Anthropology Instructional Assistant Melissa Dunham wins prestigious Geoff Egan Prize for Finds Research

Melissa Dunham, instructional assistant in the Archaeology Teaching Lab in the department of anthropology has been awarded the Geoff Egan Prize for Finds Research for her MA research.

Dunham’s research, which she undertook at the University of Leicester was titled ‘From general stores to city retailers: plotting and debating changes in the availability of household tableware in rural Middlesex, 1860 to 1900.’

Her research built upon the work of two influential archeologists Thomas and Ian Kenyon, who studied artefacts in Southern Ontario in the mid-twentieth century.

Dunham’s research examined the purchase and distribution of table settings in Middlesex, Ontario, illustrating the wide assortment of ceramic, metal, and glass tableware available to rural Middlesex residents during the late-1800s and reflecting the significant cultural, economic, and social changes occurring during this period.

That era was one of profound change in Ontario, with extensive growth, economic prosperity and political upheaval modernizing and shaping the province into what we know today. During that time, there were technological advances, changing the way that were produced.

Despite the important historical context, there is surprisingly little research into this topic, and Dunham’s work argues that there is a gap in both the literature and archeology that deserves to be filled.

The research was nominated for the Geoff Egan Prize, which is awarded annually to an individual or individuals in recognition of extraordinary potential in the field of finds research (post-Roman to modern periods).

Awards are made to new and unestablished authors in recognition of high-quality research in which the focus is on artefacts of the early-medieval, medieval, and post-medieval periods (excluding ceramics and numismatic studies).