Come join us for the 2026 #FestivalofArchaeology on site at Yeavering from Friday 31 July to Saturday 1 August, including additional activities at Ad Gefrin Distillery & Museum on Sunday 2 August. Full schedule: gefrintrust.org/2026-yeaveri... Book tickets: ticketpass.org/event/EBUOPO...

🚨 Calling all early career archaeologists from South America 🚨 Applications for the #RewritingWorldArchaeology programme are now open! Learn how to get your research published in reputable international journals and reshape world archaeology at www.durham.ac.uk/departments/... Deadline: 15 June 🏺

📣Applications now open for a fully-funded AHRC PhD studentship at Durham on ‘Corbridge Roman Town: Economy and Society on the Edges of Roman Britain’, in partnership with English Heritage! 📅Deadline for applications: 1st of June 2026. 👉Find out more: www.durham.ac.uk/departments/... #DUresearch

New paper! Developed from the PhD research of one of our DU team members, it investigates ceramic production and cultural change during the #CopperAge in Southern Italy. (1/2) doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Serving the living and the dead: An integrated approach to Copper Age ceramic production and cultural dynamics in Campania, Southern Italy

This study explores the contribution of large scale integrated pottery analysis to the definition of broader cultural processes and, more specifically, highlights for the first time changes in the rol...

doi.org

#NewResearch: Dr Qian Gao explores the interaction of heritage conservation and social values at two Buddhism-inspired rock carvings (Dazu and Anyue) in southwest China. Learn more about this study and 'living heritage' sites: www.durham.ac.uk/departments/... #Archaeology #Heritage #DUresearch

Qian Gao World Archaeology article - Durham University

durham.ac.uk

Read the original research in Antiquity 🆓 Vehicles of change: two exceptional deposits of destroyed chariots or wagons from Late Iron Age Britain - doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 10/10 🧵 @arcdurham.bsky.social @durham.ac.uk

Vehicles of change: two exceptional deposits of destroyed chariots or wagons from Late Iron Age Britain | Antiquity

Two exceptional metalwork deposits, discovered at Melsonby, North Yorkshire, together constitute one of the largest Iron Age hoards recovered in Britain. Dominated by ornate horse harness and vehicle parts, these first-century AD assemblages provide possibly the first evidence for four-wheeled wagons from Iron Age Britain. Associated geographically and temporally with another hoard found in 1843 and with the Late Iron Age ‘royal site’ at Stanwick, these deposits have the potential to broaden our understanding not only of the varied forms of wheeled transport but also of expressions of wealth, status and elite mortuary practices in Iron Age Britain.

cambridge.org

NEW The Melsonby Hoards, one of Britain's largest #IronAge metalwork deposits, made the news last year when their discovery was announced, and now the analysis is published in Antiquity! Learn how they change our understanding of Iron Age Britain in this #AntiquityThread 1/10 🧵 🏺 #Archaeology

A medieval wall painting hidden for centuries is giving new clues to the grand past of Durham Castle. The painting, a masonry pattern with central flower and stem motif, was revealed during renovation work and recorded by @arcdurham.bsky.social and @durhamhistory.bsky.social 👉 tinyurl.com/3ewkbjd9

New paper out today from Durham Glaciology member Lauren Gill! Lauren's interdisciplinary PhD is exploring how processes and change in glacial environments impact the preservation and analysis of human remains. ❄️🌡️🦴 @geogdurham.bsky.social @arcdurham.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Taphonomic impact on human remains in rapidly changing glacial environments: current insights and future directions - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences - Glaciers worldwide are undergoing accelerated down-wasting and retreat due to a warming climate, increasingly leading to the melt-out and exposure of...

link.springer.com

Meet Professor Chris Gerrard from our @arcdurham.bsky.social. From solving centuries-old mysteries to mentoring the next generation of researchers, find out more about Chris’s career and passion for archaeology 👉https://bit.ly/4rGPHBD

Readers of Current Archaeology Magazine have voted to make the Melsonby Hoard Iron Age find its ‘Rescue Project of the Year’. The hoard was excavated by @arcdurham.bsky.social, including Archaeological Services, with support from The British Museum and Historic England 👉 tinyurl.com/cjfmauj9

Did you know that @arcdurham.bsky.social researchers, together with @ucl.ac.uk and Toraighyrov University, uncovered a large Bronze Age settlement that changes what we know about life on the Eurasian steppe?⚒️ 👉 tinyurl.com/48nesvza @dl-arch.bsky.social @uclarchaeology.bsky.social

The Melsonby Hoard will go on public display at the Yorkshire Museum later this year. This internationally significant Iron Age find was excavated by @arcdurham.bsky.social, including our Archaeological Services team. Find out more 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

NEW Utilising Second World War aerial photography, researchers have identified a monumental Persian garden complex on the outskirts of Tabriz, Iran. One of the largest examples identified, it is also unique in comparison to its contemporaries. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

NEW How did ancient cities adapt to changes and overcome crises? By applying resilience theory to Northern Mesopotamian urban centres, researchers empirically analyse how settlement networks and connectivity changed over time. A resilient #AntiquityThread 🧵 1/9 🏺 #Archaeology

