Archaeology PhD / MPhil

Research themes

Our research themes are:

Human Evolution:

• Long-term evolution of cultural abilities
• The development of stone tool technologies from the Oldowan to the Upper Palaeolithic
• The emergence of symbolism, language, and artistic traditions
• Innovation, social transmission and learning
• The origin of human ecological adaptations 
• Speciation, extinction, and dispersals 
• Responses of prehistoric humans to climate change.

Prehistoric Archaeology & Human Palaeoecology:

• The transition from foraging to farming
• The impact of environmental and climate change on human societies
• The evolution of anthropogenic landscapes, ecologies & human foodways
• Plant & animal domestication
• The (pre)history of disease
• The histories and evolution of prehistoric households & social complexity
• Processes of colonisation, settlement dispersals and acculturation.

The Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean and the Near East:

• The Iron Age in the Mediterranean and the Near East
• Classical Archaeology
• Regions and regional interactions in the Mediterranean
• Households & landscapes
• Cultural translation
• Mesopotamian texts, languages, cultures and economies.

Later European & British prehistory:

• European Iron Age society & social organisation
• British pre-Roman Iron Age
• Gender archaeology
• Household & settlement archaeology
• Roundhouse architecture
• People-climate interactions.

Historical Archaeology:

• Western Britain and Ireland from the Iron Age to the present
• Roman Britain
• Early medieval Britain and Ireland; post-medieval/historical archaeology
• Heritage management and interpretation
• Memory and identity
• Conflict archaeology
• Biography in historical periods.

Facilities

A key focus of our research activities is the Garstang Museum of Archaeology, one of the most important collections of antiquities in the UK including material culture objects excavated in Egypt, the Aegean, Sudan and the Near East. We also maintain research collaborations with National Museums Liverpool.

Our research is supported by excellent library specialist collections including extensive digital resources, bibliographical tools, online reference materials, subject-oriented search engines, and specialist books and journals held in the Sydney Jones and the Harold Cohen libraries of the University of Liverpool (open 24/7 during term time).

Training is available in a wide range of ancient languages, including Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Coptic, Sumerian and Akkadian. Students can also study modern languages which may be necessary for their research via Liverpool’s flagship Open Languages programme.

In 2015 our archaeological science facilities were substantially expanded, with the establishment of the Elizabeth Slater Archaeology Research Laboratories and a dedicated Research Microscopy suite. These facilities support departmental staff and student research on archaeobotany & anthracology, archaeozoology, archaeomaterials, human remains & stable isotopes, lithics & ceramics, post-excavation analysis, GIS and digital humanities applications, experimental archaeology and archaeological photography. Postgraduate researchers are also allocated shared office space with lockers and data points, access to networked PCs with specialist software, free printing and inter-library loans.

Our postgraduate research community benefits from funding support made available to PGRs to undertake fieldwork and other forms of primary data collection, attend academic conferences and organize postgraduate research events. In addition to the funding and training opportunities provided by the Liverpool Doctoral College, the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures (HLC) and ACE have dedicated budgets for supporting PGR research and training activities including:

· HLC Postgraduate Research Fund (Postgraduate travel and research expenses: up to £500 per year for full-time/FT PGRs; £250 per year for part-time/PT)

· The Peet Travel Award (up to £500) is available to support travel and associated costs for research into the archaeology and languages of the pre-Classical Mediterranean, including Egypt and the Near East, as well as the archaeology of early Greece and Rome

· Dedicated, tailored support for PGR applications to external competitive funding schemes (e.g. PGR funding opportunities available through independent bodies such as the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the British Institute at Ankara, the British Schools in Athens and Rome, the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, the Council for British Research in the Levant, the Egypt Exploration Society, etc.).

Research groups

Our Archaeology research groups provide a dynamic forum for the exchange of new concepts and cutting-edge knowledge produced by staff and postgraduate researchers. This is achieved through our dedicated seminar series which provide opportunities for academic and research staff, and research postgraduates to present their research, develop their research profile, and interact with other leading figures in their fields from the UK and abroad who participate in departmental research events as invited speakers.

· Archaeology of Human Origins
· Early Village Societies
· Mediterranean Archaeology.

The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.

* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.

^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.