Aston (left) at the Time TeamBig Roman Dig in 2005 with the programme's originator and producer, Tim Taylor
Born
Michael Antony Aston
(1946-07-01)1 July 1946
Oldbury, Worcestershire, England
Died
24 June 2013(2013-06-24) (aged 66)
Winscombe, Somerset, England
Occupation
Archaeologist
Years active
1970–2013
Known for
Time Team (1994–2013)
Michael Antony AstonFSA (1 July 1946 – 24 June 2013) was an English archaeologist who specialised in Early Medieval landscape archaeology. Over the course of his career, he lectured at both the University of Bristol and University of Oxford and published fifteen books on archaeological subjects. A keen populariser of the discipline, Aston was widely known for appearing as the resident academic on the Channel 4 television series Time Team from 1994 to 2011.
Born in Oldbury, Worcestershire, to a working-class family, Aston developed an early interest in archaeology, studying it as a subsidiary to geography at the University of Birmingham. In 1970, he began his career working for the Oxford City and County Museum and there began his work in public outreach by running extramural classes in archaeology and presenting a series on the subject for Radio Oxford. In 1974, he was appointed the first County Archaeologist for Somerset, there developing an interest in aerial archaeology and establishing a reputation as a pioneer in landscape archaeology—a term that he co-invented with Trevor Rowley—by authoring some of the earliest books on the subject. In 1978 he began lecturing at the University of Oxford and in 1979 became a tutor at the University of Bristol, supplementing these activities by working as an archaeological tour guide in Greece.
In 1988, Aston teamed up with television producer Tim Taylor and together they created two shows which focused on bringing archaeology into British popular consciousness. The first was the short-lived Time Signs (1991), followed by the more successful Time Team, which was produced for Channel 4 from 1994 to 2013. Aston was responsible for identifying sites for excavation and for selecting specialists to appear on the show, and through the programme became well known to the viewing public for his trademark colourful jumpers and flowing, untidy hairstyle. In 1996 he was appointed to the specially-created post of Professor of Landscape Archaeology at Bristol University, and undertook a ten-year project investigating the manor at Shapwick, Somerset.
He retired from his university posts in 2004, but continued working on Time Team until 2011 and in 2006 commenced writing regular articles for British Archaeology magazine until his death. Although Aston did not believe that he would leave a significant legacy behind him, after his death various archaeologists claimed that he had a major impact in helping to popularise the discipline among the British public.
although it consistently included professional archaeologists such as MickAston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor and Phil Harding. The sites excavated ranged...
Tull MickAston (1946-2013), English archaeologist Mick Batyske, aka Mick (DJ), American DJ Mick Brown, half of the British vocal duo Pat and MickMick Coady...
doctorate on Robinson, and honorary professorships on principal presenter MickAston and producer Tim Taylor, to reflect its great appreciation for what Time...
Aston Martin is a British car manufacturer that has participated in Formula One in various forms and is currently represented by a team named as Aston...
England. He was affectionately called Time Team's "lumps and bumps" man by MickAston, and works with the team alongside his day job, travelling the country...
Alan Bates as Mick and Donald Pleasence as Davies in their original stage roles, while Robert Shaw replaced Peter Woodthorpe as Aston. First published...
British television series that aired on Channel 4 in 1991. Presented by MickAston, the series tells the story of a Devon valley throughout history. Phil...
the public and runs various events throughout the year. Archaeologist MickAston commented that "Virtually all the reconstruction drawings of Iron Age...
in the historiography' Notes This has been extensively investigated by MickAston University of East Anglia References Muir, Richard. The NEW Reading the...
research to be undertaken in the valley of the River Wolf led by Professor MickAston of Bristol University and documented by the Channel Four documentary series...
Regular contributors include: presenter Tony Robinson; archaeologists MickAston, Phil Harding, Carenza Lewis, Helen Geake; historians Francis Pryor; Robin...
historical period(s): Anglo-Saxon. Featuring from Time Team: Tony Robinson, MickAston, Phil Harding, Stewart Ainsworth, John Gater, Victor Ambrus, Carenza Lewis...
in the 1960s which uncovered various timber buildings within the fort. MickAston, who later became well-known on the TV programme Time Team, worked on...
University of Cambridge Kay Alexander, TV presenter Michael Aston, TV archaeologist (as "MickAston") Carol Barnes, television newsreader and broadcaster Jacquie...
the subject of a historical and archaeological study led by Professor MickAston, published in the Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural...
Dracula (1993) Ways of Drawing Hands (1994) Recreating the past (with MickAston) (2001) Drawing on Archaeology (2006) Drawing Somerset's Past: an Illustrated...
singer 1945 – Debbie Harry, American singer-songwriter and actress 1946 – MickAston, English archaeologist and academic (d. 2013) 1946 – Erkki Tuomioja, Finnish...
secretary. However, reading archaeology books and attending lectures by MickAston led her to study medieval archaeology at University College London. Subsequently...
contributors on Time Team include: Tony Robinson (presenter); archaeologists MickAston, Phil Harding, Helen Geake; Guy de la Bedoyere (historian); Victor Ambrus...
Tony Robinson reading to Professor MickAston an excerpt of N.P. Milner's Vegetius: Epitome of Military Science during a 1994 episode of the British archaeology...
born in England. George Adamson (1906–1989) Leslie Alcock (1925–2006) MickAston (1946–2013) Richard Atkinson (1920–1994) Edward Russell Ayrton (1882–1914)...
buildinghistory.org/bristol/origins.shtml> Jean Manco in discussion with MickAston, Joseph Bettey, Robert Jones, & Roger Leech "The priories of Cranbourne...
Lonesome George, last known Pinta Island tortoise (h. c. 1910) 2013 – MickAston, English archaeologist and academic (b. 1946) 2013 – Emilio Colombo, Italian...
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