MPhil in Archaeology

The Americas saw societal developments from hunter-gatherers to early empires independent from developments in Eurasia and Africa. As such, it is an area rich with indigenous diversity, which is reflected in the course.

This MPhil contains two regional courses, taught in alternate years:

• G16 The Archaeology of Mesoamerica and North America – running in 2025-26
  This module covers the rise of increasingly complex societies in two areas of North America (the Southeast US and the American Southwest) and the archaeology of Mexico and Central America (including the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, and Aztec polities).
• G15 Ancient South America – next running in 2026-27
  Surveying the peoples and cultures of the Andes, this module spans from the initial peopling of the continent until European contact in the 16th century AD. Understanding and explaining the emergence of complex societies (such as Moche, Chimor, Tiwanku, Wari, and the Inka empire) also have special emphasis.

Themes

The course pays attention to the following key areas in both years:

• the origins and spread of agriculture
• the emergence of social inequality and leadership
• the rise of states and their internal organisation and dynamics
• monumentality and its significance for power and authority as well as for defining more corporate forms of social organisation
• evidence for craft production, exchange, and elite interaction
• ideology and its materialisation
• current theoretical debates about hierarchy, heterarchy, and the nature of socio-political structures

Structure

1. G15 Ancient South America (2T) or G16 The Archaeology of Mesoamerica and North America (2T), depending on the year
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T) plus one other one term module
3. Either one two term module or two one term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

This MPhil option also offers the possibility of practical work with the extensive American collections in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Further information

Dr Jimena Lobo Guerrero Arenas is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

This MPhil focuses on the later archaeology of sub-Saharan Africa from c. 200,000 BP to the present day, with particular emphasis on the last 10,000 years and the role of archaeology and heritage in contemporary Africa.

The core module provides a broad overview of the intersections between archaeological, palaeoecological, palaeogenetic and historical linguistic evidence across sub-Saharan Africa from the first appearance of Homo sapiens to the early twentieth century. 

Through the course, we consider the extent to which archaeological discoveries and research have disrupted and challenged Africa’s diverse past. We also look at how researchers have sought to combine multiple strands of evidence and data types in reconstructing technological, socio-cultural, economic, population, and landscape histories of the deep past. 
 

Key topics include:

• becoming human
• hunter-gatherer diversity
• multiple pathways to food production
• metals, society and symbolism
• urbanism and trans-continental exchange networks
• archaeologies of enslavement, colonialism and conversion
• usable African pasts for future sustainability and cultural resilience

The module aims to 'decolonise' the traditional curriculum by highlighting the diverse experiences of Africa’s populations over millennia and their contributions to global processes and events.

Themes

The ability to explore multiple narratives through the perspective of different lines of evidence is one of the key and enduring reasons to study the archaeology of Africa. These lines of evidence range from material records to genetic signatures, linguistic cues to palaeoenvironmental proxies, and often intersect with oral and written histories African societies have produced. It is also common for one set of historical events to have multiple, often contrasting versions told by different sources. 

This MPhil poses questions to students such as:

• How should scholars deal with the dissonance between sources?
• Why are there gaps in these diverse records, what do these ‘silences’ tell us about the task and process of ‘history making’, and how might they (or should they?) be filled?
• What are the political and contemporary implications of favouring one interpretation over another? Does the material record provide a more objective account, or a more democratic one?
• Who has the authority to generate narratives and decide on how Africa’s multiple pasts should be represented, displayed and protected?

Applicants for the course are welcome from a diverse range of educational backgrounds and interests, whether coming from previous study in archaeology (including historical archaeology), archaeological science, or from related subjects such as history, anthropology or geography. They can also be new to the subject.

The course has something to engage everyone, from learning more about Africa’s heritage, to applying the analytical skills of archaeological science to answer questions on Africa’s past. Students with an interest in a specific time period or class of artefact will have the opportunity explore in more depth.

Structure

1. G17 The Archaeology of Africa (2T)
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T) plus one other one term module
3. Either one two term module or two one term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

Further information

Dr Matthew Davies is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

This MPhil covers the historical archaeology of ancient Egypt, stretching three millennia. Distinct from the MPhil in Egyptology, this option allows students to focus on textual, archaeological, and artistic records without the study of ancient languages. 
 
