Archaeology at the University of Reading

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Archaeology at the University of Reading We are a top-rated research department, achieving first place in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. Want to know more?

Fieldwork, research & student life | Welcome to the official department page for Archaeology at the University of Reading

Find out more at www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology and www.facebook.com/UoRFieldSchool We also take great pride in our teaching and student engagement: 94% of our students in 2021 were satisfied with teaching on courses in the Department of Archaeology (NSS 2021), despite the challenges of teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research-based teaching sits at the heart of our distinctive suite of undergraduate and Masters programmes, MPhil and PhD research degrees. Visit https://www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/

Black History Month at the University of Reading Looking for something to do this October? Come along and celebrate Blac...
06/10/2026

Black History Month at the University of Reading

Looking for something to do this October? Come along and celebrate Black History Month with us! There’s something for everyone:

📢Want something academic, come along to Design Against Racism, 7th of October Open to all. Join Omari Souza to explore the relationship between design, racism and racial inequality.

Want to do something creative, join one of the Zine workshops 13 & 20 October (open to students). There are two creative workshops. The Black Futures session is specifically for Black and Black-mixed heritage participants and focuses on imagining joyful futures. The later Treats Tuesday is open to students more generally.

Want to do some volunteering and community engagement, join Golders Club Lunch, 27 October. Staff and student volunteers can join the Reading Golders Luncheon Club for lunch, conversation and community connection.

Want to meet people then come along to the English Conversation Cafe, 28 October (open to staff and students). This is particularly focused on international and multilingual students. Alongside practising English, it's an opportunity to meet other students and discuss cultures and perspectives. Alice Mpofu-Coles, the Mayor of Reading, is also joining the session.

📢Want a day out, come to the Community Fete, 31 October (open to all).
This is the main public facing event and probably the best option if you want something lively and community oriented. It takes place at Broad Street Mall from 11:00 till 15:30, and brings together local organisations, businesses and individuals. There will also be interactive workshops and storytelling.

To find out more information go to (Instagram LinkInBio): https://www.reading.ac.uk/black-history-month/events

📢 = events open to the public

This Black History Month, we’re reflecting on the importance of recognising Black histories and experiences within archa...
06/10/2026

This Black History Month, we’re reflecting on the importance of recognising Black histories and experiences within archaeology.

Archaeology plays a vital role in uncovering and interpreting the past, but whose stories we tell and how we tell them, matters.
Acknowledging Black histories helps challenge gaps and biases in archaeological research, celebrates the contributions of Black archaeologists and communities, and encourages a more inclusive understanding of the past.

Join us this month in recognising these histories, and help us shape a more diverse and representative future for archaeology.

We're celebrating our students! 🌟We’re incredibly proud of the initiative and enthusiasm shown by current students acros...
05/10/2026

We're celebrating our students! 🌟

We’re incredibly proud of the initiative and enthusiasm shown by current students across the country, who have come together to establish the Student Association of Anthropology.

Created by students, for students, the association is a fantastic example of the creativity, leadership and community spirit that our students bring to university life. From building a community around their shared passion for anthropology to creating opportunities for students to connect, collaborate and get involved.

A huge congratulations to the students behind this initiative. It’s brilliant to see our Anthropology community growing through the ideas and hard work of the students themselves.

Follow their journey on Instagram:

🔗 Read their LinkedIn update:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/student-association-of-anthropology_were-on-the-website-after-taking-a-well-deserved-activity-7503739225868050432-Xnc3

Interested in joining a community where students can turn their ideas into action? Find out more about studying our BA Archaeology and Anthropology: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/2026/archaeology-ug/ba-archaeology-and-anthropology

Links In Bio

Friday Featured Site: Estipah-skikikini-kots or Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta, Canada. The landscape here works...
02/10/2026

Friday Featured Site: Estipah-skikikini-kots or Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Alberta, Canada.

The landscape here works like a living archive, it holds a record of Indigenous life on the North American Plains.

For approximately 5,800 years, the Blackfoot peoples (Niitsitapi) used this landscape to hunt bison, carefully combining knowledge of bison behaviour, topography, and communal hunting techniques. The practice continued until around 1850AD, creating an archaeological record spanning thousands of years.

What makes the site especially valuable to archaeology is its remarkable preservation. Beneath the cliff are deep, stratified layers of bison bones and cultural deposits, while nearby are evidence of butchering camps and stone features that helped direct bison toward the jump. These layers allow us to study how hunting practices, technologies, and ways of life changed over many generations.

Systematic archaeological excavations beginning in 1960 significantly expanded understanding of pre-European contact life on the Plains, challenging earlier assumptions about how Indigenous peoples used animals for food, clothing, tools, and shelter.

It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and is considered one of the oldest, most extensive, and best preserved examples of communal bison hunting in the Americas. Its archaeological record connects the physical landscape with Indigenous knowledge, technology, subsistence, and cultural traditions across millennia.

To read more about the site, Instagram LinkInBio:
Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations website: https://shorturl.at/E8iMo

The UNESCO website: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/158/

Or read the Science Direct paper: Organization of bison hunting at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition on the Plains of North America byKristen Carlson and Leland Bement: https://shorturl.at/gH41K

They’re back! 🎉Next week sees the start of our popular weekly seminar series for the 2026-27 academic year. This year, w...
30/09/2026

They’re back! 🎉

Next week sees the start of our popular weekly seminar series for the 2026-27 academic year.

This year, we have a bit of a schedule change, and the seminars will now take place on Wednesday afternoons at the slightly later time of 16:15. As usual, all seminars will be available in person for staff and students, and a Teams link will be made available for everyone else who wants to join online.

