The Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

devoted to the teaching and research of

archaeology 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 landsca ...

. Together with the

Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art The Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) is a laboratory at the University of Oxford, England which develops and applies scientific methods to the study of the past. It was established in 1955 and its first director wa ...

, it forms part of the

School of Archaeology The School of Archaeology is an academic department of the University of Oxford comprising the Institute of Archaeology and the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA), and is part of Oxford's Social Sciences Division ...

. Its current director is Chris Gosden.

History

The origins of the Institute go back to 1946, when Christopher Hawkes was appointed Oxford's first Professor of European Prehistory and

Ian Richmond Sir Ian Archibald Richmond, (10 May 1902 – 5 October 1965) was a British archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the University of Oxford. In addition, he was Director of the British School at Ro ...

the first Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire. Teaching facilities were set up for them at 36 Beaumont Street, which grew into the Institute. It was formally founded in 1961, with Hawkes as its first director. Richmond and Hawkes were succeeded by Sheppard Frere and Barry Cunliffe, in respectively 1965 and 1972, who oversaw and expansion of the Institute's research and fieldwork facilities in the 1970s. Starting in 1992, Oxford introduced a bachelor's degree in anthropology and archaeology and the Institute became the focal point for undergraduate teaching in archaeology. The following year

Margareta Steinby Eva Margareta Steinby FSA (born 21 November 1938; Wilén until 1961) is a Finnish classical archaeologist. She was the director of the Finnish Institute in Rome from 1979–1982 and 1992–1994, and Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empir ...

succeeded Frere as Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire. The Sackler Library, situated behind the Institute, was opened in 2001. During its construction a

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 prin ...

ring ditches and a medieval

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

and Carmelite

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

were discovered under the foundations. Andrew Wilson has been the Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire since 2004.

Research centres

The institute houses three research centres:

Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology The Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology (OCMA) is a specialist research group within the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford in England. Overview Established in 2003 with the ongoing support of the Hilti Foundation, the OCMA is ...

, Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture and Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit.

Notable people

Professor of European Archaeology (formerly Professor of European Prehistory) * 1946–1972: Christopher Hawkes * 1972–2006: Sir Barry Cunliffe * 2006–present: Chris Gosden Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire * 1956–1965:

Sir Ian Richmond Sir Ian Archibald Richmond, (10 May 1902 – 5 October 1965) was a British archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire at the University of Oxford. In addition, he was Director of the British School at Ro ...

* 1966–1983: Sheppard Frere * 1985–1992: Martin Harrison * 1994–2004: Eva Margareta Steinby * 2004–present: Andrew Wilson Other * John Lloyd

References

External links

School of Archaeology website

Archaeology Archives Oxford
{{authority control Departments of the University of Oxford Archaeological research institutes 1961 establishments in the United Kingdom

History

Research centres

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

External links