Archaeology Research

Luca was given his award by Dr Gavin MacGregor, CEO of Archaeology Scotland, at the recent Scottish Student Archaeology Society Conference in Aberdeen. (Photo credit: Archaeology Scotland)

 

Recent graduate of the archaeology department, Luca McCall, has been awarded the Best Undergraduate Dissertation prize by Archaeology Scotland. This is an annual competition where the best undergraduate and postgraduate student dissertations submitted to a Scottish University are judged by an eminent panel of experts led by Alison Sheridan. 

Luca's dissertation was entitled 'Death and Doctrine: Post-Reformation Burial Monuments in Fife'. Supervisor Prof Stephen Driscoll noted that this was exceptional because it combined a deep engagement with the important monumental remains from Fife with a well-informed understanding of the textual evidence. These monuments are well-known, many having been surveyed before, but had not previously been systematically analysed. The textual record is equally important, because Fife was one of the earliest places to be influenced by the Reformation and the relevant textual traditions have much to contribute to understanding the form and intention behind the monuments.

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First published: 10 March 2026