Department of Archaeology

We have specialist expertise in the following clusters:

• social anthropology and ethnography
• human origins or palaeoanthropology
• later prehistory, including Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age
• historical archaeology, including Classical and Medieval
• reception studies and heritage
• maritime archaeology
• molecular archaeology
• biological anthropology
• bioarchaeology and osteoarchaeology

We frequently collaborate with other disciplines to develop innovative approaches to the past. Many of our staff are active in the field in the UK and internationally. Current research considers:

• human origins in southern Africa
• human global colonisation
• Neanderthals and early modern humans in western Eurasia
• submerged landscapes
• deep-water shipwrecks
• coastal and island archaeology
• prehistoric monumentality
• urban centres and imperial networks
• human health
• disabilities and life-ways
• isotopic and biomechanical analyses of past mobility
• indigenous heritage voices
• the representation of the past
• the importance of heritage for wellbeing

Our students develop through direct engagement with research-led teaching. Specialist laboratories, experimental facilities and new field-leading digital imaging and geophysical equipment are available to both staff and students. The department  contains key international bioarchaeological, lithic and ceramic collections. We have also pioneered digital recording and analytical techniques in the study of past material culture.

Our staff are committed to knowledge exchange and public engagement. We incorporate both into our teaching and fieldwork training.

We also have links with national and international institutions, including:

• UNESCO
• the National Trust
• Historic England
• the NHS
• local government

We maintain our staff-student relationships by:

• regular Student Staff Liaison Committees
• Faculty EDI networks
• our commitment to the University Equality and Diversity policy
• UK Athena SWAN principles

As an inherently practical subject we take accessibility seriously. In addition to our own Code of Conduct for Fieldwork, we work with the University to make life in and outside the department fair and enjoyable for all.

The often difficult and contested pasts of archaeology and anthropology as disciplines are something we’re keen to engage critically with through our teaching as well as our research. We encourage our students to play an active part in this through:

• lectures
• seminars
• assignments
• wider discussions and engagement

These conversations are strongest when they include and represent diverse groups of people. We continue to work towards this both as a department and more widely as a discipline.