Richard John Harrison (born August 1949) is an archaeologist and Professor in the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...

, England.Bristol University: Professor Richard Harrison
/ref> Harrison studied at

Selwyn College, Cambridge Selwyn College, Cambridge is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1882 by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of George Selwyn (bishop of Lichfield), Georg ...

, and gained his

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1970. He held a Prize Fellowship at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

from 1970 to 1975, and was awarded his PhD in Anthropology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1975. His first employment was in the Department of Prehistoric and Roman-British Antiquities at the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, from where he moved to the University of Bristol as a lecturer in 1976. In 1977 he was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and in 2003 to be a Corresponding Fellow of the Deutsches Archaeologisches Institut in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Richard Harrison is known for his work on the

Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

s of Europe, in particular

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. He began with an interest in the problems that the

Bell Beaker culture The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, arising from around ...

poses, which broadened to an interest in the reasons how and why prehistoric societies changed in the manner they did. He has conducted excavations in Spain on the remains of four

villages (dated 2600–1000 BC) in the region of

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...

and published his findings (see the selected publications below). Harrison's excavations were supported for many years by the ' Earthwatch' programme.Bristol University: Professor Richard Harrison
A collaborative project for a three-year study of Beaker cemeteries in Bavaria is supported by a grant from the Von Thyssen Stiftung. Its aim is to use the DNA preserved in ancient skeletons to determine patterns of kinship, immigration and residence.

Selected publications

* 2007—co-author V. Heyd. The Transformation of Europe in the 3rd Millennium BC ''Prähistorische Zeitschrift'' (Berlin) 82/2, pp. 129–214. * 2007—Majaladares (Spain). ''A Bronze Age Village of Farmers, Hunters and Herders''. * 2004 -- ''Symbols and Warriors: Images of the European Bronze Age''. * 1998 -- (co-authors M. T. Andrés Rupérez and G. Moreno López.) '' Un Poblado de la Edad del Bronce en El Castillo (Frías de Albarracín, Teruel).'' * 1996 -- (co-authors G. Moreno López and

Anthony Legge Professor Anthony James Legge ( 6 June 1939 – 4 February 2013). was a British archaeologist and academic, who specialised in zooarchaeology. After attending the Cambridge High School for Boys, he began work at the Institute of Animal Physiolog ...

). ''Moncín;Un Poblado de la Edad del Bronce (Borja, Zaragoza).'' Zaragoza; Ministerio de Cultura. * 1988 -- ''Spain at the Dawn of History: Iberians, Phoenicians and Greeks'' Thames and Hudson Ltd., London. * 1980 -- ''The Beaker Folk: Copper Age Archaeology in Western Europe'' Thames and Hudson Ltd, London. * 1977 -- ''The Bell Beaker Cultures of Spain and Portugal''. American School of Prehistoric Research, Bulletin No. 35, Peabody Museum, Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Richard J. 1949 births Living people Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni British archaeologists Academics of the University of Bristol Alumni of Selwyn College, Cambridge Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London