School of Archaeology, University of Oxford

🚨Job alert!
Our new funded project 'MEMELAND' needs a Postdoctoral Research Associate for 3.5 years. You'll help transform our understanding of the impact of farming on biodiversity! Full details & to apply 👇 www.arch.ox.ac.uk/job-vacancies Deadline midday 11 May

Job Vacancies We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join an exciting research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC). MEMELAND involves a collaboration between the University of Oxford; The Arctic University, Tromsø (the coordinating institution); Paris Lodron Univ...

EAMENA Project's Bijan Rouhani contributes to article
الجزيرة كوم AljazeeraCom on how ’s cultural heritage is being affected in current conflict. Reports suggest damage to several historic sites, incl Golestan Palace & Naqsh-e Jahan Square, both World Heritage Sites. Read 🔗

Are the US and Israel waging war on Iran’s cultural heritage? Iran says at least 56 of its heritage sites damaged or destroyed in war.

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

Funded studentship opportunity on: Technological Processes & Social Organization in Early Northern China project with Dr Anke Hein 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...

Prof Greger Larson (.bsky.social on BlueSky) joins 'A Dog's life' podcast to discuss how his work in our ancient DNA lab (PalaeoBARN) helps map our relationships with cats, dogs and other animals 🐕‍🦺🧬🐈‍⬛🐾

Greger Larson Podcast Episode · A Dog's Life with Anna Webb · 8 February · 40m

Sign up now for our short course on Radiocarbon Dating and Bayesian Chronological Analysis
https://lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/short-course-in-radiocarbon-dating-and-bayesian-chronological-analysis?code=O25P321PAR
When: Mon 16 Mar 2026 - Wed 18 Mar 2026
Time: 08:30 Monday - 17:00 Wednesday (UK)
Location: School of Geography and the Environment

Radiocarbon Dating and Bayesian Chronological Analysis Developed by the NERC Radiocarbon Facility, this course is aimed at researchers using radiocarbon and other techniques, including Quaternary geologists, palaeobiologists, archaeologists and marine geoscientists. Join us in Oxford or attend online.

📢Wonderful news!

Dr Jane Kershaw and Professor Rick Schulting and our amazing archaeological photographer, Ian R Cartwright are nominated for the Current Archaeology Awards!

🏆Jane Kershaw for Archaeologist of the Year
🏆Rick Schulting and Ian R Cartwright and their partners for Research Project of the Year.

Please cast your vote for them! 🗳️

Archaeology Awards Voting - Current Archaeology Voting has now opened for the Current Archaeology Awards! Which people, projects and publications deserve recognition?

It feels like it's raining publications about and thanks to our extremely productive Palaeobarn ( ) team and DPhil Archaeological Science students and alumni! 🐆🐈🐕‍🦺🐩🐕☔️☂️⏳💡🧬

Congratulations to School Alumni - Dr Yu Han (DPhil Arch Sci, 2023)! Lovely to see your DPhil research making it into the BBC.

When did the stop walking by itself & become one of our favourite companions? It's much later than you think!

Cats became our companions way later than you think In true feline style, cats took their time in deciding when and where to join us on the sofa.

Watch Professor Shadreck Chirikure's 10-minute talk for The British Academy titled "What can ancient civilisations teach us about sustainability?"

What can ancient civilisations teach us about sustainability? A cosmology or worldview is the framework of beliefs and attitudes through which we interpret and make sense of the world, including how we think about our r...

What does an ethical and sustainable future for digital heritage look like?

Join us online for “Beyond Digitisation: Towards Ethical and Sustainable Futures for Digital Heritage”, a public lecture by Dr. Bijan Rouhani, Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford’s EAMENA Project.

Dr. Rouhani will explore how digital technologies and AI are reshaping the ways we document, manage, and share cultural heritage — and how we can ensure these tools empower, rather than exclude, local communities.

🔹 Wednesday, 19 November 2025
🔹 6 PM Amman | 3 PM UK
🔹 Online (Zoom)

🔗 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5CFHlFXNTDuMCxgZnVSU5A

There's still time to register to hear Professor Rick Schulting giving the Keynote talk at the British Association for Forensic Anthropology in Liverpool this month.

⏰ You can still register for the 2025 BAFA conference until November 19th!

ℹ️ Find out more: https://bafa-uk.org/events/winter-conference-2025/
✅ Register for the conference here: https://forms.gle/4TUpGe4kB9zipVc3A

💬 On the second day, as a part of the Trauma and Taphonomy Workshop, one of the keynote speeches will be delivered by Prof Rick Schulting from the University of Oxford. His research interests include investigating violence in prehistory, most recently injuries and evidence of dismemberment at the Charterhouse Warren site.

Read more: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/darker-angels-of-our-nature-early-bronze-age-butchered-human-remains-from-charterhouse-warren-somerset-uk/93EBB135C857C7B7992FC80A4ED927AF (open access) and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crl3jn3elz3o

This year & over the Christmas period🎄, we are celebrating 70 years of innovation & impact at our Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art (RLAHA to our friends). 🎉👏⚛️🔬🧪🌋🦴🧬 The history of the lab is one long list of shameless namedropping for ! So many industry leaders through these doors!