"study" blog posts

Follow the Archaeology Field School 2020 live-blogTwo students digging

Follow the Archaeology Field School 2020 live-blog

Sadly the issues around managing COVID-19 meant that we could not return to Norton Priory in June, and still could not do so as the new academic year started in October. However, Dr Rob Philpott and Professor Harold Mytum planned some alternative venues and a range of activities so that the students did not start their second year without getting at least a bit dirty and initiated into the mysteries of field archaeology.

Posted on: 7 October 2020

Podcast: Uncovering the biology of the past with Professor Keith DobneyKeith and Ardern

Podcast: Uncovering the biology of the past with Professor Keith Dobney

Listen to Professor Keith Dobney talk with Professor Nick Enfield (Director of the University of Sydney’s Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre) about research into past-human-animal relationships.

Posted on: 28 September 2020

Harold Mytum talks about graveyards at the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology Harold Mytum helping a community group with their graveyard recording

Harold Mytum talks about graveyards at the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology

With the coronavirus restrictions, the CBA’s annual Festival of Archaeology is a digital event this year, running from the 9th July. Other ‘normal’ activities are to take place, all being well, in November. As part of this event, Professor Harold Mytum has given two lectures on graveyards and cemeteries, and the monuments in these important heritage sites found all across Britain and Ireland.

Posted on: 21 July 2020

Barking Up the Right Tree - Updates from Deep RootsMiombo woodland, northern Zambia

Barking Up the Right Tree - Updates from Deep Roots

Professor Larry Barham provides a fantastic update from the 'Deep Roots' project, and the award of Endangered Material Knowledge Programme funding for research into the archaeological use of bark. Professor Barham and his team's four year project investigates the deep roots of increasingly complex human behaviour in Africa, with excavations at key sites in Zambia.

Posted on: 16 June 2020

Locked Out! - Updates from Deep Roots Professor Larry Barham updates us on the Deep Roots project.

Locked Out! - Updates from Deep Roots

Professor Larry Barham provides an update from the 'Deep Roots' project under lock-down, from his lab in the garden. Professor Barham and his team's four year project investigates the deep roots of increasingly complex human behaviour in Africa, with excavations at key sites in Zambia.

Posted on: 19 May 2020

Stone Age memories

Stone Age memories

Professor Larry Barham visits Ormskirk West End Primary School to teach pupils about the Stone Age and the development of early tools.

Posted on: 7 April 2020

Celebrating the research of Professor John GowlettJohn Gowlett in Olorgesailie, Kenya

Celebrating the research of Professor John Gowlett

When and why did human ancestors begin to master fire? How did we come to have such large brains, or to develop language? Why did handaxes – such a fundamental element of the prehistoric archaeological record – persist for more than a million years? Do they reflect social norms or ‘design rules’ passed on from one individual to another? These questions – and many more – have been central to the research of our very own Prof. John Gowlett during the course of his career. And through John’s research, they have become central issues for understanding human evolution.

Posted on: 2 April 2020

Amelia Edwards: An International Women's Day Special

Amelia Edwards: An International Women's Day Special

Amelia Edwards was a prominent travel writer and Egyptologist. On her travels throughout Egypt she famously wrote the travel text 'A Thousand Miles up the Nile' which provided a vivid and detailed account of the environment, monuments and local customs seen all over Egypt. In particular, Edwards' illustrations in this text opened up to new audiences the wonders and splendours of this little known country.

Posted on: 6 March 2020

Managing and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā todayPā in the process of transition in management with overgrown earthwork defences

Managing and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā today

Professor Harold Mytum concludes the blog series from his visit to New Zealand by exploring the relationship between the hill forts and contemporary Maori culture.

