Joy is...An Afternoon Walk.
Jim Leary is an archaeologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of York. They previously held posts at Reading University and English Heritage. Formerly also a Field Archaeologist in Residence at Cambridge University, he has directed major excavations across Britain, including Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, the largest Neolithic monument in Europe. A passionate walker, much of Jim's research centres around the way that people moved in the past, and his new book Footmarks was published earlier this summer. Footmarks takes us on a restless journey that traces 3.5 million years of human movement, in turn exploring the relationship between our ability to travel and power. From early hunter-gatherers, to drovers and pilgrims, to migration, Footmarks shows us how movement has shaped our world. Archaeology, through this lens, is far from static.
Jim is generous with his incredible experience and knowledge, with a distinctively un-monumental approach to history and an empathetic enthusiasm for re-animating the distant past. Our conversation makes a case for taking time to consider the mythic architecture of the landscape that surrounds us and re-connecting with a collective identity, forged through movement and storytelling. We are all, and always have been travellers, and our footmarks are something to protect and fight for.
Instagram: @jim_leary1
Twitter: @Jim_Leary
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