Underwater archaeology. Archaeological science. Education and Outreach.
Dr Lisa Briggs is an underwater archaeologist and archaeological scientist who conducts molecular analysis of artefacts recovered from underwater and terrestrial archaeological sites. With a focus on the ancient biomolecules found in the archaeological record, Briggs uses ancient DNA, organic residue, and stable isotope analysis to reveal hidden aspects of the past.
Using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and Multibeam Echo Sounders (MBES) to map the seafloor, Briggs directs large-scale underwater survey projects in the Mediterranean and beyond. These projects aim to identify, study, and protect underwater cultural heritage that is at risk from destruction by looters and deep-sea trawling.
Research
The breadth of Dr Briggs’ research spans from discovery to analysis. She is involved in every aspect of molecular analysis from the seafloor to the lab. As a technical diver, Briggs is often intimately involved with the excavation, collection, and export of the ancient shipwreck samples that she analyses in laboratories in the United Kingdom. She directs archaeological fieldwork in Italy and Croatia, and has worked on archaeological excavations in Jordan, Spain, Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Turkey, Poland, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Briggs is passionate about storytelling and bringing the long-forgotten tales of our ancestors to life. Briggs works in the Scientific Research Department of the British Museum, London, and holds a research fellowship at Cranfield University.
Find out more about Dr Briggs’ archaeological and scientific research here:
Outreach and Media
Her work has been featured by National Geographic, the Guardian, Variety, The New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, Archaeology Magazine, and in documentaries aired by Discovery, National Geographic, The History Channel, and PBS. She is a National Geographic Explorer, and Fellow of the Explorers Club.
Dr Briggs is the founder and Director of Sunk Costs Productions Ltd., a London-based production company that specialises in turning world-class academic research on shipwrecks, ancient history, and archaeology into compelling visual content.
Education
Briggs completed an undergraduate degree (MA Hons) in Ancient Civilisations of the Mediterranean and Middle East at the University of Edinburgh where she studied under Professor Edgar Peltenburg. There, Prof. Peltenburg gave lectures on the Uluburun and Cape Gelidonya, two Bronze Age shipwrecks discovered off the coast of Antalya, Turkey. During these lectures, a passion for underwater archaeology was born.
After many years as an underwater field archaeologist, Briggs completed an MPhil in Archaeological Science at the University of Cambridge, Murray Edwards College. During this degree, she focused on learning methods of DNA extraction and analysis, stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen, and the study of organic residues trapped inside archaeological ceramics. As part of the Food Globalisation in Prehistory project, (FOGLIP) Briggs conducted DNA analysis of Foxtail millet (Setaria italica).
Her studies at Cambridge were followed by a DPhil (PhD) in Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford, Brasenose College. At Oxford she completed a research project involving the export and study of ancient shipwreck artefacts from five sites located in three countries (Turkey, Cyprus, and Croatia). At Oxford, Briggs received an Amersi Foundation Scholarship and was part of the Global History of Capitalism Project where she argued that long-distance maritime trade in the ancient world was a driving force in the development of sophisticated market economies.