Posted on: 18 February 2020

Exploring The Archaeology and Topography of GreeceNiamh Banner at the Sanctuary of Artemis

Exploring The Archaeology and Topography of Greece

Niamh Banner (BA Classical Studies with Spanish) shares her experience at the British School at Athens on their Undergraduate Course: a three-week intensive course exploring ‘The Archaeology and Topography of Greece’ with lectures at dozens of sites, museums and even artefact handling sessions in the BSA fitch laboratory.

Posted on: 10 February 2020

The Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape contextRangihoua pā overlooking the Oihi mission site on the terrace in the foreground; the monument celebrates Marsden’s first Christian service on New Zealand soil.

The Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape context

The more pā sites Harold Mytum has visited as part of the Hill Fort Study Group (HFSG) visit, and we learn of the early relationships with the British, the more it is clear that the indigenous groups wielded considerable influence in the early decades of contact. The ways in which the Maori leaders of iwi (the largest kinship grouping) used interactions with foreigners for their own social advantage are clear.

Posted on: 6 February 2020

Maori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the PresentKororipo pā, home of the Maori Ngāpuhi chief, Hongi Kika who allowed British settlement on the lower land under his control.

Maori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the Present

Harold Mytum has joined the Hill Fort Study Group (HFSG) study tour of sites in the North Island of New Zealand, home to the greatest concentration of Maori at the time of Captain Cook and indeed still so today.

Posted on: 31 January 2020

Our top revision tips for exam season Student reading book in library.

Our top revision tips for exam season

It’s that time of year again. But you’ve got this. Deep breath.

Posted on: 6 January 2020

Searching for a lost Medieval Manx Nunnery

Searching for a lost Medieval Manx Nunnery

The Isle of Man maintained only three monastic establishments during the later Middle Ages, one being a Nunnery on the edge of what is now the Island’s largest town, Douglas, where Harold Mytum and Rob Philpott have just completed an excavation on its possible site.

Posted on: 19 December 2019

Local Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUni

Local Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUni

Children from local schools in Anfield took part in a special week-long focus on Ancient History. Kristian Boote, PhD Student in Evolutionary Anthropology, provides an overview of the week.

Posted on: 16 December 2019

Alumni and Friends Fund for the ACE photogrammetry team — introducing this year’s projects

Alumni and Friends Fund for the ACE photogrammetry team — introducing this year’s projects

Ardern Hulme-Beaman, Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow with the department, shares the progress of the ACE photogrammetry team and their plans for the future.

Posted on: 11 December 2019

Brownies Dig the Dirt on Archaeology

Brownies Dig the Dirt on Archaeology

Our Archaeology students welcomed a local Brownie group to learn all things Archaeology for the Science Jamboree with Merseyside Scouts.

Posted on: 4 December 2019

Gallery: Professor Keith Dobney travels inland to further explore Chinese archaeology and culture

Gallery: Professor Keith Dobney travels inland to further explore Chinese archaeology and culture

After several weeks in Shanghai, spent writing, lecturing and discussing labs and potential projects, I headed northeast and inland to Xi’an where I visited colleagues in the large Department of Archaeology, School of Cultural Heritage, Conservation and Restoration at Northwest University.

Posted on: 28 November 2019

Mapping Jersey’s forgotten military past

Mapping Jersey’s forgotten military past

Jersey is well known for its World War 2 military remains that are scattered across the island, relics of the Nazi occupation. Many are tourist attractions, and both local inhabitants and visitors are well aware of this aspect of Jersey’s heritage. Much less well known, however, is that Jersey’s contribution to the British war effort in World War 1 included not only sending men and women to join the armed forces, but also housing German prisoners of war.

Posted on: 18 November 2019

Gallery: Professor Keith Dobney invited to Institute of Archaeological Science at Fudan, China

Gallery: Professor Keith Dobney invited to Institute of Archaeological Science at Fudan, China

I’m here for the whole of November at the kind invitation of my good friend and colleague (Professor Yuan Jing) who is the Director of a newly established Institute of Archaeological Science at Fudan. I’ll be giving some public lectures, meeting students and staff, attending lab meetings, doing some guest teaching and discussing new facilities, research collaborations and links with ACE.

