Elizabeth Slater (13 June 1946 – 11 September 2014) was a British archaeologist specialising in

archaeometallurgy Archaeometallurgy is the study of the past use and production of metals by humans. It is a sub-discipline of archaeology and archaeological science. Uses Archaeometallurgical study has many uses in both the chemical and anthropological fields. Anal ...

. She was the first female

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of archaeology appointed by the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, where she held the Garstang Chair in Archaeology from 1991 to 2007.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Anne Slater was born in Preston, Lancashire on 13 June 1946, the daughter of two school teachers. She was educated at a girl's grammar school before going to study at New Hall College, Cambridge, where she gained a BA in

Natural Sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

in 1969. Slater developed an interest in the history of metallurgy while working with archaeological materials and went on to undertake postgraduate research on

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

metallurgy at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. She completed a PhD in 1973 on “Metallurgical Aspects of Bronze Age Technology” with an emphasis on the interpretation of analytical data.

Academic career

In 1974 Slater joined the Department of Archaeology, chaired by Professor

Leslie Alcock Leslie Alcock (24 April 1925 – 6 June 2006) was Professor of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, and one of the leading archaeologists of Early Medieval Britain. His major excavations included Dinas Powys hill fort in Wales, Cadbury Ca ...

, at

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

, as lecturer in archaeological sciences. Slater remained at the University of Glasgow until 1991 when she took up the Garstang Chair in Archaeology and became the first female professor of the University of Liverpool Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology. Slater undertook extensive analytical research on copper metals, ceramics and other vitreous materials as part of major field work and excavation programmes in the UK, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. She had an interest in experimental archaeology and undertook experimental projects to study pyrotechnological processes and explore the processing of raw materials into completed artefacts. Slater remained at the University of Liverpool until her retirement in 2007 and subsequently devoted her time to travel and charity work. She died near her home in

Hoylake Hoylake () is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. At the 2021 United K ...

on 11 September 2014, and was cremated at Landican Crematorium, Birkenhead.

Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories

In 2015 the University of Liverpool opened the new Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories in

Abercromby Square Abercromby Square is a square in the University of Liverpool, England. It is bordered by Oxford Street to the north and Cambridge Street to the south. It is named after General Sir Ralph Abercromby, commander of the British Army in Egypt, who ...

. The facility houses a palaeodiet laboratory, imaging suite, ancient technologies workshop,

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database; however, this is not ...

lab, a

scanning electron microscope A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that produces images of a sample by scanning the surface with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact with atoms in the sample, producing various signals that ...

, microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer, in addition to lithics and sample preparation laboratories.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Elizabeth Alumni of New Hall, Cambridge 1946 births 2014 deaths British women archaeologists Academics of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Liverpool British archaeologists Archaeometallurgists