Research Projects in the Department of Archaeology

EHSCAN is a Horizon-MSCA-2022-PF scheme Fellowship Funded by UKRI and hosted by the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. 

During the Early and Middle Bronze Age (2500-1600 B.C), a range of exchange networks linked Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain and South Asia, facilitating the long-distance movement of a wide variety of raw materials and finished products. Texts from the Sargonic and Ur III period (2300-2000 BC) provide us with lists of commodities entering Mesopotamia from toponyms referred to as ‘Dilmun’ (Bahrain), ‘Magan’ (south-eastern Arabia and southern Iran), and ‘Meluhha’ (the Indus Civilisation), which include copper, tin, semi-precious stones, as well as organic products.

Stone tool artefacts represent the only continuous material record from early hominins across a period of three million years. Lithics provide information about early human technological adaptations and innovations, and in turn, understanding these technologies allows insights into early human behaviour. This assessment is based on the fact that lithic artefacts reflect (un-)conscious decision-making. Tool design, for instance, is characterised by the selection of the raw material and choices about overall tool morphology, edge retouch, and other factors.

SILKGLASS is a Horizon Europe MSCA-PF fellowship funded by UKRI and hosted by the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge.