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Digging at Auckland Castle: Archaeology students meet Durham University Vice Chancellor and Warden and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Global)

Durham University's Department of Archaeology's annual excavation at Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, took place over the course of three weeks in June, serving as the field training for our first-year students.
Two people are talking inside an archaeological trench, where remains of stone floors are gradually being uncovered. In the background are some Archaeology students with mattocks, buckets and shovels. In the far distance are arched medieval stone walls under a bluish grey cloudy sky.

Durham Professors elected to prestigious British Academy

Congratulations to Canon Professor Michael Snape and Professor Janet Montgomery who have been recognised for their contribution to the humanities and social sciences.
Canon Professor Michael Snape (left) and Professor Janet Montgomery (right)

Department of Archaeology’s excavations visited by British Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova

Fern Horine, the British Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, visited the Department of Archaeology’s excavations in the village of Climăuții de Jos on the banks of the river Dneistr.
Three people stand next to an archaeological trench that is being excavated by Durham undergraduate students. Remains of stone tools are dotted around the trench centre and there is also evidence that mammoth tusk was worked.

International researchers come together at 'Jealous Laws' conference: brief report

Organised by our final-year PhD researchers, Pertev Basri and Batuhan Özdemir, and our Digital Archaeology and Heritage Technician Alexander Jansen, the conference titled 'Jealous Laws': Collecting, Studying, and Managing Antiquities in the Ottoman Mediterranean during the Long 19th Century took place on Friday 17th May, in the Department of Archaeology (D110). The conference featured nine distinguished speakers from around the world, each presenting unique perspectives on the subject.
View from a back of a full lecture theatre with tiered seating. One conference organiser stands on the central steps halfway up the theatre, another stands in the front of the lecture theatre. People are engaging in discussion and many have their laptops open or paper out on the tables to take notes. There are screens at the front of the lecture theatre with people attending the event online.

Archaeologists set out to uncover ‘lost house’ at landmark castle

Our archaeologists are part of a 100-strong team aiming to uncover the mysteries of a ‘lost’ house at Auckland Castle, County Durham, UK.
Archaeologists working at Auckland Castle

Blue plaque honouring Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp unveiled at Jarrow Hall

Rosemary's blue plaque was unveiled last Thursday 23rd May, at the launch of the 'Ground Breaker' exhibition celebrating our Archaeology Department's co-founder and pioneering archaeologist.
Three smartly dressed and smiling people, Councillor Fay Cunningham, Mayoress Stella Matthewson and Professor Chris Gerrard, stand in front of a wall that features a blue plaque honouring Professor Dame Rosemary Cramp, 1929 - 2023.

Five Years On: The impact of Training in Action - Heritage Preservation in Post-conflict North Africa

Read the Impact Evaluation report of the project Training in Action, led by our Department's Professor Anna Leone and funded by the Cultural Protection Fund (CPF).
Geophysical survey training

Archaeologists discover a ‘lost’ earthquake and solve mystery of abandoned medieval village

New research into a medieval village in southern Spain has found that an earthquake likely caused its abandonment in the 13th century. 
The El Castillejo Islamic settlement in Los Guajares, Granada

Department of Archaeology Ranked =5th in the QS World University Rankings 2024

The Department of Archaeology is delighted to announce that we have been ranked =5th in the prestigious QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.
Background photo of a person in a lab coat and gloves cleaning remains of a boot, overlaid with text reading 'Joint 5th in the world'. Below the image is written 'Archaeology' and the QS World University Rankings logo.

Durham archaeologists show their strength at key West Asia Archaeology conference

Durham staff and students, and former visiting scholars and honorary fellows of the department showed the department’s strength in archaeology of the Middle-East at the 2024 meeting of the British Association of Near Eastern Archaeology (BANEA), hosted by Glasgow University earlier this year.
Group photo of smiling members of the Archaeology Department, at the conference celebration event.

New edition of key Archaeology textbook welcomes new co-author and looks to the future

Serving as a core textbook, and engaging students with contemporary issues, this book is designed to support students studying Archaeology at an introductory level.
Book cover of the sixth edition of 'Archaeology An Introduction', authored by Hannah Cobb, Kevin Green and Tom Moore. The cover photo shows two archaeologists in high vis vests and hard hats working on an excavation site, with equipment such as trowels, shovels and buckets. The Routledge logo is visible in the bottom left corner.

Alumni Spotlight: Edith Chong

Edith Chong studied for a BA in Archaeology between 2015 and 2018. Now she works as a Cataloguer for the Watch Department at Bonhams Auctioneers, based in London.
Durham alumna Edith Chong stood in the street