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Dr Katie Faillace
(she/her)
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Katie Faillace
Overview
I am a dental anthropologist and bioarchaeologist, studying human remains using macroscopic and molecular methods. My research focuses broadly on mobility, diet, and lifeways in the past. I also have an interest in methodological studies, interrogating and developing the techniques used for analysing human and animal remains. I have worked on projects ranging from the Neolithic to Post-Medieval period. Specific themes I'm interested in include:
- The application of multi-isotope analysis (carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, oxygen, strontium, lead) on osseous remains for investigating diet and mobility
- Dental morphological (ASUDAS) and metrical analysis for investigating population affinity
- Macroscopic osteological analysis for investigating past lifeways, with a specialist interest in social and biological age
- Innovations in isotopic analyses
Current projects include:
- The Medieval Population of Haverfordwest: Osteological and Isotopic Investigations of Medieval Welsh Lifeways
- Passage Tomb People: Stable Isotope Analysis of Humans and Animals from Neolithic Orkney and Ireland
- Life, Death, and Worship at his Majestie’s Tower of London: excavations outside the Chapel Royal and Royal Peculiar of Saint Peter ad Vincula
Publication
2026
- Trimmis, K. P. et al., 2026. Exploring local and regional dynamics in the Bronze Age Kythera Island, Greece, through an analytical approach on archaeological data from Kataphygadi cave. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 73 105798. (10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105798)
- Faillace, K. et al. 2026. Exploring animal management and site catchment through multi-isotope analysis. In: Powell, A. B. and Higbee, L. eds. Prehistoric Burial, Settlement and Deposition on the King's Gate Development, Amesbury Down, Wiltshire. Wessex Archaeology. , pp.82-89.
2025
- Holt, E. et al. 2025. Comparing machine learning isoscapes of 87Sr/86Sr ratios of plants on the island of Sardinia: Implications for the use of isoscapes for assessing the provenance of biological specimens. Science of the Total Environment 989 179880. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179880)
- Hawkins, A. J. et al., 2025. Life, death and worship at his Majestie’s Tower of London: excavations outside the Chapel Royal and Royal Peculiar of Saint Peter ad Vincula. Archaeological Journal 182 (1), pp.3-46. (10.1080/00665983.2025.2491919)
- Faillace, K. 2025. Population dynamics and cultural transitions: A dental nonmetric investigation of the Iron Age to Early Medieval period in Wessex, England. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
2024
- Macheridis, S. et al., 2024. Sheep ahoy: Exploring sheep management and its role in Viking Age economy through multiproxy analyses at Löddeköpinge, Sweden. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 34 (6) e3355. (10.1002/oa.3355)
- de Gruchy, Y. A. et al. 2024. Bone of contention: Intra-element variability in remodelling of human femora based on histomorphometric and isotope analyses. PLoS ONE 19 (6) e0305089. (10.1371/journal.pone.0305089)
- Faillace, K. and Madgwick, R. 2024. Isotope analysis. In: Gilbert, D. , Morgan-James, R. and Sinhott, S. eds. A Journey through 600 Years of History: Archaeological Investigations Along the A4226 Five Mile Lane Improvement Scheme. Red River Archaeological Monograph Cork: Red River Archaeology Group. , pp.434-456.
2021
- Scorrer, J. et al. 2021. Diversity aboard a Tudor warship: investigating the origins of the Mary Rose crew using multi-isotope analysis. Royal Society Open Science 8 (5) 202106. (10.1098/rsos.202106)
- Walker, E. et al., 2021. Carreg Cennen Castle Cave, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire: a review of the work undertaken by T. C. Cantrill in 1900. Archaeologia Cambrensis 170 , pp.67-76.
