Contact the Teaching Administrator
MPhil Modules
The Department of Archaeology offers students great flexibility in combining modules. Students may explore, for example, a region and a method, or choose an archaeological science emphasis.
Students in Archaeology MPhil programmes take the equivalent of three year-long modules (which can be made up of a combination of one- and two-term long modules) in a combination specific to their chosen MPhil option, as well as taking the Research Skills module and completing a dissertation.
Students in Human Evolutionary Studies are expected to attend B2, B3, and B4, as well as any of the one-term modules (B11-B18) in which they are particularly interested or that are directly relevant to their dissertation. B5 is a compulsory module.
Students taking the MPhil in Archaeological Research or the MPhil in Biological Anthropological Science are not required to attend any modules (except G01 for Archaeological Research) but can sit in on any that are relevant to their research with the permission of the paper coordinator.
The modules offered each year vary—some are offered in either odd or even years—and applicants are advised to contact the Teaching Administrator for information about the year for which they are applying if they are in any doubt.
Papers running in 2026-27
The following year-long modules will be available to MPhil Students in the Department of Archaeology in 2026–27:
- Note that the language papers will only run if there is suitable demand and advanced language papers can be taken only with the agreement of the instructor.
- Heritage modules (G22, G23, G24) are restricted to students in the MPhil in Heritage Studies due to the high number of students in that programme.
| Title | Coordinator | |
| G01 | Research Skills | TBC |
| G05 | European Prehistory | Prof John Robb |
| G06 | Medieval Europe on a Global Canvas | Dr Susanne Hakenbeck |
| G07 | Mesopotamian Archaeology I | Dr Steve Renette |
| G11 | Historical Archaeology of Ancient Egypt I | Dr Kate Spence |
| G13 | Ancient India I: The Indus Civilisation and beyond | Prof Cameron Petrie |
| G21 | Landscapes, Built Environment and Material Culture of Ancient Egypt | Dr Kate Spence |
| G22 | Socio-Politics of the Past | Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose |
| G23 | Heritage Management | Dr Andreas Pantazatos |
| G24 | Special Topics in Heritage | Dr Lila Janik |
| G25 | Egyptian Language 1 (enrolment only at the agreement of the instructor) | Dr Hratch Papazian |
| G26 | Middle Egyptian Texts / Advanced Egyptian Language | Dr Hratch Papazian |
| G27 | Old and Late Egyptian Texts | Dr Hratch Papazian |
| G30 | Akkadian Language I / Introductory Akkadian Language and Texts | Dr Jonathan Tenney |
| G31 | Mesopotamian Culture I: Society, Economy and Politics | Dr Jonathan Tenney |
| G33 | Intermediate Babylonian / Intermediate Akkadian Language and Texts | Dr Jonathan Tenney |
| G34 | Advanced Babylonian and Assyrian / Advanced Akkadian Language and Texts | Dr Jonathan Tenney |
| G35 | Sumerian Language | Dr Jonathan Tenney |
The following year-long modules will be taken by Human-Evolutionary Studies MPhil students in the Department of Archaeology in 2026–27. Other MPhil students can audit, but not take these for credit:
| B2 | Human Ecology and Behaviour | Dr Nikhil Chaudhary |
| B3 | Human Evolution | Prof Marta Lahr |
| B4 | Comparative Human Biology | Dr Mark Dyble |
| B5 | From Data to Interpretation | Dr Enrico Crema |
The following term-long modules will be available to MPhil Students in the Department of Archaeology in 2026–27:
| Title | Coordinator | |
| AS2 | Quantitative Modelling in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology | Dr Enrico Crema |
| AS3 | Geographical Information Systems | David Redhouse |
| AS6 | Archaeobotany | Dr Alexander Weide |
| AS8 | Biomolecular Archaeology | Prof Matthew Collins |
| AS9 | Archaeological Materials and Technologies | Dr Agnese Benzonelli |
| G02 | Archaeological Concepts | Dr Elizabeth DeMarrais |
| G19 | Principles of Archaeological Science | Dr Agnese Benzonelli |
| G20 | Practice of Archaeological Science | Dr Agnese Benzonelli |
The following term-long modules will be available to audit (but not to be taken for credit) in 2025–26:
| B11 | Quantitative Modelling in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology | Dr Enrico Crema |
| B12 | Human Palaeobiology | Dr John Rowan |
| B13 | Humans in a Zoological Context | Dr Mark Dyble |
| B14 | The Co-Evolution of Humans and Stone Age Culture | Dr Alastair Key |
| B17 | Our Extended Family: Primate Biology and Behaviour | Dr Sylvain Lemoine |
| B18 | Decoding the Skeleton | Dr Emma Pomeroy |