Posted on: 14 November 2019

Bio: Sydney Hunter, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Liverpool

Bio: Sydney Hunter, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Liverpool

During the academic year 2019-20 we are very happy to welcome to the department Fulbright scholar Sydney Hunter, who is pursuing an MA in Archaeology. The prestigious Fulbright program allows the exchange of knowledge and cultural experiences between the United States and the other participating countries. It is a life-changing opportunity that helps build stronger career profiles, and provides students with new connections to other scholars in the field and access to different approaches to research.

Posted on: 12 November 2019

SACE Digging Day at the Williamson Tunnels

SACE Digging Day at the Williamson Tunnels

Following their trip to the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre, Megan Clark discusses a successful day spent digging by the Society of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.

Posted on: 17 October 2019

Introducing the 2019/20 Work in Progress seminar series

Introducing the 2019/20 Work in Progress seminar series

The Work in Progress seminar series is a weekly selection of papers presented by postgraduate researchers to an audience of specialists and non-specialists alike.

Posted on: 2 October 2019

The crunch – and a time for dancing

The crunch – and a time for dancing

Larry Barham, Professor of African Archaeology at the University of Liverpool, is Principal Investigator of the AHRC-funded Deep Roots research project, which seeks to gain a greater understanding into the origins of human technology by excavating areas of interest in Zambia. Read an excerpt from his blog following an excavation that took place in the summer, and watch as an Early Stone Age artefact is uncovered at the site of Kalambo Falls.

Posted on: 30 September 2019

Q&A: The Society for Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE)

Q&A: The Society for Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE)

With Welcome Week now upon us, students may be looking to join societies and make new friends with similar interests. With this in mind we spoke with SACE, the Society for Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, to find out what the society has to offer.

Posted on: 17 September 2019

Five things to do during Welcome WeekLiverpool skyline - photo by Charles Pragnell from Pexels

Five things to do during Welcome Week

Welcome Week kicks off on Monday, giving new students the opportunity to get to know their new flatmates, explore Liverpool and settle in before they start lectures. Take a look at our top five tips to help you get started with university life.

Posted on: 13 September 2019

Meet the Lecturer: Dr Frederick Jones ARBSA

Meet the Lecturer: Dr Frederick Jones ARBSA

Dr Frederick Jones is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool. A specialist in Classic languages, Dr Jones is also an accomplished artist and is an Associate of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA). Find out how his work in Classics is intertwined with his art.

Posted on: 10 September 2019

Hafting and the development of combinatorial technology

Hafting and the development of combinatorial technology

Professor Larry Barham of the University of Liverpool's Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology explains how the use of experimental archaeology can be used to uncover the history of hafting, which gave rise to the combinatorial technology we rely on today.

Posted on: 10 July 2019

Final Year Employment contest

Final Year Employment contest

At the end of last term, three successful graduates, who all got their degrees from the ACE, returned to the department to judge a final year presentation competition. Posing as a ‘Dragon’s Den’ of potential employers, the panel of experts were asked to judge six group presentations by teams of students on the third year module Greek Colonisation and British Imperial Thought (ALGY 336).

Posted on: 15 May 2019

CLAH Seminars: Aspects of Reception

CLAH Seminars: Aspects of Reception

Liverpool’s Classics degree has a strong interest in reception – but what is ‘reception’? In this blogpost, I review four speakers in the Classics and Ancient History seminars who, in four very different ways, showcase some of the ways ‘reception’ can be understood.

Posted on: 13 May 2019

From el-Amarna to the English National OperaStudent visit to London

From el-Amarna to the English National Opera

Earlier this month, 10 Liverpool Egyptology students (both undergraduate and postgraduate), undertook a two-day visit to London – part-funded by a faculty prize for the quality of our Egyptology teaching. The trip was heavily oversubscribed, and students were selected by random ballot for the trip. We arranged the excursion around a visit to the English National Opera (ENO) to see Philip Glass' opera Akhnaten, based on the controversial pharaoh who abandoned Egypt's traditional gods, and instead devoted himself to the worship of the sun.