2020
- Faillace, K. , Foody, M. and Madgwick, R. 2020. Exploring the potential of TEM analysis for understanding cooking at prehistoric feasting sites. Scientific Reports 10 13635. (10.1038/s41598-020-70628-4)
2018
- Pokines, J. T. et al., 2018. The effects of repeated wet-dry cycles as a component of bone weathering. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 17 , pp.433-441. (10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.11.025)
2017
- Faillace, K. E. , Bethard, J. D. and Marks, M. K. 2017. The applicability of dental wear in age estimation for a modern American population. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164 (4), pp.776-787. (10.1002/ajpa.23318)
Articles
- Trimmis, K. P. et al., 2026. Exploring local and regional dynamics in the Bronze Age Kythera Island, Greece, through an analytical approach on archaeological data from Kataphygadi cave. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 73 105798. (10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105798)
- Holt, E. et al. 2025. Comparing machine learning isoscapes of 87Sr/86Sr ratios of plants on the island of Sardinia: Implications for the use of isoscapes for assessing the provenance of biological specimens. Science of the Total Environment 989 179880. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179880)
- Hawkins, A. J. et al., 2025. Life, death and worship at his Majestie’s Tower of London: excavations outside the Chapel Royal and Royal Peculiar of Saint Peter ad Vincula. Archaeological Journal 182 (1), pp.3-46. (10.1080/00665983.2025.2491919)
- Macheridis, S. et al., 2024. Sheep ahoy: Exploring sheep management and its role in Viking Age economy through multiproxy analyses at Löddeköpinge, Sweden. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 34 (6) e3355. (10.1002/oa.3355)
- de Gruchy, Y. A. et al. 2024. Bone of contention: Intra-element variability in remodelling of human femora based on histomorphometric and isotope analyses. PLoS ONE 19 (6) e0305089. (10.1371/journal.pone.0305089)
- Scorrer, J. et al. 2021. Diversity aboard a Tudor warship: investigating the origins of the Mary Rose crew using multi-isotope analysis. Royal Society Open Science 8 (5) 202106. (10.1098/rsos.202106)
- Walker, E. et al., 2021. Carreg Cennen Castle Cave, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire: a review of the work undertaken by T. C. Cantrill in 1900. Archaeologia Cambrensis 170 , pp.67-76.
- Faillace, K. , Foody, M. and Madgwick, R. 2020. Exploring the potential of TEM analysis for understanding cooking at prehistoric feasting sites. Scientific Reports 10 13635. (10.1038/s41598-020-70628-4)
- Pokines, J. T. et al., 2018. The effects of repeated wet-dry cycles as a component of bone weathering. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 17 , pp.433-441. (10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.11.025)
- Faillace, K. E. , Bethard, J. D. and Marks, M. K. 2017. The applicability of dental wear in age estimation for a modern American population. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 164 (4), pp.776-787. (10.1002/ajpa.23318)
Book sections
- Faillace, K. et al. 2026. Exploring animal management and site catchment through multi-isotope analysis. In: Powell, A. B. and Higbee, L. eds. Prehistoric Burial, Settlement and Deposition on the King's Gate Development, Amesbury Down, Wiltshire. Wessex Archaeology. , pp.82-89.
- Faillace, K. and Madgwick, R. 2024. Isotope analysis. In: Gilbert, D. , Morgan-James, R. and Sinhott, S. eds. A Journey through 600 Years of History: Archaeological Investigations Along the A4226 Five Mile Lane Improvement Scheme. Red River Archaeological Monograph Cork: Red River Archaeology Group. , pp.434-456.
Thesis
- Faillace, K. 2025. Population dynamics and cultural transitions: A dental nonmetric investigation of the Iron Age to Early Medieval period in Wessex, England. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Teaching
I am the module convener for:
- HST050 Human Osteoarchaeology
- HST900 Skills and Methods for Postgraduate Study
- HST051 Archaeological Science Dissertation & HST590 Archaeology Dissertation
- HS2423 Forensics and Osteoarchaeology
I also teach on:
- HS2125 Analysing Archaeology
- HS2130 the Archaeology of Britain
- HS2209 Applied Archaeological Science
- HST049 Biomolecular Archaeology
- HST060 Death and Commemoration
- HST090 Themes and Methods in Medieval Archaeology
