UCL's Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the Social & Historical Sciences Faculty of

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

(UCL) which it joined in 1986 having previously been a school of the University of London. It is currently one of the largest centres for the study 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 ...

, cultural heritage and

museum studies Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

in the world, with over 100 members of staff and 600 students housed in a 1950s building on the north side of

Gordon Square Gordon Square is a public park square in Bloomsbury, London, England. It is part of the Bedford Estate and was designed as one of a pair with the nearby Tavistock Square. It is owned by the University of London. History and buildings The ...

in the Bloomsbury area of Central London.

History

The Institute of Archaeology had its origins in Mortimer Wheeler's vision of a centre for archaeological training in the United Kingdom, which he conceived in the 1920s. Wheeler and Tessa Verney Wheeler, his wife and an archaeologist in her own right, lobbied colleagues and gathered funds to open the institute. The Wheeler's ambitions were realised when the institute was officially opened in 1937, with Mortimer Wheeler as its first director. Among its early members of staff were some of the founding ancestors of archaeology in Britain. Foremost among these, apart from Wheeler himself, was V. Gordon Childe, director from 1946 to 1957, but there were many others, including

Kathleen Kenyon Dame Kathleen Mary Kenyon, (5 January 1906 – 24 August 1978) was a British archaeologist of Neolithic culture in the Fertile Crescent. She led excavations of Tell es-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho, from 1952 to 1958, and has been called ...

, excavator of Jericho, initially secretary then the institute's acting director during World War II; F. E. Zeuner, one of the founders of quaternary studies and of zooarchaeology; Joan du Plat Taylor, the institute's librarian for many years, who was a pioneer of underwater archaeology; and Max Mallowan, Professor of Western Asiatic Archaeology (and second husband of Agatha Christie). Mortimer Wheeler formally resigned as honorary director in 1944 when he became director-general of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

and, at the end of the Second World War, the directorship was awarded to V. Gordon Childe. Following Childe's retirement, this role passed to W. F. Grimes, like Wheeler a former director of the London Museum, and best known today for his 1954 excavation of the

London Mithraeum The London Mithraeum, also known as the Temple of Mithras, Walbrook, is a Roman Mithraeum that was discovered in Walbrook, a street in the City of London, during a building's construction in 1954. The entire site was relocated to permit contin ...

. Following Grimes, the directorship has been held by the Mediterranean prehistorian John Davies Evans; the geographer David R. Harris; Peter Ucko, founder of the

World Archaeological Congress The World Archaeological Congress (WAC) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization which promotes world archaeology. It is the only global archaeological organisation with elected representation. Established in 1986, WAC holds an internat ...

; the prehistorian and evolutionary theorist Stephen Shennan and the prehistorian Sue Hamilton. It is currently held by Professor of African Archaeology, Kevin MacDonald. Until 1958, the institute was based at St John's Lodge, Regent's Park, London subsequently moving to purpose-built premises on

Booth, Ledeboer, and Pinckheard Judith Geertruid Ledeboer OBE (8 September 1901 – 24 December 1990) was a Dutch-born English architect. She was most active in London and Oxford, where she designed a variety of schools, university buildings and public housing projects. Ear ...

. The institute taught a diploma until the first BA degree was offered in 1968, followed shortly thereafter by a BSc. The year 2012 marked the institute's 75th anniversary, and a number of events and activities were held to mark this occasion.

Research and teaching

UCL Institute of Archaeology from Gordon Square

Research at the Institute covers fieldwork, laboratory analysis and conservation, artefact studies, and theoretical, synthetic, and analytical work. Staff projects are currently undertaken on five continents and in the Pacific. A research directory outlining research projects, centres and networks at the Institute of Archaeology is available on the institute's website. Current research projects include: * The Stones of Stonehenge * Rapa Nui Landscapes of Construction * Cultural Evolution of Neolithic Europe * Imperial Logistics: The Making of the Terracotta Army In the 2014

Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British higher education institutions. It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is under ...

(REF), the Institute of Archaeology received the top score of 100% 4* for the excellence of its research environment. Two-thirds (66%) of its research outputs were rated in the 4* or 3* categories (world leading and internationally excellent) while nearly 50% of its research impact was deemed to be of 4* quality. The institute offers a diverse range of Undergraduate Degrees, Master's degrees and Research Degrees. The Institute of Archaeology was rated number one for Archaeology and Forensics in the Guardian University Guide for 2015 for the fourth year in a row. It has also been ranked in the top two for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide's 2015 League Table of UK archaeology departments. In the ''

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

by Subject 2016'' UCL is ranked 3rd in the world (and 3rd in Europe) for Archaeology.

