"archaeology" blog posts

Horus Cippi

Posted on: 6 July 2022 | Category: 2022 posts

The distinction between rational therapy and the use of rituals and incantations is a modern prerogative. Such a separation does not apply to ancient Egypt: medicine and magic are two main constituents of the same process, aimed at preserving life through the prevention and cure of illnesses (Pinch 1994). Constant threats in the form of ferocious and poisonous animals challenged the Egyptians’ daily life.


Late spring at Khirbet al-Mudayna al-‘Aliya, Jordan - Part 2

Posted on: 19 May 2022 | Category: 2022 posts

Diederik documenting the massive tower structure with the wadi in the background

In order to tackle some of these questions I organised the fieldwork project we’re currently enjoying. I really wanted to visit the site to take a closer look at its many structures, and pay particular attention to building techniques, potential quarrying locations, and the order the site was built in. Then I got to thinking, how will I be able to address all the questions I’ll have, especially as throughout my PhD I’ll likely come up with more and more questions that I can’t even think of yet? If only there was a way of ‘bringing the site home with me’!


Late spring at Khirbet al-Mudayna al-‘Aliya, Jordan - Part 1

Posted on: 18 May 2022 | Category: 2022 posts

Diederik documenting the massive tower structure with the wadi in the background

Hi everyone! I thought I’d write a blog post as we’re currently doing some quite exciting work out in Jordan. First, for those that don’t know me, I’m Diederik Halbertsma, a 2nd year PhD student in archaeology at ACE. I specialise in the Iron Age period (ca. 1200 – 550 BCE) of the Levant, specifically the early Iron Age in the country of Jordan. It is this research which brought me out to Jordan with a small team of colleagues this year. It was originally planned to be done before I started my PhD (which I did in 2020), but due to Covid-19 complicating all forms of travel the past several years our work here was postponed several times. We are very grateful to be out here now, however!


Anacharsis Conference 2021

Posted on: 5 November 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

The conference centred upon the figure of Anacharsis, a Scythian philosopher travelling around the Greek world during the age of Solon’s reforms, killed for adopting alien (Greek) religious practices upon his return to Scythia and pursuing too strong an interest in alterity. His peripatetic presence combined with his penchant for intellectual exploration and questioning of ‘otherness’ will soon make Anacharsis a paradigm of enlightened independence. His legend was revived in the age of the Enlightenment, when his philosophy returned to intellectual discourse as an agent of dissonance and rupture fostering an emergent cultural relativism and cosmopolitanism. Today, Anacharsis helps us understand how ancient and modern reacted to religious conflicts, cultural diversity and political transformation.


To rebury or not to rebury? That is the question...

Posted on: 19 August 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Professor Harold Mytum discusses coffin fittings with Ashleigh Neil and Jane Owen

Professor Harold Mytum shares his experience of working at the Castle Street burial ground in Hull.


Measuring the World Against the Body: Materialities and Meanings of Magnification and Miniaturization in Religious Communication in Antiquity and Modernity

Posted on: 26 March 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

blue and black individual ancient statues. Some statues look Ancient Egyptian in style

At the end of February (24-26 Feb. 2021), four colleagues from ACE (Bruce Gibson, Georgia Petridou, Anthony Sinclair, and Alexei Zadorozhny) had the pleasure of collaborating with leading research experts from the Universities of Erfurt (Germany), Graz (Austria), and Aarhus (Denmark; the UrbNet project) at an international 3-day interdisciplinary conference entitled ‘Measuring the World against the Body: Materialities and Meanings of Magnification and Miniaturization in Religious Communication in Antiquity and Modernity’


Barking Up the Right Tree - Further Updates from Deep Roots

Posted on: 9 February 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

three legged stools create a dining area outside in Kalambo Falls, Zambia

Professor Larry Barham provides a further update on the 'Deep Roots' project.


Foundation Week: a story of potatoes, bread and clay

Posted on: 5 November 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Dough used to create Roman flatbread

First year BA Egyptology student Taida Besirevic shares their experience of Foundation Week, where they got involved with baking Roman flatbread and creating Egyptian-style pottery.


Evaluating West Derby’s changing landscape

Posted on: 4 November 2020 | Category: 2021 posts

Kate Sarbutt revealing a wall of the farm.

Professor Harold Mytum discusses a recent excavation in West Derby, Merseyside, on the site of a Stone Bridge Farm that is recorded from the 18th century.


Follow the Archaeology Field School 2020 live-blog

Posted on: 7 October 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Two students digging

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.


