Mr George Downs

Personal Statement

I am a Postgraduate Researcher in Archaeology, and an ACE Research Staff member funded by the British Council's Cultural Protection Fund. I am currently evaluating the Carved in Stone project, a programme of digital archaeological training and community heritage education that aimed to reduce looting and vandalism of rock-carved inscriptions and monuments across Turkey.

My postgraduate research primarily concerns the growth of independent archaeological tourism and the ‘officiality’ of the visitor experience. I am currently working collaboratively in the Aegean region of Turkey and Merseyside. I am also examining how archaeological sites are perceived in the context of nationalism and the contestation of identities, including the case study of Catalonia.

In the past, I have conducted research on the archaeology of identity and migration between archaic western Anatolia and Iron Age north-east Iberia. I have also researched heritage and linguistic policy in Turkey and Northern Ireland. I received an MA in Archaeology and a BA in International Policy with Hispanic Studies, both from the University of Liverpool.