My interest in archaeology started when I was about 11 years old watching the Mummy. From then on I wanted to be an archaeologist and go find the lost Egyptian princess. Over the years this has changed slightly. I didn't want to find an Egyptian princess, but my interest in British archaeology got boosted as I started my bachelor degree in archaeology in Aberdeen. While I was there, one of my professors introduced me to osteology. This was not something I had considered before, but really enjoyed. From there I went to the states and took a year of osteology and American archaeology to broaden my knowledge in the field. I finished my bachelor at The Arctic University of Norway in 2014. By that time I had met my current British partner and we moved to Newcastle. Here I got a year of commercial experience in archaeology, traveling the country working on lots of different digs from different time periods. As I was doing it, I discovered my preferred time periods to work on were the Iron age and the Anglo-Saxon period.
My name is Tanja and I am a 34 year old woman from Tromsø, Norway.
I am currently living in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire with my husband and 8-year-old daughter and I am a full time PhD student at ARU in Cambridge.
In 2015 I started my MSc in Palaeopathology from Durham university (where I first met Dr Tipper) . I graduated in 2016 and we moved back to Norway, but decided to come back to England in 2022 where there are more opportunities in archaeology . Since coming back here I have worked both in the commercial sector and as an associated lecturer at ARU, helping run the Anthropology lab sessions.
Outside of work I enjoy hiking and walking. I prefer mountains, however, in flat Cambridgeshire I will find any public footpath and walk it. Reading fictional books or watching British period dramas takes up all of my evenings. At the moment, cosy crime is my favourite, but I will read Tolkien any time.
As an archaeologist I have worked on many interesting sites around the country. They range from Neolithic sites to Victorian mills. In Yorkshire I worked on a Roman villa with part of a mosaic floor still intact. In Kent we had an Anglo-Saxon settlement with shadows of buildings and jewellery. In Essex a large Iron-Age and Roman cemetery with an Iron-Age settlement. In London, a large post-medieval cemetery and in Manchester a partly standing Victorian Mill. These are just some of the sites I have worked on in the UK. While living and working in Norway I did many jobs as the lead technician and osteologist for The Arctic University Museum, analysing Norwegian Iron-Age and medieval skeletons from the north of Norway.
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