Isabelle Vella Gregory

Isabelle Vella Gregory is an archaeologist, formerly a Junior Research Fellow at Christ's College and now an affiliate scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Born in Malta, where she first studied archeaology, she moved to Cambridge to pursue her Master's and doctoral studies. She teaches undergraduates at the University of Cambridge, focusing on prehistory, methodology and an inter-disciplinary approach to archaeology. Her expertise lies in central Mediterranean prehistory, from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age, and archaeological method and theory. Isabelle has conducted fieldwork in Malta and Italy and museum studies in Sardinia.

Isabelle's teaching style is aimed at enabling participants to develop their critical thinking skills and encouraging group discussion. She finds that heavy use of mixed media, particularly vision and sound, stimulates thought and discourse and enables participants to really take a close look at the many fascinating things under discussion. Her approach is very much multi-disciplinary- after all an understanding of humanity requires many tools and approaches. Interacting with adult students is, for Isabelle, always a pleasure- participants bring with them a wealth of experience and perspectives and they are always willing to engage in lively debate.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Archaeology. Thesis title: 'Embodying power, status and identity in Nuragic Sardinia'., University of Cambridge
• MPhil in Archaeology. Thesis title: 'Identity in pre-Nuragic Sardinia: The use of the human form in establishing and maintaining social relations'., University of Cambridge
• BA (Hons). Thesis title: 'Towards an engendered view of the past: The Neolithic of Sardinia, Sicily, Southern Italy and Malta'., University of Malta

JOURNAL ARTICLES

• 'Immensity and miniaturism: The interplay of scale in the Late Neolithic of the Maltese Islands', 'Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 35' (4) , 2016
• 'Tradition, Time and Narrative: Rethinking the Late Neolithic of the Maltese Islands'. 'Malta Archaeological Review, 11' , 2016
• Review of Budja, Michael (ed.) (2005). Documenta Praehistorica XXXII. Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 22 (2): 135-138 , 2007
• Thinking through the body: The use of images as a medium of social expression in Sardinia from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Journal of Mediterranean Studies, 17 (1): 23-46 , 2007
• 'Embodied materiality: The human form in pre-Nuragic Sardinia'. In Vella Gregory, I. (ed.) Embodied Identities, Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 21 (2): 9-31 , 2006
• 'Neolithic bodies: New approaches to Maltese prehistoric sculptures'. 'Treasures of Malta XII', (2): 58-67 , 2006
• Review of Tilley, Chris, The materiality of stone: Explorations in landscape phenomenology I. Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 20 (2): 193-197 , 2004
• Vella, Nicholas et al. Report on the excavation of a Punic tomb, Bajda Ridge, Xemxija (Malta) Malta Archaeological Review (2001) 5: 16-22. , 2001

BOOKS

• 'Embodying Power, Status and Identity: A Study of Sardinian bronzes', Oxford: Archaeopress , 2016 (IN PRESS)
• 2016. 'Mediterranean: Sardinia'. In Insoll, T. (ed). 'Oxford Handbook for Prehistoric Figurines', Oxford: Oxford University Press , 2016
• 'The human form in Neolithic Malta'. Malta: Midsea Books Ltd. (Winner, 2nd prize for research, National Book Council, Malta) , 2005

BOOK CHAPTERS

• 'Life and death on the Xagħra Plateau'. In Vella, Godwin (ed.) 'Ġgantija: The oldest free-standing building in the world', Malta: Heritage Malta, 148-173 , 2013
• Entries on ‘cults’, ‘excavation’, ‘fertility’, ‘Neolithic cultures’ and ‘patriarchy’ in Birx, H. James (ed.) Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Sage Reference , 2006
• Neolithic bodies: New approaches to Maltese prehistoric sculptures. Treasures of Malta, XII (2): 58-67 , 2006
• Sagona, Claudia, Vella Gregory, Isabelle and Bugeja, Anton. 'Punic Antiquities of Malta and other ancient artefacts held in private collections, 2'. Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Supplement 18, Leuven: Peeters Press , 2006