Facilities, collections and library

Part of the Institute of Archaeology since its early home at St John's Lodge in Regents Park. Moved to Gordon Square in 1958, initially on the first floor and subsequently relocated to the fifth floor. The institute's facilities include the Wolfson Archaeological Science Laboratories and other laboratories for conservation teaching and research, GIS, photography, lithic analysis and for environmental teaching and research activities. The Institute of Archaeology Collections contain c. 80,000 objects that are used in teaching, research and outreach. Archaeological materials include ceramics, lithics and other objects from a range of periods across Europe, Africa, Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Pakistan, India, Mesoamerica, South America and the Caribbean. Notable collectors include

Flinders Petrie Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie ( – ), commonly known as simply Flinders Petrie, was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egyp ...

(the Petrie Palestinian Collection),

, Beatrice De Cardi, W.L. Hildburgh, R.G. Gayer-Anderson and Mortimer Wheeler. There are also extensive collections of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material which act as primary sources for the identification of plant and animal remains. Further collections of minerals, slag and other materials provide teaching resources for the study of ancient technology. The A.G. Leventis Gallery of Cypriot and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology is a public display of part of the collections of the Institute of Archaeology, with objects from ancient Cyprus, Greece, Crete, Egypt and the Levant. The gallery is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm; entry is free. The Institute Library was founded in 1937 to support teaching and learning at the new Institute of Archaeology and has subsequently gained an international reputation as one of the most extensive collections of printed material in the world relating to all aspects of archaeology, museum studies and cultural heritage. The library also contains the Yates Classical Archaeology library and the Edwards Egyptology library. The Institute Library is now part of UCL Library Services. Related collections of interest are to be found in the Main Library (Ancient History, Jewish Studies, Latin American History, History and Classics) and in the DMS Watson (Science Library) (Anthropology, History of Science and Geography).

Publications

The institute publishes research monographs and edited volumes in association with Left Coast Press who also now produce and distribute older Institute of Archaeology publications. The institute produces the following 'in-house' publications (in conjunction with

Ubiquity Press Founded in 2008 by Brian Hole, Ubiquity Press is an academic publisher focusing on open access, peer-reviewed scholarship. Ubiquity Press is a part oUbiquity which also provides full publishing infrastructure and services to university presses, an ...

): * ''Archaeology International * ''Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies'' * ''Papers from the Institute of Archaeology'' (''PIA'') * ''Present Pasts'' It also published the ''Bulletin from the Institute of Archaeology'' from 1954 to 1994 which was superseded by ''Archaeology International''. Current Institute of Archaeology undergraduate students produce Artifact magazine (available online). '' Public Archaeology'' is a journal sponsored by the institute, launched in 2000 as an international peer-reviewed journal with a focus on the issues of cultural heritage, community archaeology and archaeological practice as it relates to wider civil and governmental concerns. The journal was originally edited by

Neal Ascherson Charles Neal Ascherson (born 5 October 1932) is a Scottish journalist and writer. He has been described by Radio Prague as "one of Britain's leading experts on central and eastern Europe". Ascherson is the author of several books on the history ...

; it is now edited by

Tim Schadla-Hall Tim Schadla-Hall (born September 1947) is an English archaeologist who specialises in the study of how the archaeological discipline interacts with the public. He is affiliated with the Institute of Archaeology at University College London in Bl ...

. Issued quarterly, it was published by James & James Science Publishers until 2007, when the publishing rights were purchased by Maney Publishing.

Research divisions

The Centre for Applied Archaeology (CAA) is a research and support division within UCL's Institute of Archaeology which offers professional advice, support and training in cultural resource management, archaeology, conservation, interpretation and project management. Archaeology South-East (ASE) is the contracts division of the Centre for Applied Archaeology and offers services in all areas of archaeological practice. The International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology, based at the institute, is a joint association between the School for Archaeology and Museology of Peking University and UCL's Institute of Archaeology.

News, events and social media

The Institute of Archaeology regularly publishes news and events, including details of seminars, conferences, job opportunities, recent press coverage, publications and other announcements. The institute also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. An annual open day, a 'Festival of World Archaeology', is normally held in June, providing fun, archaeology-related activities for children and adults alike.

List of directors

* Mortimer Wheeler (1937 to 1946) *

(1939 to 1946); acting director during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

*Professor V. Gordon Childe (1946 to 1957) *Professor W. F. Grimes (1957 to 1975) * John Davies Evans (1975 to 1989) *Professor David R. Harris (1989 to 1996) *Professor Peter Ucko (1996 to 2005) *Professor Stephen Shennan (2005 to 2014) *Professor Sue Hamilton (2014 to 2022) *Professor Kevin MacDonald (1 September 2022-)

Images

File:Laventis Gallery.jpg, Leventis Gallery File:IOA_library.jpg, Library

References

External links

UCL Institute of ArchaeologyCentre for Applied Archaeology (CAA)Archaeology South-EastInternational Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology
{{authority control 1937 establishments in England Archaeological research institutes Education in the London Borough of Camden Archaeological collections Research institutes in London