Dennis William Harding, (born 1940), known as D. W. Harding, is a British archaeologist and academic, specialising in the
British Iron Age. Having taught at the
University of Durham
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
from 1966 to 1977, he was then
Abercromby Professor of Archaeology at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
from 1977 to 2007.
Biography
Harding was born on 11 April 1940.
He studied English Language and Literature at
Keble College, Oxford, graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
(BA) degree in 1963.
Amongst his
tutors were
John Carey and
Malcolm Parkes.
He then took a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(DPhil) degree in archaeology: his
supervisor in the
Institute of Archaeology was
Christopher Hawkes.
He spent the 1965/66 academic year as an assistant keeper in the Department of Antiquities of the
Ashmolean Museum.
He completed his DPhil in 1969 with a
doctoral thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
titled "The Iron Age of the Upper Thames basin and its further relations to other regions of southern Britain".
Harding joined Durham University as a
lecturer in
Celtic archaeology
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
in 1966. He was promoted to
senior lecturer
Senior lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, and Israel senior lecturer is a faculty position at a university or similar institution. The position is tenured (in systems with this conce ...
in 1975.
In 1977, he was appointed
Abercromby Professor of Archaeology at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, succeeding
Stuart Piggott
Stuart Ernest Piggott, (28 May 1910 – 23 September 1996) was a British archaeologist, best known for his work on prehistoric Wessex.
Early life
Piggott was born in Petersfield, Hampshire, the son of G. H. O. Piggott, and was educated t ...
.
Under his leadership, the archaeology department maintained its strengths in
prehistoric Europe
Prehistoric Europe is Europe with human presence but before the start of recorded history, beginning in the Lower Paleolithic. As history progresses, considerable regional irregularities of cultural development emerge and increase. The region o ...
and
Near Eastern archaeology
Near Eastern archaeology is a regional branch of the wider, global discipline of archaeology. It refers generally to the excavation and study of artifacts and material culture of the Near East from antiquity to the recent past.
Definition
The ...
.
In addition to his chair, he was dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1983 to 1986, and vice-principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1988 to 1991.
He retired in 2007, and was made
emeritus professor
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
.
Selected works
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Dennis
1940 births
Living people
British archaeologists
Prehistorians
Academics of Durham University
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
People associated with the Ashmolean Museum