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Department of Archaeology

 
Read more at: "Small performances": investigating the typographic punches of John Baskerville (1707-75) through heritage science and practice-based research

"Small performances": investigating the typographic punches of John Baskerville (1707-75) through heritage science and practice-based research

At the intersection among the arts, science, and technology, printing is widely recognised as the invention of the millennium. However, and in spite of a resurgence of traditional typographic methods among artists and craftspeople, letterpress equipment and technology face an uncertain future.


Read more at: ATLANTAXES: Mass production and deposition of leaded bronzes in Atlantic Europe during the Late Bronze Age - Iron Age transition

ATLANTAXES: Mass production and deposition of leaded bronzes in Atlantic Europe during the Late Bronze Age - Iron Age transition

Analysis and evaluation of bronze axe hoards during the Late Bronze Age - Iron Age transition. The project investigates provenance, chronology, technological and cultural aspects of bronze deposition of the European Atlantic region.


Read more at: IBERIRON: The Rise of Iron Technology in pre-Roman Iberia

IBERIRON: The Rise of Iron Technology in pre-Roman Iberia

A large-scale multi-disciplinary study of pre-Roman iron technology in the Iberian Peninsula.


Read more at: Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia CE 400-800

Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia CE 400-800

Taking as its starting point the radically new perspective offered by recent archaeological discoveries at Rendlesham in SE Suffolk, and with the East Anglian kingdom as the primary case study, this interdisciplinary project (running 2017-2020) aims to establish a new understanding of pathways to territorial lordship and regional kingship in early post-Roman eastern England through analysis of the development and role of central-places in society, economy, politics and ideology, and the networks of which they were a part.


Read more at: Metal and amber: models of raw materials circulation in the Late Prehistory of Iberia

Metal and amber: models of raw materials circulation in the Late Prehistory of Iberia

The project focuses on the models of circulation of raw materials during the Iberian Late Prehistory, as well as the use and social value given to the different materials, with special attention to metals and amber. 


Read more at: PaleoErgo: Exploring Hand-Stone Tool Interactions in Early Hominins

PaleoErgo: Exploring Hand-Stone Tool Interactions in Early Hominins

How did the biomechanics and ergonomics of the human hand influence the use and production of Palaeolithic stone tools? Traditionally, stone tools have been analyzed for their morphological properties and technological characteristics to infer the cognitive and social evolution of early hominins and modern humans. However, the role of musculoskeletal aspects in the effective use of these tools has been largely overlooked, resulting in an incomplete understanding of Palaeolithic technologies.


Read more at: The Cambridge Heritage Science Hub Initiative (CHERISH)

The Cambridge Heritage Science Hub Initiative (CHERISH)

Cambridge is home to world-leading researchers across archaeological science, technical art history and heritage science, based at Department of Archaeology, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and the Hamilton Kerr Institute, among others. There are multiple synergies across these institutions in terms of research methodologies, goals and ambitions in the field of technical and scientific investigation of works of art and archaeological objects.