Curriculum Vitae
Clara Margarete Gärtner
Osteoarchaeologist
About
I am a recently graduated osteoarchaeologist with a passion for uncovering the lives of individuals who lived in the past, driven by the belief that everyone deserves to be represented. My research focuses on health and its connections to identity, and I find meaning in giving a voice to people who might otherwise be forgotten by history. Over six years of study, internships, and hands-on experience, I have developed a versatile skill set that spans both fieldwork and laboratory analysis. I have worked with skeletal remains across a range of geographic locations, including the Netherlands and Norway, and across periods from the Iron Age through to the post-medieval era. This breadth of experience, from high-status burials to commingled remains and unique funerary contexts, has shaped me into an adaptable and detail-oriented researcher, eager to continue contributing to our understanding of past populations.
I am currently working as a field archaeologist at ArchaeoBW, with a background in both Norwegian and Dutch archaeological contexts and degrees from Leiden University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and the University of Chester.
Specialisms
Languages
01 — Education
MSc Archaeological Science (Osteoarchaeology)
Grade: B · Thesis grade: C
"Filling the Gap: Dental pathology and social class in the high status post-medieval Dutch population from Delft"
MA Archaeology
Grade: B · Thesis grade: A
"Skeletons in the Closet: Estimation of biological sex from skeletal remains and archaeological material from Sandvika, Jøa"
BA (Hons) Archaeology and History
Grade: First (A) · Thesis grade: First (A)
"Making Mountains out of Molehills: Analysing finds from Epiacum Roman Fort collected through molehill surveys in 2012 and 2013"
Bilingual IB Diploma
English and Norwegian
MYP (IB)
02 — Field & laboratory experience
ArchaeoBW
Field Archaeologist
- Learnt how to drive and use a mini excavator for archaeological purposes (creating cuts, geo-profiles, and refilling documented cuts)
- Smoothing profiles for documentation
- Cutting archaeological features
- Excavated graves with preserved skeletons and grave goods (e.g. ceramics, beads, weapons)
- Photos and photogrammetry
- Measurements using a tachymeter
Museum of Archaeology Stavanger
Volunteering
- Counting and creating inventory of loose remains from Stavanger Cathedral
- Creating an inventory of bones and individuals from inhumations and commingled contexts from Stavanger Cathedral
- Cleaning remains where necessary
- Noted age, sex, and pathology where possible
Museum of Archaeology Stavanger
Digital Internship
- Moving osteological data from Excel files into an Osteoware database
- Interpreting notes on pathology into a standardised digital form
Museum of Archaeology Stavanger
Field Archaeologist Intern
- Excavated a known Stone Age settlement to attempt to determine a date
- Excavated Iron Age site in an attempt to find walls of buildings, and drew cross sections and took samples from cooking pits
- Excavated a cairn field to find any information about use, layout, or dating
- Washed and analysed flint found at the Stone Age settlement
- Took a full biological profile for one skeleton (estimated age, sex, stature, metrics)
- Cleaned, took inventory and assessed human skeletal remains from commingled contexts related to Stavanger Cathedral (estimated age, sex, stature, and recorded pathologies)
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Field Course — Klakken, Ørlandet, Norway
- A two-week field course as part of a Field Methods class
- Co-designed and planned the excavation of a potential Stone Age settlement with a fellow MA student
- Supervised a team of bachelor students assisting with excavation tasks
- Laid out grid system, excavated, sieved, and mapped the site using GIS
- Washed and catalogued artefacts daily; ensured accurate and complete find form documentation
- Co-authored a field report summarising site information, methods, findings, and interpretations
University of Chester
Post-Excavation Lab Work
- Cleaned, identified, and recorded (on paper) ceramic and iron finds
- Worked in team-based recording and analysis environment
03 — Additional experience
Nidaros Cathedral
Guide
- Led tours in English, Norwegian, and German in the cathedral and associated museums (for children, teens, adults, families, pensioners, tourists, etc.)
- Maintained museum security and responded to visitor inquiries about the cathedral, the museums and the city in general
- Sold tickets and items from the gift shop
Chester Archives
Digital Volunteer
- Extracted and interpreted data from digitised 19th-century asylum records
SINTEF Ocean
Intern
- Mapped internal project outcomes in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals targets using SDG Wizard Method
- Helped organise and present findings in project workshops
- Reflected and wrote a blog post for SINTEF around the use of those with Humanities degrees within the science and innovation field
Technical skills
Awards & positions
Davis & Betty Evans Memorial Prize
Academic excellence and contribution to archaeology — University of Chester
Duke of Edinburgh
Bronze & Silver Awards
Board member & student representative
Roles held at NTNU and University of Chester
Certifications
"Osteoarchaeology: Truth in Our Bones"
Leiden University online course — Grade: 88.16% (A)
Driver's Licence
Automatic only