Archaeology MRes

Our areas of teaching and research expertise include:

Prehistoric archaeology

Our members of staff research and teach in many different fields of Old World prehistory. We have particular strengths in the study of Neolithic to Iron Age societies in the Mediterranean, and Iron Age communities in Atlantic Europe and Scandinavia.

Mediterranean archaeology

You can study many different aspects of the archaeology of Mediterranean society. We have particular strengths in prehistoric Mediterranean archaeology, from prehistoric Italy (Neolithic to Iron Age), to Bronze Age Aegean (Minoan and Mycenaean archaeology) and the Early Iron Age of Greece. Specialists in this field work with landscape archaeology, burials, and material culture.

Nottingham is also the world’s centre of excellence for the study of the archaeology and history of Sparta and the Peloponnese, Greece. We also have specialists in the archaeology of the classical Mediterranean and the Roman Empire, and the period of Late Antiquity and the transition to the early medieval world.

You can study a range of different types of archaeological evidence including burials, monuments, landscapes, cities, forts and material culture.

Roman archaeology

You can study many different aspects of the archaeology of the Roman World, from the Mediterranean world and the City of Rome, to Britain and the North-Western provinces, to the Balkans and the eastern Empire.

Our teaching and research ranges from the high point of the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries, to the transformation of the late Roman Empire and the period of Late Antiquity. Students studying the City of Rome topic (20 credits) have the opportunity to apply to spend one semester at the British School in Rome.

Medieval and post-medieval archaeology

We have staff researching and teaching in the periods of both early medieval (Anglo-Saxon and Viking) and later medieval and post-medieval (from the Norman Conquest to the Renaissance), and students can study topics across this range or choose to specialise in one period.

We also have expertise in the study of landscape and settlement archaeology, the archaeology of standing buildings, and medieval topics in bioarchaeology.

Social bioarchaeology – people, plants and animals

Our department is a recognised centre of excellence in the innovative study of social bioarchaeology and the interaction of humans, plants and animals in their wider landscape and environmental context. Staff specialise in zooarchaeology across regions and time-periods ranging from the Palaeolithic to Roman to Post-Medieval Europe.

You are provided with a practical, methodological and theoretical grounding in bioarchaeology. This allows you to develop core practical and analytical skills so you can undertake independent study of environmental evidence for your dissertation and pursue a career as a specialist in the field.

Archaeological materials

You have the opportunity to combine archaeology and science in the investigation of ancient materials and pyrotechnologies. You can study the archaeological, ethnographic and scientific aspects of materials – primarily glass – choosing to specialise in particular methods and techniques or taking a broader comparative approach.

To undertake an independent research project in archaeological materials, you will be taught core practical and analytical skills to enable you to undertake primary scientific analysis using a wide range of techniques and approaches.

Find out more

Visit the Department of Classics and Archaeology website to find out more about our research and teaching profile.

We encourage you to get in touch with a member of academic staff about your research proposal before submitting an application. They may be able to help you with your proposal and offer support to find funding opportunities in your area.

Details of our research expertise.