & Kador, T., 2018. Approaches to Interpreting Mesolithic Mobility & Settlement in Britain & Ireland. Journal of World Prehistory. 31: 321-345.
  • Davenport-Mackey, K & Preston, P. R., 2018. ‘A hoary antiquity of unimagined remoteness’: historiography of archaeological investigations at the Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, UK. SocArXiv. doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/56DJW
  • Preston, P.R., 2016, A Review of Fractures in Knapping. Journal of Lithics Studies. 3(1): 321-322. doi.org/10.2218/jls.v3i1.1392
  • Preston, P.R., 2016, A Review of Tsirk, A. 2015: Fractures in Knapping. Archaeopress, Oxford. Lithics. 36: 76-78.
  • Preston, P.R., 2014. New Perspectives on Central Pennine Mesolithic Lithic Scatters. The Archaeological Forum, New Series. 2:7-26.
  • Preston, P.R., & Schörle, K., 2013. Challenging the frontiers of mobility in archaeology. In Preston, P.R., & Schörle, K. (Eds.) Mobility, transition, & change in prehistory & classical antiquity. BAR international series. Oxford, Archaeopress. 2534: 1-4.
  • Preston, P.R., 2013. Bones, Stones or Ethnography: Mesolithic Mobility Models for Northern England, In Preston, P.R., & Schörle, K. (Eds.) Mobility, transition, & change in prehistory & classical antiquity. BAR international series. Oxford, Archaeopress. 2534: 29-48.
  • Mol, L. & Preston, P.R., 2010. The Writing’s in the wall: a review of new preliminary applications of electric resistivity tomography within archaeology.  Archaeometry. 52(6): 1079-1095.
  • Preston, P.R., 2009. Cache & carry: exaptive & equipotential models of Mesolithic tool use. Internet Archaeology. 26. doi.org/10.11141/ia.26.25
  • Preston, P. R., 2008. The Mesolithic Period. In Adkins, R., Adkins, L. & Leitch, V. (Eds.). The Handbook of British Archaeology. pp 23-35. David & Charles Publishers, London.
  • Lang, A. & Preston, P.R., 2008. The Palaeolithic Period. In Adkins, R., Adkins, L. & Leitch, V. (Eds.). The Handbook of British Archaeology. pp 1-22. London, David & Charles publishers.
  • Preston, P.R., 2007. A review of Curtis, A. 2008. Oxford Bible Atlas 4th Edition, The Church Archaeology Journal. 10, p 140