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

Posted on: 28 September 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Keith and Ardern

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.


Welcome to Liverpool! 5 tips for Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology students new to University of Liverpool

Posted on: 26 September 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Students in object handling session in The Garstang Museum of Archaeology

Welcome week runs from 28 September – 2 October 2020 and is set to be a little different this year, however there are still tons of events and tools that you can use to interact with the department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (ACE) and get to know the University of Liverpool as a new student. Here are 5 tips for ACE students during Welcome Week to help you get settled in and enjoying university life from week one.


Formby Footprints

Posted on: 1 September 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

A footprint on Formby Beach

The footprints at Formby provide an intimate glimpse into the past. Scrutiny of them tells us so much about the activities of ancient coastal communities in the northwest of England. The footprints formed while this region was made up of muddy salt-marshes. These salt-marshes flourished on and off across a period extending some ~8000 years.


Discovery of an ancient hearth at Formby

Posted on: 21 August 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

The sands of Formby Beach

Dr Ardern Hulme-Beaman was recently thrilled to discover an ancient hearth hidden in the sands of Formby Beach alongside millennia-old footprints. Learn about the details of the discovery and view the SketchFab scans of the finds.


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

Posted on: 21 July 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Harold Mytum helping a community group with their graveyard recording

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.


The Hunt for Cleopatra's Tomb

Posted on: 16 July 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Glenn Godenho records audio for The Hunt for Cleopatra's Tomb

Early last year, a TV production company dropped me a line, inviting me to present a documentary on ‘The Hunt for Cleopatra’s Tomb’ (to be aired tonight (Thursday 16th July) at 9pm on Channel 5). The opportunity to get back to Egypt, and pure curiosity, got the better of me, so I decided to get involved.


Frank Sidebottom comes to ACE

Posted on: 22 June 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Frank Sidebottom, photographed by David J Arnold

Not all archaeology is ancient, and the Photogrammetry Team in the Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool have collaborated with Manchester’s Archives+ and 11:37 Enterprises to digitally preserve the iconic head of Frank Sidebottom, the alter-ego of comedian and musician Chris Sievey.


Barking Up the Right Tree - Updates from Deep Roots

Posted on: 16 June 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Miombo woodland, northern Zambia

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.


Conversations in Human Evolution

Posted on: 26 May 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Conversations in Human Evolution student blog logo.

Archaeology PhD student Lucy Timbrell tells us about Conversations in Human Evolution - her new public engagement initiative aimed at highlighting and exploring the diversity of human evolution studies, through fun and educational interview-style blog posts.


Locked Out! - Updates from Deep Roots

Posted on: 19 May 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Professor Larry Barham updates us on the Deep Roots project.

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.


After University: Graduate Pathways from ACE (Week 4)

Posted on: 8 May 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Archaeology BSc and MSc graduate Edward Clark

In the fourth and final part of our series, we got in touch with Archaeology BSc and MSc graduate Edward Clark.


After University: Graduate Pathways from ACE (Week 3)

Posted on: 1 May 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Palaeoanthropology MSc and Evolutionary Anthropology PhD graduate Dr Shelley Farrar Stoakes

In the third part of our series, we got in touch with Palaeoanthropology MSc and Evolutionary Anthropology PhD graduate, Dr Shelley Farrar Stoakes.


After University: Graduate Pathways from ACE (Week 2)

Posted on: 24 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Egyptology MA graduate Edward Lewis

In the second part of our series, we got in touch with Egyptology MA graduate Edward Lewis, to hear about his career pathways from student at the University of Liverpool to Head of Programme at Jersey Overseas Aid.


Free online Egyptology lectures and podcasts to keep you busy

Posted on: 23 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Sketch of an Egyptian wall carving

For those of you with an interest in ancient Egypt, Egyptology PhD student Megan Clark has put together a list of free online Egyptology lectures and podcasts to check out.


After University: Graduate Pathways from ACE

Posted on: 17 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Archaeology of Ancient Civilsiations BA graduate Aisling Serrant

We got in touch with some of our former students to ask how their degree from the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology helped them get to where they are today. Over the next few weeks, you’ll hear about the diverse and wide range of career pathways our graduates have taken.


A selection of collections from your living room

Posted on: 8 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Garstang Museum of Archaeology

Sadly with the lockdown, it means getting out to see your favourite artefacts and collections in person is off limits. However, lots of institutions have a fantastic array of alternate ways to visit online, and access artefacts and collections digitally for free! We’ve put together a short list of online museum and collections, but there are plenty more out there to explore.


