Hanna Steyne

As a Heritage Management Specialist, based at home on the edge of the Peak District, I co-ordinate specialist interdisciplinary teams at Wessex Archaeology and our Australian based partners for complex coastal and offshore projects in Australia.  

I joined Wessex Archaeology, for the third time, in 2022 to lead on complex interdisciplinary project work in the coastal and offshore environment in Australia. The recent designation of seabed for offshore wind projects around the Australian coast has led to a huge expansion in demand for archaeological assessments of the seabed, particularly in relation to submerged palaeolandscapes of the continental shelf. Having carried out one of the first pieces of archaeological submerged palaeolandscape research in Australia back in 2007, it is particularly exciting for me to be working in this area again as Australia works towards ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Heritage. My work in this space is motivated by a desire to see inclusive research that centres First Nations people and Traditional Knowledge Holders, whilst contributing to important discussions about the early inhabitants of the Australian continent. With a commitment to diverse narratives and decolonial archaeological practise, I am working to ensure that new approaches are taken to the way in which colonial coastal and maritime archaeology is discussed, with a focus on shared values. Our work in Australia is also committed to knowledge sharing, capacity building, and education amongst both the archaeological and First Nations communities in relation to submerged palaeolandscapes.

With a background in maritime archaeology, I specialise in connections between people and watery places throughout time, with a particular interest recently in the post-medieval/industrial period. My PhD research explored the diversity of riverside residents in Chelsea within the context of globalisation, colonisation, and industrialisation, and their impact on the lives of those living beside the Thames. My research focused on the lives of those previously marginalised and excluded from archaeological narratives including women, children, the elderly, blended families, immigrants and people who were queer, Black, and neurodiverse.

Outside of my work at Wessex Archaeology I am currently Secretary of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology, I teach at the University of Manchester and direct research into weirs and water management associated with early textile working sites in Greater Manchester. My time away from archaeology is preferably spent open water swimming, running, exploring quirky varieties of early grey tea with friends, or cuddling my cats/kids.