Conference presentations

  • Preston, P.R., 2019. Going where no archaeologist has gone before: testing a polythetic model integrating place, landscape & mobility with material & socio-cultural perspectives to understand the British Mesolithic. Session 1: Space, the final frontier – the transformation of social space in forager societies. International Open Workshop 2019: Socio-Environmental Dynamics over the Last 15,000 Years: The Creation of Landscapes VI. 11-16/03/19. University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
  • Preston, P.R., 2016, Unshackling the ‘chaînes’: a new approach to the technological organisation of the British Mesolithic. Immersed in Lithics Conference. 25-26th February 2016. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., & Davenport-Mackey, K., 2015. ‘Going Places’: towards a sense of Mesolithic space in a mountain landscape. MESO 2015. The Ninth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe. 14-18/09/15. Serbian Academy of Sciences & Arts, Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Preston, P.R., 2015. All Roads Lead to Stone? Towards a more nuanced perspective of British Mesolithic technology in the landscape. The Ninth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe. 14-18/09/15. Serbian Academy of Sciences & Arts, Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Davenport-Mackey, K., & Preston, P.R., 2015. Robin Hood Cave: in search of the Creswellian. Recent research at Creswell Crags. 19th July 2015. Creswell Crags Heritage Centre, Creswell, UK
  • Preston, P.R., 2015. The wise man built his Mesolithic research upon the rock: towards a new research framework & the MESO-lithics Project. Implement Petrology Group Research Meeting. 10/01/15. York, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2014. Mesolithic settlements & ‘site seeing’: settlement, landscape, & lithics ̶ lowland & upland perspectives. Session 16: Mesolithic Britain & Ireland: 10 years on. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. 15-17/12/14. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2014. Never Mind the Boswellox®― Where’s the Data? Problems in Prehistory & Potential Solutions. Session 4: bridges over troubled theoretical waters: crossing the divide between databased archaeology & archaeological theory in prehistoric studies. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. 15-17/12/14. University of Manchester, Manchester UK
  • Davenport-Mackey, K. & Preston, P.R., 2014. The Smooth, the striated & the ugly: making space for data in landscape archaeology. Session 4: bridges over troubled theoretical waters: crossing the divide between databased archaeology & archaeological theory in prehistoric studies. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. 15-17/12/14. University of Manchester, Manchester UK
  • Preston, P.R., & Davenport-Mackey, K., 2014. ‘Seeing the sites’: Towards a Sense of Mesolithic Place & Mobility in a Mountain Landscape. Moving Mountains: Studies in Place, Society & Cultural Representation. 18-20/06/14. Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2014 A Lithics Luxury Lost. The MESO-Lithics Project & the Opportunities for the Raw Materials Working Group. The Raw Materials Group 1.0 meeting. 24th May 2014. Oxford Archaeology North, Lancaster, UK
  • Preston, P.R., 2014. Everything we know is wrong: the MESO-lithics Project—Charging lithics into the Mesolithic Canon. Where the wild things are 2.0: Further advances in Palaeolithic & Mesolithic research conference. 8-10/01/14. University of Durham, Durham, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2013. Lithics in the landscape: the effect of mobility on chaîne opératoires in the Mesolithic. Style & function: cultural identities in stone conference. 29/06/13. Lithics Studies Society, Queens College, Oxford, UK
  • Preston, P.R., 2013. Blade runner(s) the Mesolithic cut: the chaînes opératoires of the Mesolithic in the Central Pennines, England. The Mesolithic of North-West England: Current Research Conference. 11/05/13, Council for British Archaeology Northwest. Manchester, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2013. ‘MESO-Lithics’, landscape & mobility in Northern England. Cogresso Muge 150 (Muge 150 congress). 21-23/03/13. Centro de Interpretação do Cais da Vala, Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal.
  • Preston, P.R. 2012, Blade runner(s) the Mesolithic cut: lithics, landscapes & mobility. Where the Wild Things Are: recent advances in Palaeolithic & Mesolithic research conference. 24-25/03/12. University of Durham, Durham, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2010. Lithics, landscapes & handrails: chaîne opératoires & Mesolithic mobility in the Central Pennines UK. The 8th International Conference on The Mesolithic in Europe. 13-17/09/10, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
  • Preston, P.R., 2009. Mesolithic cache & carry: moving from lithics to landscapes. Gathering our Thoughts Conference. University of York, York, UK.
  • Preston, P. R., 2008. Lithics, landscapes & mobility: a case of Mesolithic Cache & Carry? Graduate Archaeology Oxford Conference 2008: challenging frontiers: mobility transition & change. 4-5/04/08. Hertford College, Oxford, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2007. Mesolithic archaeology lithics analyses: learning to walk again. Technologies & ontologies: archaeological truths & subjective sciences session, Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. 14-16/12/07. University of York, York, UK.
  • Preston, P.R., 2007. Cache & carry: lithic technology & Mesolithic mobility. Implement Petrology Group Symposium. 6-11/09/07. University of York, York, UK.

Conferences/sessions co-organised

  • 2016. Lithics to Landscapes, Lithics Studies Society Conference. 25/05/16. Lithics Studies Society. Kellogg College, Oxford, UK.
  • 2014. Session: Bridges over troubled theoretical waters- crossing the divide between databased archaeology & archaeological theory in prehistoric studies. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. 15-17/12/14. University of Manchester, Manchester UK.
  • 2014. The raw materials (rock geology) group 1.0 meeting. 24/05/14. Oxford Archaeology North, Lancaster, UK.
  • 2008. G.A.O. Conference: challenging frontiers: mobility transition & change. 4-5/04/08. Hertford College, Oxford, UK.

Current Research Projects

The projects Paul is currently undertaking are outlined here»

Academic profiles

Orchid»

Academia.edu»

ResearchGate»

Last Edited 27/01/20