Posted on: 2 April 2019

Sappho: a strong and modern female voicepainting of Sappho

Sappho: a strong and modern female voice

For Women's History Month, ancient history student Kian Goodsell explores the work of Greek poet, Sappho.

Posted on: 28 March 2019

Alice in Wonderland - My trip to the stores of the World Museumartefact from the Liverpool World Museum

Alice in Wonderland - My trip to the stores of the World Museum

Egyptology MA student Alice Baddeley reflects on her opportunity to visit the storeroom of Liverpool's World Museum as part of her Masters study.

Posted on: 19 March 2019

Guest speaker: Exploring evolution and entanglementIan Hodder and students

Guest speaker: Exploring evolution and entanglement

Two of our graduate students in Archaeology, Emily Prtak and Eleanor de Spretter Yates, reflect on our recent Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (ACE) flagship seminar, on the theme of 'Evolution and Entanglement' featuring guest speaker Professor Ian Hodder (Stanford University):

Posted on: 8 March 2019

Classics and Ancient History seminars this semester: Sicily and rhetoric

Classics and Ancient History seminars this semester: Sicily and rhetoric

The Classics and Ancient History seminars this semester have got off to a great start, with the emergence of a surprise emphasis on Sicily in our first two seminars.

Posted on: 4 March 2019

LGBT History Month - Homosexuality in Ancient GreeceAttic vase c. 500 B.C., attrib. to the Sosias-Painter, Antikensammlung Berlin F2278

LGBT History Month - Homosexuality in Ancient Greece

This February in the department we have been reflecting about LGBT history, not least following the wonderful lecture by Prof Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones on Alexander the Great. In this post, Dr Ben Cartlidge dwells on a puzzling feature of the ancient Greek evidence for male homosexuality.

Posted on: 27 February 2019

Alexander the Great or Alexander the Gay?Montage of LGBT-themed Alexander the Great imagery

Alexander the Great or Alexander the Gay?

For LGBT history month, guest blogger Prof Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Chair of Ancient History, Cardiff University) asks: 'Alexander the Great or Alexander the Gay?' before his talk this week, exploring Alexander's sexuality and popular culture.

Posted on: 19 February 2019

End of an era: ACE’s Penycloddiau field school comes to a natural closePenycloddia Field School - Foundation Stone

End of an era: ACE’s Penycloddiau field school comes to a natural close

With the ACE field school now moved to Norton Priory, a small but perfectly-formed team completed the former field school site at the Penycloddiau Hillfort between 15 July - 11 August. The excavations worked to train eight students, in partnership with the Institute for Field Research (IFR Global), alongside onward employability training for recent graduates.

Posted on: 25 October 2018

Vandals and fragments: what to expect from our classics and ancient history seminarsFragments of ancient writing

Vandals and fragments: what to expect from our classics and ancient history seminars

Research Fellow, Ben Cartlidge, gives us the inside track on the varied themes covered in our Classics and Ancient History seminars at Liverpool - from ancient religion to music and poetry.

Posted on: 19 October 2018

New texts from an old site: discoveries from the September 2018 season at the Hatnub alabaster quarriesEntrance to Hatnub Quarry P

New texts from an old site: discoveries from the September 2018 season at the Hatnub alabaster quarries

Roland Enmarch is Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool and co-director of the Anglo-French Hatnub Survey / Mission de Hatnoub, along with Dr. Yannis Gourdon (IFAO). In this blog, Roland provides an overview of his visit to Hatnub, Egypt, examining the ancient inscriptions in the site's alabaster quarries.

