Sam Wilson

Sam is an archaeologist specialising in the study of medieval and post-medieval conflict. His work has taken him to some of the most iconic sites in British and European military history, including Bosworth and Waterloo. He works as a commercial archaeologist and Project Supervisor, with over 10 years of experience conducting, leading, and reporting on battlefield surveys.

Sam is passionate about revealing the human experiences of conflict through archaeologically examining the physical remains of historic battles. He has made several TV appearances (Time Team, Digging for Britain) as well as giving lectures to both the public and students all about battlefield archaeology and survey techniques.

You can find out more about Sam and his work here:

Sam’s Website: Battlefield Archaeology

Twitter

Instagram

Waterloo Uncovered

Next Interview:

Previous Interview:

1. What inspired you to be involved in your area of expertise?

Whereas on most archaeological sites you are examining events which may have lasted for decades or centuries, with battlefield archaeology you are viewing a single moment in time. A moment that can be narrowed down to a specific day or as short a time as it takes a bullet to fly through the air. An inherent fascination with this is what drew me to the subject initially.

2. What do you like most about your field?

I love being able to bring to life stories of the mostly un-named and forgotten individuals caught up in historic conflict.

3. How did you get involved in your field of study/research?

It started in my final year of University when I directed by own fieldwork on a 17th century Civil War site. I couldn't find any similar projects to volunteer on at that time so I planned my own!

4. What book, website, or other resource would you recommend to new students of H/AH/ARCH?

For a wealth of information on a whole host of the most significant British battles, you can't go far wrong with the Battlefields Trust Resource Centre.

5. What book, website, or other resource do you think is possibly the best you have ever found?

Narrowing it down to a single resource, it would have to be the Journal of Conflict Archaeology. It contains heaps of peer-reviewed articles covering the whole spectrum of conflict archaeology.

6. Can you mention one or two emerging themes you have observed in H/AH/ARCH?

Various more nuanced themes away from the straight 'bullets and battles' fieldwork are emerging within the discipline, such as examining disability as the result of historic conflict or the role of women.

7. What advice would you give someone starting out in H/AH/ARCH?

Try and get as much experience under your belt as possible through volunteering or other means. It doesn't necessarily have to just be fieldwork (there is obviously a whole spectrum of archaeological skills), but the experience is what will set your CV/Resume apart from the other candidates when going for that first job. 

8. If you could meet any historical figure who would it be and why?

Bit of an obscure one that I suspect very few people will have heard of - I'd like to meet a chap called Sir John Middleton, whose late 15th century military career I have been researching for some time. He took part in numerous major battles during the Wars of the Roses, dabbled a bit in piracy, was imprisoned in Brussels for a while and rose from minor English knight to Conducteur in the Burgundian army of the 1470's, commanding nearly 2000 men. I think he'd have a fascinating story.

9. Which era or time period would you like to visit?

Any time period that corresponds with a battle I've done archaeological work on - just to see how right (or wrong) our conclusions were!

10. Do you have a favourite historical quote, if so what is it?

“The history of a battle, is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost, but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.”

- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington