Professor Andrew Fairbairn
Professor

Andrew Fairbairn

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52780

Background

I research ancient agriculture, plant use and human environmental impact in Turkey, Italy (Pompeii) and Australasia via the analysis of archaeological plant remains (seeds, fruits leaves etc)

I started my archaeological career in 1988, working on the excavation of Blawearie Cairn in my native Northumberland (UK). I studies at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL (London) gaining BSc Archaeology (1991), MSc Bio and Geoarchaeology (1992) and PhD (2001), specialising in the study of plant macrofossil remains, such as seeds, fruits, leaves and wood, from archaeological sites to reconstruct past environments and economic practices. I also developed a large consulting portfolio, working as an environmental archaeologist for the Museum of London Archaeology Service (1993-1994) and UCL Geoarchaeology Unit (1992-1993) and as an independent contractor (1994-2001). From 1999-2001 I worked as a research assistant for the Catalhoyuk Research Project, based at Cambridge University and during that time moved to Australia. From 2001 - 2004 I worked at The Australian National University in Canberra as a research assistant to the Engendering Roman Spaces Project and then received a research fellowship at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. I moved to UQ in January 2006. My research interests are currently focused on the origins of agriculture in Central Anatolia (Turkey) and the later development of the region's state economies. I also work in Australasia where I have been developing plant macrofossil techniques to disentangle ancient tree-fruit use and the development of food production in Papua New Guinea.

Availability

Professor Andrew Fairbairn is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Archaeology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science, University College London
  • Masters (Coursework) of Science, University College London
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University College London

Search Professor Andrew Fairbairn’s works on UQ eSpace

93 works between 2002 and 2024
All (93) Journal Article (68) Book Chapter (14) Conference Publication (4) Book (2) Edited Outputs (5)

41 - 60 of 93 works

2015

Journal Article

Woodland modification in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia: an anthracological signature for the Hittite state?

Wright, Nathan J., Fairbairn, Andrew S., Faith, J. Tyler and Matsumura, Kimiyoshi (2015). Woodland modification in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia: an anthracological signature for the Hittite state?. Journal of Archaeological Science, 55, 219-230. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2014.12.021

Woodland modification in Bronze and Iron Age central Anatolia: an anthracological signature for the Hittite state?

2014

Book

Current research at Kultepe/Kanesh: an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to trade networks, internationalism, and identity

Levent Atici, Fikri Kulakoğlu, Gojko Barjamovic and Andrew Fairbairn eds. (2014). Current research at Kultepe/Kanesh: an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to trade networks, internationalism, and identity. Journal of Cuneiform Studies. Supplemental Series, Atlanta, GA, USA: Lockwood Press.

Current research at Kultepe/Kanesh: an interdisciplinary and integrative approach to trade networks, internationalism, and identity

2014

Book Chapter

Plant processing technologies in archaeology

Fairbairn, Andrew S. (2014). Plant processing technologies in archaeology. Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. (pp. 5973-5978) edited by Claire Smith. New York, NY, United States: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_86

Plant processing technologies in archaeology

2014

Book Chapter

Introduction: integrating current research at Kultepe-Kanesh

Atici, Levent, Kulakoğlu, Fikri, Barjamovic, Gojko and Fairbairn, Andrew (2014). Introduction: integrating current research at Kultepe-Kanesh. Current Research at Kültepe/Kanesh: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Approach to Trade Networks, Internationalism, and Identity. (pp. 1-4) edited by Levent Atici, Fikri Kulakoğlu, Gojko Barjamovic and Andrew Fairbairn. Atlanta, GA, USA: Lockwood Press.

Introduction: integrating current research at Kultepe-Kanesh

2014

Journal Article

9th millennium plant subsistence in the central Anatolian highlands: new evidence from Pinarbasi, Karaman Province, central Anatolia

Fairbairn. Andrew S., Jenkins, Emma, Baird, Douglas and Jacobsen, Geraldine (2014). 9th millennium plant subsistence in the central Anatolian highlands: new evidence from Pinarbasi, Karaman Province, central Anatolia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 41, 801-812. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.09.024

9th millennium plant subsistence in the central Anatolian highlands: new evidence from Pinarbasi, Karaman Province, central Anatolia

2014

Book Chapter

Preliminary archaeobotanical investigations of plant production, consumption, and trade at middle bronze age Kultepe-Kanesh

Fairbairn, Andrew (2014). Preliminary archaeobotanical investigations of plant production, consumption, and trade at middle bronze age Kultepe-Kanesh. Current Research at Kültepe/Kanesh: An Interdisciplinary and Integrative Approach to Trade Networks, Internationalism, and Identity. (pp. 177-193) edited by Levent Atici, Fikri Kulakoğlu, Gojko Barjamovic and Andrew Fairbairn. Atlanta, GA, USA: Lockwood Press.

Preliminary archaeobotanical investigations of plant production, consumption, and trade at middle bronze age Kultepe-Kanesh

2013

Journal Article

Juniper smoke, skulls and wolves' tails. The Epipalaeolithic of the Anatolian plateau in its South-west Asian context; insights from Pinarbaşi

Baird, Douglas, Asouti, Eleni, Astruc, Laurence, Baysal, Adnan, Baysal, Emma, Carruthers, Denise, Fairbairn, Andrew, Kabukcu, Ceren, Jenkins, Emma, Lorentz, Kirsi, Middleton, Caroline, Pearson, Jessica and Pirie, Anne (2013). Juniper smoke, skulls and wolves' tails. The Epipalaeolithic of the Anatolian plateau in its South-west Asian context; insights from Pinarbaşi. Levant, 45 (2), 175-209. doi: 10.1179/0075891413Z.00000000024

Juniper smoke, skulls and wolves' tails. The Epipalaeolithic of the Anatolian plateau in its South-west Asian context; insights from Pinarbaşi

2013

Journal Article

Archaeobotanical evidence for trade in hazelnut (Corylus sp.) at Middle Bronze Age Kültepe (c. 1950–1830 B.C.), Kayseri Province, Turkey

Fairbairn, Andrew, Kulakoğlu, Fikri and Atici, Levent (2013). Archaeobotanical evidence for trade in hazelnut (Corylus sp.) at Middle Bronze Age Kültepe (c. 1950–1830 B.C.), Kayseri Province, Turkey. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 23 (2), 167-174. doi: 10.1007/s00334-013-0403-5

Archaeobotanical evidence for trade in hazelnut (Corylus sp.) at Middle Bronze Age Kültepe (c. 1950–1830 B.C.), Kayseri Province, Turkey

2013

Journal Article

Keeping country: A web-based approach to Indigenous outreach in cultural heritage management

Fairbairn, Andrew, Ross, Annie, Ulm, Sean, Nichols, Stephen and Faulkner, Patrick (2013). Keeping country: A web-based approach to Indigenous outreach in cultural heritage management. Australian Archaeology, 77 (77), 127-134. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2013.11681985

Keeping country: A web-based approach to Indigenous outreach in cultural heritage management

2012

Journal Article

Neolithic human impact on the landscapes of North-East Hungary inferred from pollen and settlement records

Magyari, Eniko K., Chapman, John, Fairbairn, Andrew S., Francis, Mark and de Guzman, Margarita (2012). Neolithic human impact on the landscapes of North-East Hungary inferred from pollen and settlement records. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 21 (4-5), 279-302. doi: 10.1007/s00334-012-0350-6

Neolithic human impact on the landscapes of North-East Hungary inferred from pollen and settlement records

2012

Journal Article

Poromoi Tamu and the case of the drowning village: History, lost places and the stories we tell

David, Bruno, Lamb, Lara, Delannoy, Jean-Jacques, Pivoru, Frank, Rowe, Cassandra, Pivoru, Max, Frank, Tony, Frank, Nick, Fairbairn, Andrew and Pivoru, Ruth (2012). Poromoi Tamu and the case of the drowning village: History, lost places and the stories we tell. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 16 (2), 319-345. doi: 10.1007/s10761-012-0183-0

Poromoi Tamu and the case of the drowning village: History, lost places and the stories we tell

2012

Book Chapter

The Boncuklu project: the origins of sedentism, cultivation and herding in central Anatolia

Baird, Douglas, Fairbairn, Andrew, Martin, Louise and Middleton, Caroline (2012). The Boncuklu project: the origins of sedentism, cultivation and herding in central Anatolia. The neolithic in Turkey: new excavations and new research-central Turkey. (pp. 219-244) edited by Mehmet Özdoğan, Nezih Başgelen and Peter Kuniholm. Istanbul, Turkey: Archaeology & Art Publications.

The Boncuklu project: the origins of sedentism, cultivation and herding in central Anatolia

2011

Journal Article

Nawarla Gabarnmang, a 45,180±910 cal BP Site in Jawoyn country, southwest Arnhem Land Plateau

David, Bruno, Geneste, Jean-Michel, Wear, Ray L., Delannoy, Jean-Jacques, Katherine, Margaret, Gunn, R. G., Clarkson, Christopher, Plisson, Hughes, Lee, Preston, Petchey, Fiona, Rowe, Cassandra, Barker, Bryce, Lamb, Lara, Miller, Wes, Hoerle, Stephane, James, Daniel, Boche, Elisa, Aplin, Ken, McNiven, Ian J., Richards, Thomas, Fairbairn, Andrew and Matthews, Jacqueline (2011). Nawarla Gabarnmang, a 45,180±910 cal BP Site in Jawoyn country, southwest Arnhem Land Plateau. Australian Archaeology, 73 (73), 73-77. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2011.11961928

Nawarla Gabarnmang, a 45,180±910 cal BP Site in Jawoyn country, southwest Arnhem Land Plateau

2011

Journal Article

Ritual in the landscape: Evidence from Pinarbasi in the seventh-millennium cal BC Konya Plain

Baird, Douglas, Carruthers, Denise, Fairbairn, Andrew and Pearson, Jessica (2011). Ritual in the landscape: Evidence from Pinarbasi in the seventh-millennium cal BC Konya Plain. Antiquity, 85 (328), 380-394. doi: 10.1017/s0003598x0006782x

Ritual in the landscape: Evidence from Pinarbasi in the seventh-millennium cal BC Konya Plain

2011

Journal Article

The power of paradigms: Examining the evidential basis for early to mid-Holocene pigs and pottery in Melanesia

O'Connor, Sue, Barham, Anthony, Aplin, Ken, Dobney, Keith, Fairbairn, Andrew and Richards, Michael (2011). The power of paradigms: Examining the evidential basis for early to mid-Holocene pigs and pottery in Melanesia. Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 2 (2), 1-25.

The power of paradigms: Examining the evidential basis for early to mid-Holocene pigs and pottery in Melanesia

2010

Journal Article

Historicising the present: Late Holocene emergence of a rainforest hunting camp, Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea

McNiven, Ian J., David, Bruno, Aplin, Ken, Pivoru, Max, Pivoru, William, Sexton, Alex, Brown, Jonathan, Clarkson, Chris, Connell, Kate, Stanisic, John, Weisler, Marshall, Haberle, Simon, Fairbairn, Andrew and Kemp, Noel (2010). Historicising the present: Late Holocene emergence of a rainforest hunting camp, Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea. Australian Archaeology, 71 (71), 41-56. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2010.11689383

Historicising the present: Late Holocene emergence of a rainforest hunting camp, Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea

2010

Journal Article

Human adaptation and plant use in Highland New Guinea 49,000 to 44,000 years ago

Summerhayes, Glenn R., Leavesley, Matthew, Fairbairn, Andrew, Mandui, Herman, Field, Judith, Ford, Anne and Fullagar, Richard (2010). Human adaptation and plant use in Highland New Guinea 49,000 to 44,000 years ago. Science, 330 (6000), 78-81. doi: 10.1126/science.1193130

Human adaptation and plant use in Highland New Guinea 49,000 to 44,000 years ago

2010

Journal Article

The Emo site (OAC), Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea: Resolving long-standing questions of antiquity and implications for the history of the ancestral Hiri maritime trade

David, Bruno, Geneste, Jean-Michel, Aplin, Ken, Delannoy, Jean-Jacques, Araho, Nick, Clarkson, Chris, Connell, Kate, Haberle, Simon, Barker, Bryce, Lamb, Lara, Stanisic, John, Fairbairn, Andrew, Skelly, Robert and Rowe, Cassandra (2010). The Emo site (OAC), Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea: Resolving long-standing questions of antiquity and implications for the history of the ancestral Hiri maritime trade. Australian Archaeology, 70 (1), 39-54. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2010.11681910

The Emo site (OAC), Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea: Resolving long-standing questions of antiquity and implications for the history of the ancestral Hiri maritime trade

2010

Journal Article

The origins and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia and Europe

Fairbairn, Andrew (2010). The origins and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia and Europe. Environmental Archaeology, 15 (1), 99-100. doi: 10.1179/146141010X12640787648810

The origins and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia and Europe

2010

Book Chapter

Farmers, gatherers or horticulturalists? Reconstructing landscapes of practice in the Early Neolithic

Asouti, Eleni and Fairbairn, Andrew S. (2010). Farmers, gatherers or horticulturalists? Reconstructing landscapes of practice in the Early Neolithic. Landscapes in transition. (pp. 161-172) edited by B. Finlayson and G. Warren. Oxford, U.K.: Oxbow Books.

