Tom Hill

One of my all time favourites 😊

Playing with my new #microscope and camera setup, came across some beautiful reworked #Eocene #dinoflagellate cysts, in #pollen slides from some #Holocene estuarine alluvium!

Near Keadby, N. Lincs! Still awaiting final dates to confirm chronology. Commercial archaeology project, so can’t say much more at this stage!

Nominate We invite you to nominate outstanding scholars and practitioners engaged in exploring any aspect of the human past.

The Dan David Prize is the world’s largest history prize, annually awarding 9 prizes of $300,000 each to early and midcareer scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines.
Nominees can come from *any field* related to the study of the human past, both within academia and outside it.

Enjoying counting some rather nice #pollen samples from a #Neolithic peatland site in N England, UK. Rammed with well preserved grains with pine, hazel and lime visible here. Sequence also includes alder, elm, oak, birch and ivy. A native UK #woodland summarised in one pollen sample!

I had a great time yesterday attending the Summer Social at @nhm-london.bsky.social . Having worked there for 9 years, I’m fortunate to remain a Scientific Associate and be able to continue to work (and socialise!) with so many inspiring people 😁

New microscope to celebrate 4yrs of being a freelance #geoarch #micropalaeontology consultant! Decided to stick with #Motic, as the image quality is 💪💪👌👌, easily comparable to leica, Olympus etc, plus fraction of price! #pollen #diatoms

Rectangular trench in a muddy environment, in which sit many wooden planks and logs in situ, arranged to form a trackway.

5800-year-old wooden trackway from Neolithic Britain, preserved in the waterlogged environment #NationalTrailsDay 🏺

Wetlands are home to some of the world's best-preserved archaeology, but they are under threat from climate change.

Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Research Assistant (postdoc) in Foraminiferal Micropalaeontology (f/m/x) | Institute of Geology and Mineralogy / Working Group on Micropalaeontology and Palaeoecology - Academic Positions Research Assistant (postdoc) in Foraminiferal Micropalaeontology (f/m/x) Institute of Geology and Mineralogy / Working Group on Micropalaeontology and Palaeo...

Micropal (Foraminifera) postdoc position 😎 available at Köln University (Germany), with Patrick Grunert. 🌊 🧪

academicpositions.com/ad/universit...

Paid Internship Opportunity 2025 Position: Marine Protection Intern Location: Holbrook, Derbyshire Bursary: £1,200.00 + accommodation and subsistence whilst on fieldwork Contract Type: 15 day paid internship Closing Date: 05/06/2025 ...

📢📢 Paid training placements!!

We are offering two 15-day internships to give those studying in relevant disciplines the opportunity to experience working in the heritage sector as part of a paid internship.

Find out more here: msdsmarine.com/paid-interns...

#archaeology #maritimeheritage

If you’re having a bad day…. Just say hello to these #pollen grains of #Lactuca (lettuce), who are smiling at you 😃

Great opportunity to also catch up with some great friends who regularly worked with John, at his Favorite South Kensington restaurant, Pierinos ☺️☺️

John was an incredible scientist. Not only was he an expert in the application of #foraminifera and #ostracods in geological deposits, but he was also the leading #geoarchaeologist in his field, applying calcareous #microfossils to reconstructing environments to #archaeological contexts

On Wednesday we said farewell to a true legend in #foraminifera and #ostracoda, John Whittaker. John spent almost all his career at the NHM in London, so it was fitting to celebrate his life there, surrounded by his colleagues, friends and family.

Pssst...yeah you mate...interested in Alasdair Whittle's new paper on the interconnectivity between Britain and Ireland 6000 years ago, during the development of the Neolithic? It's niche but rich stuff. I'll do you a deal, mate.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

It's quite rare to get a #Holocene #diatom sample that appears to contain only one species, but this borehole sample, obtained during ground works in southeast England, seems to only contain #Diploneis didyma! It's a marine-brackish mud-loving diatom, often associated with mudflat settings 🔬🔬😍👍

Partial #solar #eclipse any time now! Between 10.30 UK time! But don’t look directly at the sun…… Apparently if you use a colander when no clouds in way, you’ll see tiny eclipses instead of circles!

@walternewton.bsky.social has managed to capture all the #morphological details needed when attempting to convert the pollen/diatom into a pixilated image. I am blown away by the creativity he has applied, which means I have some awesome publicity material! #pollen or #diatom stickers anyone?!?! 😍🔬😀

original images of pollen and diatom species, which have been converted into pixilated art

Over the last few wks I've had so much fun working with @walternewton.bsky.social, who is a graphic artist specialising in pixel-based illustrations! He has managed to convert my geeky obsession with #pollen and #diatoms, to create bespoke illustrations for PERCS publicity purposes!

Heading home after three days in Oxford attending the @oxradiocarbon.bsky.social workshop in #radiocarbon dating and #Bayesian analysis! Such an amazing place, fab ppl and the amount of work that goes into RC dating is mind blowing! Especially appreciated the age-depth modelling session. Thank you!!

Ventured to London today to give a lecture to the students from @uclarchaeology.bsky.social on ASE’s Wantsum Channel project @archsoutheast.bsky.social

A que for my #palaeo friends out there! I regularly see #chrysophyte #cysts in #Holocene #diatom samples. Often clear morphological variation, from smooth to spiky forms, spherical to elongated etc. Is there any #palaeoenvironmental info that can be obtained from different species of these beauties?

Both the dog and owner provide major flashbacks to GSCE Latin lessons!

'Caecilius est in atrium scribit!'*

*sincere apologies if my grammar has deteriorated in the intervening 30yrs 😄

My photo shows a view through the entrance passage of the house of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus (Casa di Cecilio Giocondo), REGIO V, INSULA I, 26, looking towards the atrium and tablinum. On the floor of the entrance passage is a mosaic depicting a small black guard dog which is curled up asleep. Mosaic depictions of ‘guard dogs’ were popular placed at the entrance of wealthy homes in Pompeii. Lucius Caecilius Iucundus, the owner of this house, was a wealthy banker who lived in Pompeii 2,000 years ago.

Beware of the dog??! 👀 🐾

Endearing Roman mosaic of a little black guard dog curled up asleep 💤 in the entrance passage of his family home in Pompeii.

House of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus. 📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

Oh and last one for today! Prior to going freelance I worked @nhm-london.bsky.social for ten years! One particular highlight was meeting David #Attenborough and having a lovely conversation about #micropalaeontology and #microfossils. The man is a walking natural history encyclopaedia!

I did a little study of microfossils in my garden a few years ago, and amazingly these #testate amoebae were found in an old metal bucket full of sludge!

Another microfossil i often encountered on my microscope slides are #testateamoebae, small single celled organisms that are often encountered in wetland settings, with different species often associated with wetter or drier conditions.

when encountered in borehole sequences of a known (e.g. #Holocene) age, it often implies some level of erosion, reworking and the subsequent introduction of older material into your depositional setting. It can certainly confuse the story (e.g. are the pollen/diatoms therefore reworked too?)

One of the great things about #microscopy is the variety of other micro-critters you encounter on your slides, which often are just as important in your #geoarchaeological story. One few favourite are #dinoflagellate cysts which are marine #microfossils most often associated with bedrock deposits

When not staring down my #microscope, I also love to do a bit of painting. Although I'm most often found copying other people's works, rather than having any actual imagination to create my own! #picasso. And with two kids, I haven't picked up the brushes in far too long 😆