Christopher John Scarre, FSA is an academic and writer in the fields 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 landscap ...

pre-history 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 ...

and

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

. He is Professor of Archaeology 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 ...

and was head of its archaeology department 2010-2013.

Early life

Scarre studied 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 ...

. He graduated 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 years ...

(BA) degree, that was later promoted to

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA Cantab) degree. He then undertook

postgraduate study Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

of landscape change and archaeological sites in western France, culminating in a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree.

Academic career

Scarre was Deputy Director of the

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research is a research institute of the University of Cambridge in England. History The institute was established in 1990 through a benefaction from the late Dr Daniel McLean McDonald, a successful ind ...

at the

from its foundation in 1990 to 2005. In January 2006, Scarre was appointed Professor of Prehistory at the Department of Archaeology of the

. In 2006, he was Professeur Invité at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (''grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ne ...

in Paris. He has directed and co-directed

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

at a number of prehistoric sites. These include sites in France, Portugal, and the Channel Islands. Beginning in 2008, he led excavations exploring the prehistoric monuments of

Herm Herm (Guernésiais: , ultimately from Old Norse 'arm', due to the shape of the island, or Old French 'hermit') is one of the Channel Islands and part of the Parish of St Peter Port in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is located in the English ...

. This project was

Arts and Humanities Research Council The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities. History The Arts an ...

-funded and a final excavation was under taken in the summer of 2011. He was editor of the

Cambridge Archaeological Journal The ''Cambridge Archaeological Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for cognitive and symbolic archaeology published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. It was established in 1 ...

from 1991 to 2005. He is the current editor of the international academic journal ''

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

'', having been appointed in January 2013. In 2007, he was elected to the post of Trustee of the

Council for British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and futu ...

Personal life

His brother, Geoffrey Scarre, is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Durham.

Honours

On 9 January 1986, Scarre was elected Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

(FSA).

Selected works

* * * * * Mohen, Jean-Pierre, Scarre, Chris ''Les Tumulus de Bougon.'' 2002, Complexe mégalithique du Ve au IIIe millénaire. Paris: Errance. * Scarre, Chris, Fagan, Brian M. ''Ancient Civilizations''. 2002, New York: Prentice Hall. * ''Les Monuments Mégalithiques de la Grande Bretagne et d'Irlande''. 2005, Paris: Errance. * * * * * * *

Editorial activity

* ''Megalithic Quarrying: Sourcing, extracting and manipulating the stones''. 2009, Oxford: Archaeopress. * * Laporte, Luc, Joussaume, Roger & Scarre, Chris ''Origin and Development of the Megalithic Monuments of Western Europe.'' 2006. Bougon: Musée des Tumulus de Bougon. * * Cherry, John, Scarre, Chris & Shennan, Stephen ''Explaining Social Change: studies in honour of Colin Renfrew.'' 2004. McDonald Institute Monographs. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. * * ''The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World'' (1999). * Editor-in-chief of the ''

'' (1990–2005).

References

External links

"Archaeologist Chris Scarre finds fascination in discovering the past by examining its material remains.", ''History Today''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarre, Chris Living people Academics of Durham University Alumni of the University of Cambridge English archaeologists Academic journal editors Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Academics of the University of Cambridge Year of birth missing (living people)