Farmers, gatherers or horticulturalists? Reconstructing landscapes of practice in the Early Neolithic

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2025
    Testing the Dark Emu hypothesis
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2025
    Re-evaluating forager-farmer plant use in Anatolias Neolithic transition
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2019 - 2024
    Archaeology, collections and Australian South Sea Islander lived identities (ARC Linkage Project administered by The University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Zooming In, Zooming Out: High-Definition Multi-Scalar Technologies in Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and Environment
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Mass spectrometry for next generation isotope analysis of silicate minerals (ARC LIEF grant administered by The University of Adelaide)
    University of Adelaide
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS) and ancillary preparation systems for carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope microanalysis for archaeology, biology, earth and environmental scie
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2018
    Centre for Geoanalytical Mass Spectrometry (CGMS) - Achieving excellence in isotope geochemistry and geochronology
    UQ Research Facilities Infrastructure Grants
    Open grant
  • 2015
    A state-of-the-art spinning disc confocal microscope for high speed imaging of live cells and super resolution microscopy
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    Operationalising research collections in archaeological science and museum studies
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Federated Archaeological Information Management Systems project: transforming archaeological research through digital technologies (ARC LIEF Grant administered by Macquarie University)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2019
    Resource security trade and the development of urbanism in the pre-Classical world
    ARC Future Fellowships
    Open grant
  • 2013
    Building Capacity in Experimental and Scientific Archaeology at UQ
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Federated Archaeological Information Management System (FAIMS) conducted under the NeCTAR Program administered by the University of Melbourne (as subcontracted to the University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2012
    A social science e-research hub for data management, analysis and dissemination in material and visual culture
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Evaluating stable isotopes as a means of investigating changing Bronze Age agricultural practices in Central Turkey
    Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2012
    Re-evaluation of the chronology of aceramic Neolithic Can Hasan III, Turkey
    Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    The emergence of farming beyond the Fertile Crescent at Boncuklu Hoyuk, Central Turkey
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Macrobotanical analysis
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2011
    An absolute chronology of agricultural change at Ottoman Kaman-Kalehoyuk, Central Turkey
    Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2011
    Deforestation and the Hittite State: Preliminary investigations into wood fuel use at Kaman-Kaleöyük, Central Anatolia, Turkey
    Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2011
    New directions and capacity building in archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2010
    Dating the emergence of agriculture in the Konya Plain, Turkey
    Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Enhanced field and laboratory microscopy and spectroscopy facilities for understanding past and current environmental changes in Geographical and Archaeological Sciences
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Agriculture and the Late Bronze Age collapse of the Hittite Empire
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2010
    Indegenous Cultural Heritage Outreach Program
    UQ DEEWR Higher Education Equity Support Program Grants
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Creating new research opportunities in archaeological & anthropological science
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2009
    Environmental Evolution of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2007
    Prehistoric crop translocations in Melanesia and Southeast Asia
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2008
    Plant use at the dawn of agriculture in central Anatolia
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Andrew Fairbairn is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Master Philosophy

    Plant exploitation and management on Mithaka Country, south-western Queensland: Developing frameworks for understanding cultivation, niche construction, and domestication in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the complex origins of the olive tree: olive domestication processes and their ecological and socioeconomic impact in prehistory

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Settlement resilience and adaptation through the climatic, economic, and political changes of the Central Anatolian Bronze Age

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding the complex origins of the olive tree: olive domestication processes and their ecological and socioeconomic impact in prehistory

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The role of humans in controlling the rainforest-sclerophyll forest boundary in Southeast Queensland during the Holocene

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Understanding prehistoric human mobility along the coast of Papua New Guinea through strontium isotope mapping

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Archaeobotanical Analysis of Plant Processing on Mithaka Country

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway, Dr Alison Crowther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    An Archaeobotanical Perspective on the Economy of the Ancient City of Kilwa Kisiwani, Southern Tanzania: AD 800-1600

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating prehistoric mobility in Motupore Islanders through strontium isotope mapping

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Collecting Antiquities in Wartime: Australian antiquities collectors in the First World War

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Geoff Ginn

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Andrew Fairbairn directly for media enquiries about:

  • Ancient agriculture
  • Ancient human environmental impacts
  • Archaeological sites - seeds and fruits
  • Archaeology
  • Archaeology - charcoals
  • Environmental impacts - ancient human
  • Macrofossil analysis
  • Natural sediments - archaeological sites
  • Papua New Guinea - archaeology
  • Seeds and fruits - archaeological sites
  • Turkey - archaeology
  • UK - archaeology

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