Contact Alex Rodzinka
Background
Alex completed her BA in Egyptian Archaeology at University College London in 2018. Her dissertation was entitled "Experimental Approach to Production Technology of the Egyptian Blue Pigment", completed under Prof. Ian Freestone.
She then moved on to complete her MSc in Archaeological Science: Technology and Materials at University College London, where she continued to study pigments and other ancient materials, submitting dissertation entitled "Pigments on 22nd Dynasty Egyptian Coffins of Theban and Regional Styles from the British Museum Collections: Observations of Colour Changes and their Causes".
Alex has experience in field archaeology, having worked as an archaeologist for MOLA in the UK and having excavated on various archaeological sites in Israel.
Now she is pursuing a PhD in Archaeology at Cranfield University analysing bronze and iron bladed weapons from Iran.
Current activities
Alex is carrying out her PhD research at Cranfield Forensic Institute, analysing ancient bronze and iron weapons to understand the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition in Iran. The research is focused on technological choices made by the weaponmakers and will involve non-invasive analyses of artefacts using Neutron Tomography and Neutron Diffraction at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and microstructural and compositional analyses at Cranfield. The objects under study were intercepted by UK Border Force during a trafficking operation and are currently held by the British Museum. They will be repatriated to Iran upon completion of the project.
The research is jointly funded by Cranfield University and STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Rodzinka A. (2024). Cutting edge research: a new look at Iron Age swords from Iran. British Museum Middle East Department Newsletter, 8
- Bangsborg Thuesen M & Rodzinka A. (2024). New research on old collections. British Museum Middle East Department Newsletter, 8
- Rodzinka AE, Fedrigo A, Scherillo A, Shortland AJ, Simpson SJ, .... (2024). Neutron tomography reveals extensive modern modification in Iron Age Iranian swords. Journal of Archaeological Science, 171