Stone Age memories

Posted on: 7 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

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


Celebrating the research of Professor John Gowlett

Posted on: 2 April 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

John Gowlett in Olorgesailie, Kenya

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.


Top Podcasts You Should Listen to Right Now

Posted on: 25 March 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Sometimes throwing a podcast into the mix can be a really beneficial tool when studying.


Understanding gender and sexuality through Dionysus

Posted on: 23 March 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Ancient History and International Politics and Policy student Kian Goodsell illustrates how the figure of Dionysus serves as an example of sexual and gender fluidity in the ancient world.


The Ancestral Shape Hypothesis

Posted on: 17 March 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Dr Kimberly Plomp, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, explores the ancestral source of a problem faced by many people today: back pain.


Talking mental health on your year abroad

Posted on: 11 March 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Third year Classical Civilisations and Egyptology student Charlotte Wylie discusses managing mental health issues during her semester abroad in Copenhagen.


Managing and interpreting Maori heritage: Pā today

Posted on: 18 February 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Pā in the process of transition in management with overgrown earthwork defences

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.


Exploring The Archaeology and Topography of Greece

Posted on: 10 February 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Niamh Banner at the Sanctuary of Artemis

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.


The Maori and Colonial contact: Pā in their landscape context

Posted on: 6 February 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Rangihoua 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 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.


Maori Pā: Hillforts from Prehistory to the Present

Posted on: 31 January 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Kororipo pā, home of the Maori Ngāpuhi chief, Hongi Kika who allowed British settlement on the lower land under his control.

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.


Searching for a lost Medieval Manx Nunnery

Posted on: 19 December 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Local Primary School Learns All Things Ancient History with IntoUni

Posted on: 16 December 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


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

Posted on: 11 December 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Brownies Dig the Dirt on Archaeology

Posted on: 4 December 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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


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

Posted on: 28 November 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Mapping Jersey’s forgotten military past

Posted on: 18 November 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


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

Posted on: 14 November 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


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

Posted on: 12 November 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Achilles and Patroclus — more than friends?

Posted on: 25 October 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Charlotte Wylie (BA Classical Studies with Egyptology), Eleanor Fussell (BA Classical Studies) and Christian Shrier (BA Ancient History) ask whether there is more to the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus than meets the eye.


SACE Digging Day at the Williamson Tunnels

Posted on: 17 October 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Before Egypt app launch — bringing the Garstang collection to life

Posted on: 9 October 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Dr Ardern Hulme-Beaman and the ACE photogrammetry team introduce the Before Egypt app — a new augmented reality app from the University of Liverpool's Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology created to bring objects from the Garstang Museum's collection to life.


Introducing the 2019/20 Work in Progress seminar series

Posted on: 2 October 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


The crunch – and a time for dancing

Posted on: 30 September 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


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

Posted on: 17 September 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Local school pupils explore the past at the Ancient Worlds Taster Day

Posted on: 9 August 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology was delighted to welcome Key Stage 3 students from Weatherhead High School to an Ancient Worlds Taster Day on 15 July 2019. Organised by the Liverpool Schools Classics Project and hosted by Dr Ross Clare, the students enjoyed a series of sessions themed around the ancient past before getting the opportunity to ask the speakers any questions they wished about the University experience.


Hafting and the development of combinatorial technology

Posted on: 10 July 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

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.


Kindling the flames of knowledge

Posted on: 27 June 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Cryptography 1

When I was a little girl, my mother used to take me to the local library every week after school to look at books and magazines, and pick up new reads for the weekend. It was in those early bookish explorations how I first became fascinated by the Ancient World, and particularly by Egypt and her mysterious hieroglyphic script. I remember specifically one special issue of National Geographic that was devoted entirely to Ancient Egypt, with a wealth of photographs and illustrations that transported me several millennia back into the past. This magazine kindled a spark that developed over the years into a burning passion for Egyptology, which would in the end become my chosen career path.


Follow the live-blog from our visit to Changchun, China

Posted on: 25 June 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Normal University campus in China

Members of the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology are currently in Changchun, China, to set up exchange links with the Northeast Normal University's Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC). Follow the live-blog from the trip, updated by student Elissa Day.


Guest speaker: Exploring evolution and entanglement

Posted on: 8 March 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Ian Hodder and students

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):


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

Posted on: 25 October 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Penycloddia Field School - Foundation Stone

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.


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

Posted on: 19 October 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Fragments of ancient writing

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.


