School of Archaeology, University of Oxford

08/10/2026

Join us for our British Academy & Arcadia 'Mapping World Archaeology' Conference on 7th – 9th December 2026 at Worcester College, Oxford.

Discover the latest advancements in the recording and documenting of archaeological and cultural heritage across the Middle East, Africa, Central, Southern and East Asia, and South America.

📍Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College, England

📅 Monday, 7th December - Wednesday, 9th December • 9 AM - 5 PM

Registration is open! Take advantage of our £50 student rate until 1st November! Plus, limited Bed and Breakfast accommodation available at New College, Oxford from 6th-9th December.

Follow the link to register: 🔗
https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/british-academy-conferences/mapping-world-archaeology/

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
Archaeology at Durham University
The British Academy

06/10/2026

In his research spotlight, Dr Dylan Gaffney (AP in Palaeolithic Archaeology, College) explores big questions about human , human and human adaptation. Dylan wants to know why Homo Sapiens succeeded where other hominin species failed.

University of Oxford

24/09/2026

The final barrows from the HEIR Project digital image archive this week are in the Bronze Age (2000-700 BCE) Ashen Hill Barrow Cemetery, Priddy, Somerset, England, shown here in an aerial photograph taken by Mick Aston on 30/01/1987. Find more than 290 other barrows in HEIR online at http://heir.arch.ox.ac.uk .

04/09/2026

Dr Joel Alves is an evolutionary biologist working in the School - in his research he integrates ancient and modern with archaeological and historical evidence to uncover stories that link the past to the present. Watch this very fun film in which he uncovers the tale of the rabbits who nearly destroyed ! 🐰https://socsci.site.ox.ac.uk/articles/hopping-across-disciplines-investigate-rabbits-and-ecology-new-bbc-ideas-film BBC University of Oxford

From Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, to the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, rabbits are often the protagonists of childhood stories. But rabbits are not native to Britain: they originate from the Iberian Peninsula and were first brought here by the Romans and later reintroduced ...

03/09/2026

We can't wait to share our latest series of bitesize films we made this summer - ⭐ Prof Amy Bogaard, Dr Jane Kershaw, Prof Damian Robinson & Dr Dylan Gaffney - each telling stories about their fascinating in 🎥🎞️🍿🎬 ! University of Oxford we've got so may stories to share with you! ...

12/08/2026

New book published!

🚨📕Dr Anke Hein's latest publication is out now! 48 chapters by a diverse community of scholars (archaeologists, historians, heritage & museum specialists) from Asia, Europe & North America. The chapters cover many of the most significant issues in Chinese archaeology.

- A multi-regional, multi-voiced account of the history of Chinese archaeology

- Provides insights into the actors, structures, and motivations moving this history forward, from the beginnings of the discipline, up to the present day

- Communicates the practices and traditions of archaeological work in China in a way accessible to a broad audience

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-the-history-and-practice-of-chinese-archaeology-9780197800324?cc=gb&lang=en&

24/06/2026

Join EAMENA Project and their colleagues this December for their conference 'Mapping World Archaeology'

Join us for our British Academy & Arcadia 'Mapping World Archaeology' Conference on 7th – 9th December 2026 at Worcester College, Oxford

Mapping World Archaeology, will explore new developments in the recording and documentation of archaeological and cultural heritage across extensive areas of the Middle East, Africa, Central, Southern and East Asia, and South America

📍Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College, England

📅 Monday, 7th December - Wednesday, 9th December • 9 AM - 5 PM

Conference registration is now open!
Early Bird rate £50 until 1st August!

For those that book early there will also be a small amount of Bed and Breakfast accommodation at New College, Oxford for up to 4 nights from 6th-9th December inclusive.

Follow link to register: 🔗
https://eamena.org/british-academy-arcadia-mapping-world-archaeology-conference

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
Archaeology at Durham University
The British Academy

23/06/2026

The School is delighted to share the announcement that Professor Rick Schulting is among the fourteen researchers at the University of Oxford awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC), each worth up to €2.5 million over a period of five years.

“Stocking the Past” combines existing and novel biomolecular approaches to identify the foods eaten by people in Neolithic and Bronze Age Britain and Ireland.

In particular, it will help distinguish between the consumption of cereals and animal products such as meat and dairy, something that existing methods have struggled to achieve. In doing so, the project will shed light on a major debate about whether arable farming ‘collapsed’ a few centuries after its arrival around 4000 BC, resulting in a shift towards livestock-based economies. The approach will be more broadly applicable for studying past diets in many other regions and time periods.

"The ERC award will allow us to pursue a challenging research problem with a level of focus and support that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. I am especially pleased to be able to support promising early career researchers through the project."

The ERC Advanced Grants competition, part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, is one of the most prestigious and competitive funding schemes in the EU. It gives senior researchers the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. A record of 3,329 proposals was submitted to this funding round, with 9.6% of proposals being selected for funding.

Fourteen researchers at the University of Oxford have been awarded prestigious Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC).

17/06/2026

Hot off the press! A new paper out today (and making the front cover of Nature no less) by an international team of scientists including Dr Ruairidh Macleod (Research Fellow, All Souls College) and Professor Rick Schulting and Professor Christopher Ramsey - reconstructs plague genomes and shows that the disease was already lethal 5,500 years ago, where it killed humans in small, mobile hunter-gatherer communities – long before the rise of agriculture and cities created the conditions usually associated with plague epidemics.

Discovery in Siberia suggests bacterium from raw marmots devastated hunter-gatherer tribes about 5,500 years ago

20/02/2026

We are delighted to share this exciting studentship opportunity! A three year funded studentship opportunity on: Technological Processes & Social Organization in Early Northern China project with Dr Anke Hein. The project will fund one full-time DPhil student for 36 months from 1 October 2026. The studentship will cover tuition fees to the ‘home’ rate and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £20,780p.a.). For full details and to apply - https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/article/funded-studentiship-opportunity University of Oxford

The Yangshao Period of Neolithic northern China, dating back to around 5000-2500 BCE has received much attention for his high-quality painted pottery and its significant impact on later communities across northern China and in the Central Plain. Similarly, the spread of jade working across much of e...