Philip A. Barker

Philip Arthur Barker (22 August 1920 – 2001)[1] was a British archaeologist most famous for his work on excavation methodology.

He left school with no qualifications and served in the RAF during the Second World War before training as a teacher. He taught Art at the Priory Grammar School for Boys, Shrewsbury and established a flourishing archaeological society at the school which conducted a large number of excavations in the area. His interest in archaeology led him later to become an academic at the University of Birmingham. For many years he was the archaeologist at Worcester Cathedral.

During the 1970s and 1980s he worked to help establish Rescue and the Institute of Field Archaeologists and undertook excavation work at Wroxeter and Hen Domen. He served as the Chair of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust from 1984 to 1991.

He wrote the comprehensive guide to field archaeology, Techniques of Archaeological Excavation in 1977 and it remains in print.