Posted on: 9 October 2018

Georgia's Archaeological Adventures in AlaskaGeorgia Hetherington - Nunalleq

Georgia's Archaeological Adventures in Alaska

Georgia Hetherington, second-year BSc Archaeology student, recently had the trip of a lifetime during a three week excavation in Alaska. Read her blog and discover some of her amazing experiences.

Posted on: 24 September 2018

Mary Beard comes to Liverpool!

Mary Beard comes to Liverpool!

This summer, Prof Mary Beard came to Liverpool to give two lectures on the Meroë head of Augustus from the British Museum - which was temporarily on display at the Victoria Gallery & Museum on campus.

Posted on: 17 August 2018

University Archaeology Day and London Anthropology Day 2018University Archaeology Day and London Anthropology Day 2018 - Lego

University Archaeology Day and London Anthropology Day 2018

This year, the University of Liverpool's Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology was represented at the British Museum as part of University Archaeology Day 2018 and London Anthropology Day 2018.

Posted on: 10 August 2018

Five things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology this summerACE society

Five things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology this summer

With summer now upon us, you might be looking for things to do in Merseyside before the start of the new term (trust us, this will come around very quickly!). While teaching may be over until September, there’s still plenty of things to do and see in the area that relate to Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology: from Neolithic monuments to Egyptian treasures…

Posted on: 7 June 2018

Studying the past for success in the future: tips and tricks to get the most out of your degreeACE staff and student group photo

Studying the past for success in the future: tips and tricks to get the most out of your degree

Finishing university is daunting, especially when you’re not 100% sure which path you wish to take through life. For this reason, as a third year Evolutionary Anthropology student, I am always looking for new ways to improve my CV and ‘stand out from the crowd’. I have found plenty of opportunities through our Department, and so I have compiled some of the most crucial which have dramatically improved my applications.

Posted on: 19 April 2018

Using modern technology to model ancient worldsKeith and Ardern

Using modern technology to model ancient worlds

Would 3D digital objects help your project? Could you analyse aspects of your sites or objects in a new way by quantifying it in 3D space? Could you draw more people to interact with your work by engaging with them through a digital medium? Ardern Hulme-Beaman discusses how photogrammetry is revolutionising the work of our academics, and how you can learn more about this innovative technique.

Posted on: 12 March 2018

Fall of Troy: the legend and the factsTroy

Fall of Troy: the legend and the facts

The legendary ancient city of Troy is very much in the limelight this year. A big budget co-production between the BBC and Netflix 'Troy: Fall of a City' recently launched, while Turkey designated 2018 the “Year of Troy” and plans a year of celebration, including the opening of a new museum on the presumed site.

Posted on: 6 March 2018

Chasing Rainbows: The Search for Gay Material CultureIllustration of explorer with rainbow flag

Chasing Rainbows: The Search for Gay Material Culture

After thinking about LGBT+ History Month 2018 last month, I thought it would be interesting to take a look how much archaeology can contribute to our understanding of gay history.

Posted on: 1 March 2018

The Blind School: Pioneering People and PlacesFMcF exploring tactile map

The Blind School: Pioneering People and Places

Outside of her research, Archaeology PhD student Kerry Massheder-Rigby has been working on the HLF funded History of Place project since 2016 as Project Coordinator, investigating the history of the Royal School for the Blind in Liverpool. In this blog, Kerry shares her experience of working on the project and tells us how this work ties in with her research interests.

Posted on: 27 February 2018

From the Ancient World to the near future - skills that can help you stand out from the crowd!Students in front of a museum

From the Ancient World to the near future - skills that can help you stand out from the crowd!

