skip to content

Department of Archaeology

 

Bench fees are charged for visitors (students and researchers) wishing to work at the Department. Analytical costs are usually charged for those working in the Archaeological Science laboratories or studying the Duckworth Laboratory Collection.

Archaeological Science laboratories

Bench fees of £1000 per term plus the cost of appropriate consumables. 

Duckworth Laboratory

Current bench fees for visitors wishing to study the Duckworth Collection are as follows:

£20/day for macroscopic observations of osteological remains and/or archival documents access, or scanning/photogrammetry using own equipment (subject to a safety check conducted by the Palaeolab Technician)

£60/day for applications involving:

  • High volume projects that require more collections support 
  • Projects involving scanning devices/photogrammetry equipment belonging to the Duckworth Laboratory 
  • Distance CT scanning where the researcher is not present (Additional beam time fees apply and will be discussed with the applicant ahead of time by our staff. Micro-CT scan fees can be found below.)
  • Projects involving dental molding materials for the production of replicas, defined in consultation with the Collections Manager
  • Projects involving destructive sampling and the removal of tissues for analyses, in our facilities or an external lab, (i.e.  radiocarbon dating, stable isotopes, aDNA extraction, dental plaque removal, proteomics/genomics/metabolomics, etc)(in our facilities or an external lab). Please note that this fee includes up to ten samples. If more than ten samples are needed, this will incur a sampling surcharge of £25 per hour. All samples are taken in consultation with and under the supervision of the Collections Manager

Note: All costs are subject to VAT where applicable.

Note: Facilities for biomolecular research are available for researchers, please see here for information and to discuss fees.

Note: The Director of the Duckworth Laboratory reserves the right to require sampling take place in our facilities should the remains to be sampled be deemed too fragile or sensitive to travel to an external laboratory. Fees may be incurred and will be arranged with the Collections Manager.

  • Prior to sampling for destructive analyses, we normally require a micro-CT scan of each skeletal element to be sampled at the cost of the researcher. This must be arranged with the Collections Manager and may incur additional costs. Micro-CT scan fees can be found below.

Palaeoanthropology Laboratory

Internal users are defined as users from the University of Cambridge. Trained users should have successfully completed training on our scanner with the scanning technician and received official approval from the Paleolab. 

MicroCT scanning:

User status Hourly rate
Internal user  
  • Trained
£53
  • Untrained from the department
£73*
  • Untrained from other departments
£83*
External user  
  • Projects in collaboration with the department
£99* (subject to VAT)
  • Independent projects
£200* (subject to VAT)

*This service includes the assistance of a trained technician for scanning and reconstructing raw data but excludes any other post-acquisition processing (e.g., 3D rendering, analyses). In case of complex samples that would require manual reconstruction, extra costs for technical support could be added (see hourly rates below). 

Image processing

User status Hourly rate
Internal users £20
External users £26

Please contact the Palaeoanthropology Lab if you would be interested in receiving training on our scanner and if you want to know more about related charges. 

Analytical Costs

Specific analytical costs for different facilities in the Department will depend on the types of analyses. You should discuss the potential costs of your project with your host when arranging your visit.