On alternating years, the course will focus between: 

• New Kingdom and later periods of Egyptian history (c.1550 BC-330 BC)
• The processes of state formation to the beginning of the New Kingdom (c.3500 BC-1550 BC)

Themes

• Historical records and frameworks of interpretation
• The nature of political power and its expression
• Interconnections and foreign trade
• Technology, production and exchange
• Society and settlement
• State and private religion
• Mortuary practices
• Knowledge, identity and belief
• Monumental architecture
• Art and material culture

Structure

1. G11 Historical Archaeology of Ancient Egypt I (2T) or G12: Historical Archaeology of Ancient Egypt 2
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T) plus one other one term module
3. Either one two term module or two one term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

This MPhil option sometimes offers the possibility of practical work with the large Egyptology collections in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Further information

Dr Hratch Papazian is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

Spanning from 10,000 BC through to the Roman period, this MPhil covers the area from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Eastern Europe to the Atlantic. 

Key points of interest on this programme include:

• the post-glacial recolonisation of Northern Europe
• the origins and spread of agriculture
• the development of broad horizons of material culture, long-distance exchange networks and economic intensification in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC
• the monumentalisation of the landscape and the rise of new deathways in megalithic cultures throughout Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe
• the rise of the first states in Europe, and the development of complex relationships with civilisations of the Near East, and, increasingly, the Eastern and Central Mediterranean

Themes

Cross-cutting themes linking the periods comprise of:

• material culture
• prehistoric art
• social aspects of technology and economy
• symbolism and culture
• and social identities and values such as gender, the body, and political status and affiliation

This course option is appropriate for both students with a background in European prehistory, and students with little prior knowledge of the subject. It discusses all areas of Europe. You will have opportunities to work hands-on with the extensive prehistoric collections in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Structure

1. G05 European Prehistory (2T)
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T) plus one other one term module
3. Either one two term module or two one term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators.
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

Further information

Prof Simon Stoddart is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

Medieval Europe was a place of increasing mobility and a greater connection to the wider world. This MPhil track spans a complex period extending from the highly globalised later Roman empire to the beginnings of European colonisation of the Americas.

The module aims to decentre the archaeology of medieval Europe by highlighting the diverse experiences of people during this time. Through the lens of globalisation theory, we will explore the place of medieval Europe in what was an increasingly yet variably connected world.

We will consider the interaction between natural and anthropogenic environmental change, in the context of fluctuating demographic and settlement histories. Drawing on archaeological, environmental and historical evidence, we will reflect on important themes such as inter-regional communication, mobility, trade and cultural influence. Case studies include examples from Europe and Inner Asia, East Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well as the Americas.

Medieval Archaeology benefits from the latest archaeological, scientific, and historical sources and techniques, from molecular evidence (DNA and isotope data) to viewing entire landscapes from the air. This track uses the full range of archaeological method and theory, and also fosters interdisciplinary approaches incorporating the study of history, art history, anthropology, historical geography, literary sources and scientific methods (a rare combination of approaches for which this subject is unusually well suited). There are ample opportunities for fieldwork including group visits, volunteering on established research programmes and independent research.

Owing to the wide reach of the Medieval Archaeology MPhil, it suits students from a diverse range of educational backgrounds. This includes coming from previous study in archaeology with a medieval or historical perspective, or through related subjects such as history, anthropology, geography, or even being new to the subject. 

Themes

Key themes include: 

• inter-regional communication
• mobility
• trade
• cultural influence

Case studies from Europe will be considered alongside examples drawn from the Eurasian Steppes, East Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Structure

1. G06 Medieval Europe in a Global Context (2T). This module is based on weekly seminars and lectures, as well as four practical classes and a fieldtrip to the British Museum
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T), a seminar-based module shared with other students of the MPhil in Archaeology which reviews fundamental concepts in archaeological theory and practice and provides a shared basis for approaching archaeology
3. Any other MPhil module(s) (totalling 3 terms) taught within the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

Students may also wish to attend lectures offered by Cambridge's Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.

Further information

Dr Susanne Hakenbeck is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information. 