How has one of our archaeology MA students been using her skills outside of university studies? Chloé Agar tells us more about how the content of her degree is helping her explore different career ideas for the future, outside of academia

Posted on: 29 January 2018

ACE researcher in the spotlight: Dr. Shirley Curtis-SummersDr. Shirley Curtis Summers

ACE researcher in the spotlight: Dr. Shirley Curtis-Summers

I am currently an honorary research associate in ACE and since completing my PhD in 2015, I have held posts in ACE, History, Anatomy, Continuing Education and Public Health and Policy. I am also a consultant human osteologist, working with heritage companies and museums to provide human osteology assessments/reports and deliver public engagement events.

Posted on: 11 December 2017

Early Village Societies research group seminar seriesEarly Village Society Seminar

Early Village Societies research group seminar series

The first seminar of the Early Village Societies research group for this academic year recently took place, where two of our PhD students presented on the first stages of their research.

Posted on: 1 December 2017

Spotlight: Professor Keith Dobney, Head of Department for ACECreating a 3D image of a dog skull using photogrammetry in Bern, 2015

Spotlight: Professor Keith Dobney, Head of Department for ACE

As the (relatively) new Head of Department for ACE, I’m extremely happy to contribute another blog post here, to help celebrate and promote our great department. Make no mistake, we do have a lot to shout about; our long and colourful heritage of over 100 years, the distinctive combination of related disciplines, our newly refurbished facilities, a dynamic and world-class profile for teaching and research and, of course, a great staff and student body.

Posted on: 29 November 2017

Spotlight: Covering Neolithic botany to human skeletal anatomy - meet four of our researchersDr Kimberly Plomp

Spotlight: Covering Neolithic botany to human skeletal anatomy - meet four of our researchers

This year we had a number of researchers land prestigious grants for their interesting and important work at ACE. Among these researchers, we have a few new postdocs who have written a brief introduction to the research they will be undertaking at ACE!

Posted on: 13 November 2017

Archaeology as public spectacle: the 1st Archaeology Convention in the Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaThe session with the ministers of Antiquities of Palestine, Egypt, Zawi Hawass – the Chair, the Yemen minister, and Jordan minister, looking from left to right.

Archaeology as public spectacle: the 1st Archaeology Convention in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The 1st Archaeology Convention took place in November at the National Museum of Antiquities in Riyadh, the capitol of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Posted on: 10 November 2017

Pets, Pests, & People: an evening of science and wine, discovering what animals have done for usThe panel – Ian Barnes, Camilla Speller, David Ashmore, Jacqui Mulville, and Mark Thomas.

Pets, Pests, & People: an evening of science and wine, discovering what animals have done for us

Thank you to everyone who attended the public event, Pets, Pests, and People held at the VG&M on Friday, October 13. We had over 80 people present for the talks and the drinks reception. I’d call that a success!

Posted on: 12 October 2017

A tale of two universitiesHarris Manchester College, which I have always described as ‘chocolate box’. It’s one of the smaller colleges. Author’s own photograph, 04/05/2016.

A tale of two universities

Hey there, I’m Chloé. I’m studying Archaeology here in Liverpool this year. It’s been wonderful to get to know the department and the society over the last couple of weeks, after being so nervous about coming to a new university. As a thank you, I’m sharing my experiences about the transition between universities, and how postgraduate study compares to undergraduate study so far.

Posted on: 4 October 2017

Digging it: learning skills in the trenches at ACE’s 2017 field schoolPenycloddiau Hillfort

Digging it: learning skills in the trenches at ACE’s 2017 field school

Liverpool’s field school took place at the Penycloddiau Hillfort excavations from 16 July-11 August this year – our final year at this site. The field school provides practical skills training for our 1st year undergraduates and international students from the Institute of Field Research (IFR Global), as well as onward employability training for recent graduates and postgraduate students.

Posted on: 25 September 2017

Putting the ace in SACE: join the Society of Archaeology, Classics and EgyptologySACE outing at the Manchester Museum

Putting the ace in SACE: join the Society of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology

As a 1st year undergraduate at the University of Liverpool, both the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, and the Society of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE) have played an instrumental role in my life at the university so far.

Posted on: 6 September 2017