Archaeology current research

‌TNicki and Gala Morrishe academic staff and research students of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow are committed to an archaeology that integrates practical, theoretical and scientific approaches in specific geographical or chronological contexts. Our main long-term commitments to regional studies of archaeology focus on Scotland, Britain and north-west Europe, and the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Our chronological range runs from the Mesolithic to the modern industrial era and the contemporary past. Staff members and their research students are involved in numerous fieldwork projects in Scotland, Europe, Mediterranean and the Middle East, which are listed here. See below for our specific research projects, or to browse through our staff pages.

 

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Scotland and North-West Europe

Taken collectively, we represent the largest group of scholars actively researching the archaeology of Scotland. Scotland’s archaeological record is a precious resource for understanding the wider human experience, as evidenced by its five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from prehistory (Heart of Neolithic Orkney) to the some of Europe’s best surviving Roman remains (Antonine Wall) to the Enlightenment (New Lanark). Human occupation in Scotland reaches back to the Final Upper Palaeolithic, more than 10,000 years before the historical period, and our research currently spans the Mesolithic to the present day. 

Our approach to Scottish archaeology recognises the connections with the rest of Britain, Ireland and north-west Europe, and promotes collaboration with cognate scholars in History and Celtic as well as with all the national bodies responsible for Scottish heritage (Historic Environment Scotland, National Trust for Scotland, National Museums of Scotland). We currently have research projects in England, France, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.

For more information, please see the staff profiles listed below, and our current research projects.

Academic Staff

Honorary Staff

Current Research Projects

Mediterranean and Middle East

Our research in the Mediterranean and Middle East revolves around issues of social landscapes, early states and empires, human-environment interaction, production, exchange and consumption, and social archaeology generally. We have a strong interest in science-based research, particularly materials analysis and remote sensing. 

Our group is also distinguished by its contribution to the development of regional survey theory and practice throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In the last decade we have carried out survey projects in Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan, Greece, Italy and Spain, and as part of that work we have carried through to publication several regional archaeological survey projects. We have current excavation projects in Italy and Iraq, and are writing up another on Cyprus. 

We regularly publish individual papers on the prehistoric and historical Mediterranean and Middle East in refereed journals, such as Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, American Journal of Archaeology, Cambridge Archaeological Journal, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Archaeological Dialogues, and Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 

To find out more, please see the staff profiles linked in below and our current research projects in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

Academic Staff

Honorary Staff

Current Research Projects

Thematic