Latest News
Evidence suggests Vikings brought animals to Britain
Our archaeologists have found what they say is the first solid scientific evidence suggesting that Vikings crossed the North Sea to Britain with dogs and horses.
Students discover the first warrior stela in its archaeological context
Last summer, a group of Durham Archaeology students took part in a very special discovery: the first Late Bronze Age (c. 1200-900 BC) warrior stela found in its original context in Iberia.
Neanderthals: the oldest art in the world wasn’t made by Homo sapiens
Professor Paul Pettitt, from our Department of Archaeology, sheds some light on Neanderthal art.
New study reveals evidence of early Ice Age writing and what it meant
A research team including two Durham University academics have decoded the meaning of markings seen in Ice Age drawings, and in doing so found evidence of early writing dating back at least 14,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Reading our Future in the Bones of Children Past
An interview with Christian Harkensee and Rebecca Gowland discussing what the past can reveal about the social forces that shape modern health crises.
Forensic Archaeology and Human Rights: Where the past meets the present
Professor Rebecca Gowland from our Department of Archaeology shares her research insights and reflects on how the deceased are incorporated into discussions of human rights.
Archaeology Athena SWAN Silver Award
The Department of Archaeology is pleased to announce it has been granted a Silver Athena SWAN Gender Charter award.
New book by Professor Paul Pettitt examines how novel scientific advances are transforming our understanding of human evolution
'Homo Sapiens Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins' by Professor Paul Pettitt explores how our ancestors developed and innovated during the Palaeolithic period.
Durham University contributes to the survey of Egyptian archaeology
This summer, teams from Durham worked as part of the Delta Survey project in the north Nile Delta, where a further 9 sites were surveyed.
Neanderthals: how a carnivore diet may have led to their demise
Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology investigates how understanding our ancestors' diets can reveal crucial information about their varying degrees of evolutionary success.
Glaciers in the Anthropocene. A Biocultural View
Daniel Gaudio (Durham University) and Mauro Gobbi (MUSE-Science Museum of Trento) explore the impact of retreating glaciers on ecology, heritage and bioarchaeology in their new article in Nature and Culture.
Scotland's First Farmers Didn't Need Manure
Early farming in Scotland was a less smelly affair than elsewhere, as new research shows they did not need to use manure to fertilise their fields.