This course spans the archaeology of the prehistoric and historical periods of Mesopotamia, from c 6000 BC to the Persian Period. On alternating years, students will undertake one of two modules:

• G08 Archaeology of Mesopotamia: Territorial States to Empires – running in 2025-26
• G07 Archaeology of Mesopotamia: Prehistory and Early states – next running in 2026-27

Themes

The course engages with:

• origins and development of urbanism, complex societies and empires
• development of religious institutions and economic bureaucracies
• trade, diplomatic exchange and the creation of value
• funerary rituals
• the impact of climate change on settlement
• elaboration of technology and hybridization in art

This MPhil option is appropriate both for students with some background in Mesopotamian archaeology as well as those new to the subject. Students wishing to combine study of the ancient languages with the archaeology and culture of the Mesopotamia should apply for the MPhil in Assyriology.

Structure

1. G07 / G08 Mesopotamian Archaeology (2T)
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1T) plus one other one term module
3. Either one two term module or two one term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil co-ordinators
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation

Further information

Dr Steve Renette is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

This master’s degree in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeology provides an in-depth understanding of over three million years of the archaeological record. Together we will cover all major components of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeology, including ground-breaking recent discoveries, the discipline’s colonial history and digital future, and key research areas currently shaping human origins and prehistory research.

Topics covered include the emerging field of primate archaeology, the technologies, dispersal and diet of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic/Stone Age hominins, and the material culture, social behaviour, and technological adaptations of Homo sapiens during the Upper Palaeolithic, Later Stone Age, and Mesolithic (including the Epipaleolithic and Paleoindian periods). You also have the opportunity to take optional modules covering palaeoanthropology, European prehistory, African archaeology, and the co-evolution of humans and Stone Age culture, among others.

Practical sessions form a major component of your learning. This includes multiple flintknapping workshops and a large number of artefact handling / analysis sessions using Cambridge’s extensive and internationally important stone tool collections.

There are often opportunities to take part in Palaeolithic fieldwork during your time at Cambridge, with recent or on-going Cambridge-led excavations including those in the UK, mainland Europe, Africa, and elsewhere.

Themes

• Palaeolithic / Mesolithic technologies
• Primate archaeology and the archaeology of human origins
• Neanderthal and early modern human behaviour
• Hominin dispersals and diet
• Palaeolithic art
• Continuity, change and colonisation after the Ice Age
• Hunter gatherer behaviour prior to agriculture

Structure

1. G04 Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Archaeology (2 terms). Including lectures, practical workshops, artefact handling sessions, and group discussions.
2. G02 Archaeological Concepts (1 term) + one other 1 term module of your choice.
3. Either one 2 term module, or, two 1 term modules offered in the Department of Archaeology. This includes the module A50 The Co-Evolution of Humans and Stone Age Culture (1 term).
4. G01 Graduate Research Skills
5. Dissertation. You will undertake a piece of original research on a topic of your choosing, with expert guidance by the member of staff most strongly aligned with your chosen topic.

Further information

Dr Alastair Key is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch with him for further information.

Covering the period between 7,000 BC and AD 450, this MPhil teaches the archaeology of the prehistoric, proto-historic, and Early Historic periods in South Asia. In the course, the subcontinent is placed within its broader regional context.

• the origins of the first village settlements and the spread of agriculture
• the transformation of early village societies and the rise of the Indus Civilisation
• the development of long-distance exchange networks and economic intensification
• the rise of urbanism and the development of integrated cultural assemblages throughout the western subcontinent
• the development of complex relationships with civilisations of the Near East, and the populations of the peninsula India
• the decline and transformation of the Indus urban system
• the secondary urbanism of the Early Historic period
• the interplay between religion and society
• the development of complex states and empires

This course option suits both students with a background in South Asian archaeology, as well as those new to the subject. 

Theme

Individual issues and periods will be linked by themes focusing on:

• material culture
• social aspects of technology and economies
• symbolism and cultures

Structure

• G14 Ancient India II: Early Historic Cities of South Asia
• G02 Archaeological Concepts
• Any additional module(s) from among the other modules taught within the Department of Archaeology, subject to the instructor's consent and the approval of the MPhil in Archaeology co-ordinator.
• G01 Graduate Research Skills
• Dissertation

Further information

Prof Cameron A. Petrie is the co-ordinator for this MPhil option. Please get in touch for further information.

This MPhil option is a general category for those students whose interests do not allow them easily to choose one of the options listed above.
 
Applicants can be accepted into this option as an initial step. Once they have been accepted and have arrived in Cambridge, they can identify a supervisor and a dissertation topic in consultation with members of staff that will enable them to transfer to the appropriate option later in the Michaelmas term.