Dr Kristen Hopper

Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Archaeology

What do you do?

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University.  I am a landscape archaeologist focusing on Southwest and Central Asia, and the South Caucasus, and a specialist in GIS and remote sensing applications in Archaeology. 

I am interested in understanding how past communities interacted with their landscapes over the long-term, especially in terms of water management in arid environments, and the influence of both bottom up (local) and top-down (empires) landscape investments.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

With the EAMENA Project at Durham University, I use satellite imagery and fieldwork to document cultural heritage sites.  I am engaged in capacity building with heritage professionals, NGOs, and civil society groups from across southwest Asia.

Through the Council for At Risk Academics (CARA) Syria programme, I have worked with Syrians to document the impact of the Syrian conflict on cultural heritage, and the Yazidi community in Iraq to aid them in gathering evidence for the intentional destruction of their cultural heritage by Islamic State, which could be used in seeking justice through international courts.

I currently co-direct the joint archaeological investigations in the environs of Tell-Ramahiyah, Iraq led by the Universities of Al Qadisiyah and Durham.  The project uses remote sensing and field survey to document archaeological sites in the region.   

What do you love about this topic?

I love that I get to work with so many inspiring, and talented archaeologists and cultural heritage managers from across Southwest Asia, who are interested in protecting and promoting their heritage.  I have developed so many important academic and professional relationships that have led to exciting new projects, and opportunities. 

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

Independent national heritage databases, based on the EAMENA model, are being implemented in Jordan, Palestine, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.  These will help national agencies better manage their heritage assets now and into the future. 

We’ve also been involved in supporting the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) in Lebanon in documenting urban heritage damaged by the Beirut Port explosion – this has enabled the DGA to better understand the scale of the damage, and plan for next steps. 

We have also managed to train over 30 Syrian volunteers and Civil Society members in methodologies for documenting damage to cultural heritage and these skills are being cascaded through these community organisations.