An aerial view of a Bronze Age settlement in the centre of two pictures of artefacts. Text on the image reads "Uncovering a major Bronze Age settlement".
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?βοΈ
π tinyurl.com/48nesvza
@dl-arch.bsky.social @uclarchaeology.bsky.social
A montage of pictures showing ornate Iron Age metal work and spear heads.
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 π www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
11.02.2026 17:13 β π 59 π 12 π¬ 0 π 0
Black-and-white aerial photograph of the garden site, annotated with coloured lines representing features such as walls and water channels.
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.
π doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
πΊ #Archaeology
Map of the study are in Northern Mesopotamia, with major sites pinpointed and blue lines representing ancient route systems between them.
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 𧡠1/9
πΊ #Archaeology
A close up photograph of a mask-like human face decorating the shoulder of a lidded vessel or cauldron from the Melsonby hoard, shown upside down as found during excavation.
Our innovative and impactful research transforms lives and makes a difference, globally and locally.
Discover more in our Global Research Newsletter π mailchi.mp/96a54d0bd591...
#DUresearch
A 1941 aerial photograph of the Persian Garden site.
A schematic drawing of the visible features of the Persian Garden site.
π£ π£ 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 hereππ»
doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
@arcdurham.bsky.social
New paper out π₯³
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...
Hand holding two conjoined partially-finished Roman whetstones. The stones look a bit like a βKitKatβ, with clear chisel grooves on both. In the background is a muddy river foreshore.
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. Weβre 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 UKβs largest and most important Iron Age finds π www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
@proftommoore.bsky.social
New #Antiquity blog post co-authored by our Dept's Prof Dan Lawrence @dl-arch.bsky.social! π
02.12.2025 14:55 β π 9 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Photograph from the bottom up of Durham Cathedral, standing against a blue sky dappled with white clouds. There is bright yellow sunlight illuminating the sky in the lower left of the photo, from the sun that is just hidden by one of the cathedral's walls.
π£ New senior academic job opening π£
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...
π
Closes 31 Jan 2026, 11:59pm GMT
(Left to right) Dan, Miljana and Ilya sat on the back of the field vehicle on site (credit: Peter J. Brown).
The international investigation was led by Dr Viktor Merz and Dr Ilya Merz from Toraighyrov University (Kazakhstan), Dr Miljana RadivojeviΔ from
@uclarchaeology.bsky.social and Professor Dan Lawrence (@dl-arch.bsky.social) from @arcdurham.bsky.social 7/14
Drone photograph of the archaeological site of Semiyarka, looking from the south-east to the north-west, taken in July 2018. The outlines of several rectilinear buildings are visible running in a line across a flat grassland (credit: Peter J. Brown)
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 π§΅
πΊ #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.
π doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
πΊ #Archaeology
New paper out! π₯³
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
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
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.
04.11.2025 10:36 β π 6 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
Liberate My Library reading list screenshot
Libby reading list screenshot
To celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, we're shining a spotlight on our wonderful range of curated resources. From eBooks to films, thereβs plenty to explore ππ
Through our Liberate My Library reading list, you can access a selection of books and eBooks suggested by staff and students π
Read the full study here #OpenAccess - www.nature.com/articles/s41...
09.10.2025 13:37 β π 0 π 0 π¬ 0 π 1
ππ§ New research alert! π§ π
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! π
www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...
#Archaeology
We are The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year 2026 and ranked third overall in its Good University Guide. Congratulations to our global university community on this success. π
Read more: brnw.ch/21wVU4Q
Bronze and Iron Age farmers in the Middle East prioritised wine production over olive growing in times of climatic change. Researchers in our Department of Archaeology and @durhamearthsci.bsky.social analysed charred seeds and wood samples π www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
18.09.2025 08:57 β π 11 π 6 π¬ 1 π 1
Early medieval namestone.- 8th century AD - from Lindisfarne
Early medieval namestone.- 8th century AD - from Lindisfarne
Early medieval namestone.- 8th century AD - from Lindisfarne
Three early medieval namestones in one morning in the @digventures.bsky.social @arcdurham.bsky.social excavations at #Lindisfarne
18.09.2025 23:21 β π 22 π 1 π¬ 1 π 0
π£π£ Our Bill Finlayson & fellow archaeologists help to uncover the mystery of the hundreds of 'desert kites' stretching across the Arabian desert. Find out who built these megastructures, the purpose they served & the ingenious discovery that was unearthed...ππ»
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
A well-deserved reflection of the quality of Rob's scholarship, international #research profile and excellent stewardship of @antiquity.ac.uk π Congratulations to Rob and the other researchers involved!
04.09.2025 15:18 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Delighted to announce that our own Dr Rob Witcher forms part of the #REF2029 #Archaeology sub-panel!
Learn more in the news story linked in the post below π
An image of Greek collection before the repacking project surrounded by tissue paper
A display of one of our student placements preparing to create new storage for the Greek collection.
Our Greek collection after the repacking project in their now homes.
Our Greek collection after the repacking project in their now homes.
Hi! Weβre Poppy & Izzy from Archaeology. Over 3 weeks on placement at the #DUMuseumofArchaeology, we explored collections care & curation. We repacked & updated records for the Greek collection and helped design a coin map showing ancient city-states through mythology & trade #DUCollections
27.08.2025 13:06 β π 11 π 4 π¬ 0 π 0
Postdoc Job! Come and work with me in Durham, and a bunch of @sse1k.bsky.social heroes in Venice and Basel, doing agent-based modelling of socio-environmental systems in the Ancient Mediterranean...
durham.taleo.net/careersectio...
In this article, our Honorary Fellow in Archaeology @peterjbrown.bsky.social sheds new light on the story of the Zanj rebellion β a slave revolt that took place in the late 9th century in southern Iraq. Peter and his team have unearthed the timelines. Read more π www.durham.ac.uk/research/cur...
22.08.2025 13:57 β π 4 π 2 π¬ 1 π 0
Congratulations to Dr Riley Snyder, awarded Best Article of the Year by 'Studies in Late Antiquity'!
Titled: 'Beyond Urban Planning: Challenges of Resource Management in the Construction of Late Antique Capital Cities'
Learn more: www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...
#archaeology #research #DurhamUni