Our innovative and impactful research transforms lives and makes a difference, globally and locally. Discover more in our Global Research Newsletter 👉 mailchi.mp/96a54d0bd591... #DUresearch

📣 📣 Our new paper on the discovery of a 'lost' Persian Garden in #Tabriz #Iran using aerial photographs taken during the Second World War has just been published #OpenAccess in @antiquity.ac.uk. Read it here👇🏻 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... @unioxarchaeology.bsky.social @arcdurham.bsky.social

New paper out 🥳 In "#Urban #resilience in Ancient #Mesopotamia: insights into the socioeconomic system of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley", we are mapping network metrics of urban dynamics onto #Holling's adaptive cycle. Full open-access paper here: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Urban resilience in Ancient Mesopotamia: insights into the socioeconomic system of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

Urban resilience in Ancient Mesopotamia: insights into the socioeconomic system of the Bronze and Iron Age Khabur Valley

doi.org

The project and discovery of the whetstones has been led by Gary Bankhead and the Vedra Hylton Community Association, with support from @arcdurham.bsky.social staff and students. We’re looking forward to seeing where they taking things next! @durham.ac.uk

Cast your vote to make the Melsonby Hoard @currentarchaeology.bsky.social's Rescue Project of the Year 2026! Unearthed by our archaeologists, the hoard is one of the UK’s largest and most important Iron Age finds 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/... @proftommoore.bsky.social

Vote to make Melsonby Hoard Current Archaeology’s Rescue Project of the Year - Durham University

durham.ac.uk

New #Antiquity blog post co-authored by our Dept's Prof Dan Lawrence @dl-arch.bsky.social! 👇

Antiquity Journal@antiquity.ac.uk · 8mo ago

You may have seen the recent #ProjectGallery on Semiyarka: a Bronze Age permanent settlement on a scale previously unknown for the Eurasian steppe! 🏺 In our latest #AntiquityBlog, the authors discuss the first excavations there & next steps for the research: www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...

📣 New senior academic job opening 📣 We are looking for an outstanding candidate to join us as Professor of Cultural and Natural Heritage! Learn more and apply: durham.taleo.net/careersectio... 📅 Closes 31 Jan 2026, 11:59pm GMT

The international investigation was led by Dr Viktor Merz and Dr Ilya Merz from Toraighyrov University (Kazakhstan), Dr Miljana Radivojević from @uclarchaeology.bsky.social and Professor Dan Lawrence (@dl-arch.bsky.social) from @arcdurham.bsky.social 7/14

NEW In the heart of the Eurasian steppe, a #BronzeAge metropolis has been unearthed, showing that the settlements of nomadic steppe societies were just as sophisticated as contemporary, more traditionally 'urban' civilisations. #AntiquityThread 1/14 🧵 🏺 #Archaeology

Archaeologists have unearthed a Bronze Age metropolis in the heart of the Eurasian steppe: an early form of city as complex as those of contemporary, more traditionally 'urban' civilisations, showing how steppe polities were just as sophisticated. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

New paper out! 🥳 We use MCMC-MLE Temporal Exponential Random Graph Models (MTERGMs) to assess which network patterns and social processes explain the formation of the ancient hollow ways. Read the full open access paper here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #Archaeology #NetworkScience

The social behind the physical - Assessing tie formation processes of ancient route systems

Analysing and understanding connectivity of human social networks of (ancient) societies offers new perspectives on their functioning. However, social…

sciencedirect.com

Fascinating new #research by @nikulinaav.bsky.social, who has recently joined @arcdurham.bsky.social. She used an innovative #AI approach to reveal how #Neanderthals shaped Europe's #landscapes. Read her @plosone.org paper: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... #archaeology @unileiden.bsky.social

On the ecological impact of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in Europe: Early Holocene (Mesolithic) and Last Interglacial (Neanderthal) foragers compared

Recent studies have highlighted evidence of human impact on landscapes dating back to the Late Pleistocene–long before the advent of agriculture. Quantifying the extent of vegetation transformations b...

journals.plos.org

Dr. Anastasia Nikulina@nikulinaav.bsky.social · 10mo ago

🔥Before farming, hunter-gatherers already transformed nearly half of Europe’s #landscapes via burning and hunting! Our new study using an #AI approach shows #Neanderthals began reshaping ecosystems; later foragers continued this process 👉 journals.plos.org/plosone/arti... #Paleoecology #Anthropocene

Our team @arcdurham.bsky.social in Erbil with colleagues from the General Directorate of Heritage & Museums, developing a national heritage database to support the protection & sustainable management of the KRI's rich cultural heritage -they also tested the Amal in Heritage app for site assessment.

To celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, we're shining a spotlight on our wonderful range of curated resources. From eBooks to films, there’s plenty to explore 📚💜 Through our Liberate My Library reading list, you can access a selection of books and eBooks suggested by staff and students 🌈

🔔🧠 New research alert! 🧠🔔 Our Dr Eva Fernandez-Dominguez (senior author), Dr Kelly Blevins and Prof Janet Montgomery are part of a worldwide team that analysed patterns of mobility of the first farmer societies of Southwest Asia. Learn more below! 👇 www.durham.ac.uk/departments/... #Archaeology

Ancient teeth provide new insight into the lives of the world’s first farming villagers  - Durham University

durham.ac.uk