History and Archaeology

Overview

The Department of History and Archaeology is committed to high-quality research in the fields of history, archaeology and heritage. The Department’s researchers explore diverse themes and evidence ranging across the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Britain and Europe and the history of the medieval, early modern and modern periods in Britain, Europe and America. Please note that heritage topics may be supervised via either History or Archaeology at research level, as well as the connected fields of public history and public archaeology.

We offer opportunities for students to undertake MPhil or PhD degrees in either History or Archaeology, and we also offer a MRes History and MRes Archaeology.

By joining us for an MPhil or PhD degree you will be joining a vibrant and successful research community that is one of the strongest in the University. Research is fostered through regular seminars and meetings where staff and postgraduates meet to hear about each other’s work as well as reflect on the work of invited speakers. Yearly postgraduate conferences in the Department and in the Faculty of Humanities offer opportunities for our students to collaborate and present their research. The Department postgraduate journal, Context, provides an opportunity for publication and dissemination of research.

The Department has an impressive and growing record of funding awards, publications of international significance and outreach work that has gained recognition at national and international levels.

Research Areas

We offer expertise and supervision in a range of areas:

History:

• The ecclesiastical and political history of early medieval England
• The social history of the Low Countries in the late medieval period
• Landscape history
• Early modern and modern British and European military and political history
• The English Civil War
• Popular culture, protest and politics in the 18th and 19th centuries
• 19th - 20th century social and cultural British history
• Gender and immigration and minority studies
• Youth and leisure culture in the 19th-20th centuries
• The history of medicine and therapeutic gardens
• 20th century German history

Archaeology:

• Human osteology
• Mortuary archaeology
• Mesolithic archaeology of Britain and Europe
• Iron Age and Roman Britain
• Early medieval British and Scandinavian archaeology
• Early medieval Insular art
• Environmental and landscape archaeology
• Public archaeology
• Heritage management and practice
• Computer applications in archaeology
• Experimental archaeology
• Archaeology and memory

The Department

Joining the Department of History and Archaeology offers a chance to study in an interdisciplinary research environment. The Department offers various aspects of practical postgraduate training ranging from digital research skills to career development. Our postgraduates have opportunities to get involved in teaching and organising research events.