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

Posted on: 9 October 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Entrance to Hatnub Quarry P

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.


Georgia's Archaeological Adventures in Alaska

Posted on: 24 September 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Georgia Hetherington - Nunalleq

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.


Mary Beard comes to Liverpool!

Posted on: 17 August 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

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.


University Archaeology Day and London Anthropology Day 2018

Posted on: 10 August 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

University Archaeology Day and London Anthropology Day 2018 - Lego

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.


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

Posted on: 7 June 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

ACE society

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…


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

Posted on: 19 April 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

ACE staff and student group photo

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.


Using modern technology to model ancient worlds

Posted on: 12 March 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Keith and Ardern

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.


Fall of Troy: the legend and the facts

Posted on: 6 March 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Troy

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.


Chasing Rainbows: The Search for Gay Material Culture

Posted on: 1 March 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Illustration of explorer with rainbow flag

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.


The Blind School: Pioneering People and Places

Posted on: 27 February 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

FMcF exploring tactile map

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.


Terracotta warriors on the march

Posted on: 7 February 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition

With the launch of the World Museum's 'China's First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors' exhibition this week, Professor Douglas Baird provides an insight into the historical context of the Warriors and highlights their significance in today's world.


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

Posted on: 29 January 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Students in front of a museum

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


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

Posted on: 11 December 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

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.


Early Village Societies research group seminar series

Posted on: 1 December 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Early Village Society Seminar

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.


Spotlight: Professor Keith Dobney, Head of Department for ACE

Posted on: 29 November 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Creating a 3D image of a dog skull using photogrammetry in Bern, 2015

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.


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

Posted on: 13 November 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Dr Kimberly Plomp

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!


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

Posted on: 10 November 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

The session with the ministers of Antiquities of Palestine, Egypt, Zawi Hawass – the Chair, the Yemen minister, and Jordan minister, looking from left to right.

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


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

Posted on: 12 October 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

The panel – Ian Barnes, Camilla Speller, David Ashmore, Jacqui Mulville, and Mark Thomas.

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!


Excavations, new skills and adventures in Halkidiki

Posted on: 9 October 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Archaeological site in Greece

In its time, Olynthos was an ancient classical Greek city in the Halkidiki region of modern-day Greece. The city sprawled across the two massive hills that dominate the surrounding landscape until its destruction in 348 BC by Philip II (Alexander the Great’s dad).


A tale of two universities

Posted on: 4 October 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

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

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.


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

Posted on: 25 September 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Penycloddiau Hillfort

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.


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

Posted on: 6 September 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

SACE outing at the Manchester Museum

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.


Deep Roots: Day four of seven. Time to head out into the field

Posted on: 26 June 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Two men in Zambia, rhinos behind

My first blog about preparing for the 'Deep Roots' research project looked at our initial work examining museum collections and locating key sites for excavation. This time, I'll be giving an insight into the ups and downs we encountered as we went out into the field...


Deep Roots: An old jigsaw puzzle...with some key pieces missing

Posted on: 16 June 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

hand holding stone artefacts

The ‘Deep Roots’ research project will begin in earnest in July 2017 with the first of four seasons of excavation. In the first of two blogs, I'll be giving you a behind the scenes look at the work we've been doing in preparation.


Lost in the sand - investigating early humans and their tools in Zambia

Posted on: 4 May 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Archaeologist digging at a river

Prof Larry Barham gives us a taste of what it's like to excavate in Zambia, as he heads off to begin new research into early humans and how they made tools.


Student experience - discovering ancient and modern Greece

Posted on: 20 April 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Photo collage of Greek trip

Archaeology student Jake Morley-Stone gives us the lowdown on his research in Greece and how The Chris Mee Mediterranean Travel Award enabled him to make the trip. Find out how this experience has transformed his research on Ancient Greece.


A new way of exploring the past

Posted on: 17 March 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Neandertal teeth

Professor Keith Dobney was part of a team of researchers who recently made the exciting discovery of ancient DNA found in the dental plaque of Neandertals from Belgium and Spain.


A passion for LEGO and archaeology

Posted on: 18 January 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Lego comic strip

My latest research project has been inspired by my interest in digital humanities research, teaching methods - and a love of LEGO.


Ask our curator anything! Join in #askacurator day at Garstang Museum

Posted on: 12 September 2016 | Category: 2016 posts

Two curators examining a mummy

‌If you've ever wondered why cats ended up as mummies in ancient Egypt or what it takes to become a museum curator - then this week is your chance to ask a curator for yourself.