We’ll share each week's session at the start of the week, with a reminder post and link to join on the day of the seminar. And for everyone keen to plan ahead, the full list of talks for the term will be made available, too.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

You’ve heard of Nellie the Elephant, but what about Norman? 🐘The star attraction of the University of Reading’s Cole Mus...
29/09/2026

You’ve heard of Nellie the Elephant, but what about Norman? 🐘

The star attraction of the University of Reading’s Cole Museum of Zoology has just celebrated his 175th birthday, with staff and students from the School of Biological Sciences marking the occasion in style, complete with a birthday cake.

Norman, an Asian elephant, was once part of Manders Menagerie, a travelling animal show that toured the UK during the 19th century. When he died in 1867 at just sixteen years old, his skeleton was purchased by Professor Francis Joseph Cole, founder of The Cole Museum. More than 150 years later, Norman continues to educate zoology students and captivate visitors of all ages, ensuring his legacy lives on.

The Cole Museum of Zoology is one of the University’s fantastic on-campus museums and is free to visit. If you’ve just joined us at Reading, why not head over to meet Norman and explore the collection, open Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 4.30pm.

With the new academic year now underway, we're excited to start sharing some of the news and achievements from across th...
28/09/2026

With the new academic year now underway, we're excited to start sharing some of the news and achievements from across the Department that took place over the summer. Today, we have some fantastic news from our staff, and we're happy to announce that Professor Hella Eckardt has been appointed President of the Roman Society. Congratulations, Hella, on this well-deserved achievement!

The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies is for everyone interested in Roman history, archaeology, literature and art, and offers grants to support research and promotes the teaching of Latin in schools.

With membership, you get access to the Britannia journal and the Journal of Roman Studies, as well as one of the world's greatest classics libraries, a varied programme of events, including conferences, lectures, and site visits, and a 50% discount on their online course.

Find out more about the society here 🔗 https://www.romansociety.org/

Friday Featured Site: The Meroe Pyramids, SudanThe QMPS (Qatari Mission for the Pyramids of Sudan) project carried out a...
25/09/2026

Friday Featured Site: The Meroe Pyramids, Sudan

The QMPS (Qatari Mission for the Pyramids of Sudan) project carried out archaeological investigation, digital documentation and conservation to better understand Meroe’s royal pyramids and develop sustainable ways to preserve and present them.

The team reexcavated key areas and opened two trenches through pyramid, Beg. S 503’s rubble fill to investigate its internal structure. The monuments were documented using 3-D laser scanning, high resolution photography and UV imaging, while radiocarbon dating helped establish their chronology. Conservation specialists also assessed damage, tested conservation materials and carried out structural reinforcement and sandstone consolidation.

Key findings:
• Beg. S 503 contains previously unknown decorative details and inscriptions revealed through 3-D and UV imaging.
• Radiocarbon dating places its construction at around 790–390 cal BC, revising its chronology to the late Napatan period.
• Structural instability beneath Beg. N 9 required a 2.5 m-high reinforced concrete ring beam, with further stabilization still needed.
• A comprehensive damage catalogue has provided the basis for a site-wide conservation and preservation strategy.

The project also developed plans for sustainable tourism, including visitor management, new interpretive itineraries, a visitor centre, with improved entrances and a permanent site management office.

Beg. S 503 is now the most comprehensively recorded royal tomb at Meroe. Because its fragile paintings cannot withstand regular visitor access, a 1:1 replica based on the 3-D model has been proposed as a way to share the tomb with the public while protecting the original.

To read the field work progress report for this site go to Academia: https://shorturl.at/vON1a

📸Pictures from the Academia article. Picture 1: 1 The concrete ring supporting the
staircase of Beg. N. 9 (Photo: © QMPS, P. Wolf, 2017). Picture 2: 7 Antechamber of tomb Beg. S. 503. (Photo: © QMPS, P. Wolf, 2016).

Bonus Activity for Thursday 24th of September: Meet RuinedMeet your Archaeology society, Ruined, straight after the Whit...
22/09/2026

Bonus Activity for Thursday 24th of September: Meet Ruined

Meet your Archaeology society, Ruined, straight after the Whiteknights challenge!

Learn all about the society, the activities they do and meet new people🥳

📸poster made by Amrit, Ruined committee

Here are your Welcome week activities for Thursday 24th SeptemberSurving part 1: Meet your star mentors, who are current...
22/09/2026

Here are your Welcome week activities for Thursday 24th September

Surving part 1: Meet your star mentors, who are current Archaeology undergraduate students who are available to answer your questions about university life from a student's perspective! Come along with your questions or to just say hello.
10-10.25am, Allen Lab G09

Individual meetings with your Tutor: Meet with your Academic Tutor to discuss your degree, modules, or any other questions that you have. Please bring your completed "Tell Us About You" questionnaire. Your Academic Tutor will advise you on Monday how to book a 15-minute appointment during this block. Compulsory for all single and joint honours Archaeology students.
10.30 -12pm (arrive in time for your time slot), at your Tutor's office. If your Tutor is Rhi, then you will meet her in Allen Lab 110.

Part 1 picnic social: Bring your lunch along to chat with other new Archaeology students and meet some of your lecturers.
1pm- 1.45pm Wager Quad (or the Sorby Room if it rains)

White Knights: straight after the picnic is when the real fun begins, join your new friends and collegues for a Scavenger hunt around the campus. This is a great opportunity to get to know your peers and the campus.
1.45pm-4pm: Wager Quad (or the Sorby Room if it rains)

Have a great day!

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