Anthony Harding (born 1946) is a British

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

specialising in European

prehistory Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

. He was a professor at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

and the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

and president of the

European Association of Archaeologists The European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) is a membership-based, not-for-profit association, open to archaeologists and other related or interested individuals or bodies in Europe and beyond. It was founded in 1994 at an inaugural meeting in ...

between 2003 and 2009. Following his doctoral research on

Mycenaean Greece Mycenaean Greece (or the Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in ...

, Harding's work has mainly concerned the

European Bronze Age The European Bronze Age is characterized by bronze artifacts and the use of bronze implements. The regional Bronze Age succeeds the Neolithic and Copper Age and is followed by the Iron Age. It starts with the Aegean Bronze Age in 3200 BC (succ ...

, including major studies of

prehistoric warfare Prehistoric warfare refers to war that occurred between societies without recorded history. The existence — and even the definition — of war in humanity's hypothetical state of nature has been a controversial topic in the history of ideas at ...

and the prehistory of salt.

Education and career

Harding was born in

Bromley, Kent Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

in 1946 and studied

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and

prehistoric archaeology Prehistoric archaeology is a subfield of archaeology, which deals specifically with artefacts, civilisations and other materials from societies that existed before any form of writing system or historical record. Often the field focuses on ages s ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and

Charles University in Prague Charles University ( cs, Univerzita Karlova, UK; la, Universitas Carolina; german: Karls-Universität), also known as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague ( la, Universitas Pragensis, links=no), is the oldest an ...

. He received his doctorate from Cambridge in 1973, with a dissertation on

supervised by

John Coles John Coles may refer to: *John David Coles, film and television director *John Coles (historian) (1930–2020), British archaeologist * John Coles (diplomat) (born 1937), former British High Commissioner to Australia * John Coles (businessman) (183 ...

. He taught at

from 1973 to 2004 and was appointed Professor in 1990. In 2004 he moved to the

, where he was the Anniversary Professor of Archaeology until his retirement in 2015. Harding was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1981, a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

in 2001, and is a corresponding member of the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

and the '' Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria''. He was the president of the

from 2003 to 2009. Following his retirement, he spent a year as guest professor at the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's sixth-oldest university in continuous operatio ...

Research

Harding's research focuses on

, particularly the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

of central and Eastern Europe. His work includes several volumes on warfare and violence in prehistory (''Velim: Violence and Death in Bronze Age Bohemia'', 2007; ''Warriors and Weapons in Bronze Age Europe'', 2007) and on the prehistory of salt (''Salt in Prehistoric Europe'', 2013; ''Explorations in Salt Archaeology in the Carpathian Zone'', 2013, with Valerii Kavruk). He has also written two major syntheses about

Bronze Age Europe The European Bronze Age is characterized by bronze artifacts and the use of bronze implements. The regional Bronze Age succeeds the Neolithic and Copper Age and is followed by the Iron Age. It starts with the Aegean Bronze Age in 3200 BC (succe ...

, ''The Bronze Age of Europe'' (1979, with John Coles), and ''European Societies in the Bronze Age'' (2000). During his stay in Munich he wrote ''Bronze Age Lives'' (2021). He has directed excavations at sites Velim-Skalka in the Czech Republic,

Sobiejuchy Sobiejuchy is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Żnin, within Żnin County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Żnin and south-west of Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; germ ...

in Poland, and

Baile Figa Baile ("dance" in Spanish) may refer to: * Baile (Spanish play), a Spanish dramatic form * Baile funk, a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro * Baile, the Irish Gaelic word for a town, usually anglicized as "bally" or "balla" * Baile, the Sco ...

in Romania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Anthony Living people 1946 births People from Bromley British archaeologists Prehistorians Alumni of the University of Cambridge Charles University alumni Academics of Durham University Academics of the University of Exeter Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London