Anna Ritchie (archaeologist)

For Anna Ritchie (writer), see Anna Cora Mowatt.

Anna Ritchie OBE FSA
Anna Ritchie planning at the Knap of Howar excavations in Papa Westray, Orkney, in 1973
Born	(1943-09-28) 28 September 1943
Nationality	British
Spouse	Graham Ritchie ​ (m. 1968)​
Academic background
Alma mater	Cardiff University (BA) University of Edinburgh (PhD)
Thesis	Settlements and economy in Britain during the first millennium B.C. (1970)
Academic work
Discipline	Archaeology

Anna Ritchie (née Bachelier, born 28 September 1943) is a British archaeologist and historian. She is known for her work at archaeological sites in Orkney, and has written a number of guidebooks for the HMSO and Historic Environment Scotland about Scottish history and historical sites. She was the first female president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Education

Her interest in archaeology began as a young student at Woking Girls’ Grammar School in the 1950s. The school had a small collection of Roman and Egyptian artefacts which the young Anna curated, catalogued and redisplayed. In an interview with the Egypt Centre at Swansea University, she recalled, 'the artefacts were displayed in a shelved case in the main entrance hall of the school, and I loved looking after them. You are right in thinking that I compiled the first inventory, and indeed that the museum was a spur to my future as an archaeologist.' She received her BA from Cardiff University and completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh in 1970.

Career

Beginning her career in the late 1960s, she has researched and published widely in academic and popular publications. In 1968, she married fellow archaeologist J N Graham Ritchie (died 2005) and the couple had two children. She and her husband often collaborated on fieldwork, research and writing projects, including Scotland: Archaeology and Early History (1981), the Oxford Archaeological Guide to Scotland (1998) and The Ancient Monuments of Orkney, published in 1978.

The interior of the second house at the Knap of Howar

In the 1970s she directed excavations at three major archaeological sites in Orkney - the Pictish and Viking farmstead at Buckquoy in Birsay, the Neolithic farmstead of Knap of Howar on Papa Westray and a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Holm of Papa Westray. As well as publishing widely in academic journals and books, Ritchie has also written extensively for more popular publications. She has authored numerous guidebooks and publications for the HMSO and Historic Environment Scotland, covering topics such as Scottish Prehistory, Picts, Vikings, early Medieval sculpture and place-focused works on the archaeology of Iona, Orkney, Shetland, and Bute. She was a panellist on a 1971 episode of the television show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, discussing the Viking Age. She has also acted as a consultant for the television series Time Team and Blood of the Vikings.

She was the first woman president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (1990–93), was Vice-President of the Society of Antiquaries (London) and received an OBE for her services to archaeology in 1997. She has also served as a trustee of the National Museum of Scotland and the British Museum, and has been a long-standing supporter of heritage organisations the SCAPE Trust, Groam House Museum and The Govan Stones.

In January 2022 The Scottish Society for Northern Studies and the Pictish Arts Society announced a conference to be held in her honour in March 2022. The proceedings of the virtual conference are intended to be published as a festschrift, and the papers as delivered were made available to view online.

Publications

Selected books

Ritchie, J.N.G. & A. (1972). Edinburgh and South East Scotland. Heinemann. ISBN 978-0435329716

Ritchie, A. (1977). The Kingdom of the Picts. Chambers. ISBN 978-0550755346

Ritchie, G. & Ritchie, A. (1981). Scotland: Archaeology and History. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 9780748602919

Ritchie, A. (1985). ‘Orkney in the Pictish Kingdom’, in Renfrew, C (ed) The Prehistory of Orkney, 183–204. Edinburgh University Press.ISBN 978-0748602384

Ritchie, A. (1985). Orkney and Shetland (Exploring Scotland’s Heritage), HMSO. ISBN 978-0114924584

Ritchie, A. (1986). Brough of Birsay, HMSO. ISBN 0-11-493125-9

Ritchie, A. (1988). Scotland BC: An Introduction to the Prehistoric Houses, Tombs, Ceremonial Monuments and Fortifications in the Care of the Secretary of State for Scotland. HMSO. ISBN 978-0114934279

Ritchie, A. (1989). Picts: an introduction to the life of the Picts and the carved stones in the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland. HMSO. ISBN 978-0114934910

Ritchie, A. & Breeze, D. J. (1991). Invaders of Scotland: Introduction to the Archaeology of the Romans, Scots, Angles and Vikings. HMSO. ISBN 978-1900168779

Ritchie, A. (1993). Viking Scotland. Historic Scotland.ISBN 978-0713473162

Ritchie, A. (1993). The Ancient Monuments of Orkney. Historic Scotland. ISBN 978-0114957346

Ritchie, A. (ed) (1994). Govan and its early medieval sculpture. Sutton. ISBN 978-0750907170

Ritchie, A. (1994). Perceptions of the Picts: from Eumenius to John Buchan. Groam House Museum Trust. ISBN 978-0951577844

Ritchie, A. (1995). Prehistoric Orkney. Historic Scotland/Batsford. ISBN 9780713475937

Ritchie, A. (1996). Orkney (Exploring Scotland’s Heritage). HMSO. ISBN 978-0114952884

Ritchie, A. (1997). Iona. Historic Scotland. ISBN 978-0713478563

Ritchie, A. (1997). Shetland (Exploring Scotland’s Heritage). HMSO. ISBN 978-0114952891

Ritchie, A. (1997). Meigle Museum: Pictish Carved Stones. Historic Scotland. ISBN 978-1900168274

Ritchie, A. & G. (1998). Scotland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0192880024

Ritchie, A. (1999). Govan and its carved stones. Pinkfoot Press. ISBN 978-1874012221

Ritchie, A. (ed.) (2000). Neolithic Orkney in its European Context. McDonald Institute Monograph, Cambridge. ISBN 9781902937045

Ritchie, A. & Fisher, I. (2001). Iona Abbey and Nunnery. Historic Scotland. ISBN 9781903570227

Ritchie, A. (2004). Hogback gravestones at Govan and beyond. Friends of Govan Old. ISBN 978-0954532116

Ritchie, A. (ed.) (2005). Kilellan Farm, Ardnave, Islay: Excavations of a prehistoric to early medieval site by Colin Burgess and others 1954–1976 : Kilellan Farm, Ardnave, Islay: Excavations of a prehistoric to early medieval site by Colin Burgess and others 1954–1976. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. ISBN 9780903903356

Downes, J. & Ritchie A. (eds) (2006). Sea Change: Orkney and Northern Europe in the Later Iron Age AD 300-800. Orkney Heritage Society. ISBN 978-1874012382

Ritchie, A, Scott, I. G. & Gray, T. E. (2006). People of Early Scotland. From Contemporary Images. Pinkfoot Press. ISBN 978-1874012504

Scott, I. G. & Ritchie, A. (2009). Pictish and Viking-Age Carvings from Shetland. RCAHMS. ISBN 978-1902419633

Ritchie, A. (2009). On the Fringe of Neolithic Europe. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. ISBN 978-0-903903-47-9

Ritchie, A. (2011). A Shetland Antiquarian: James Thomas Irvine of Yell. Shetland Amenity Trust. ISBN 978-0956569844

Ritchie, A. (ed) (2012). Historic Bute: Land and People. Scottish Society for Northern Studies. ISBN 9780953522644

External links

• Scottish Society for Northern Studies website: Anna Ritchie Bibliography
• Archaeology Data Service: Anna Ritchie ADS Library