Richard John Harrison (born August 1949) is an archaeologist and Professor in the University of Bristol, England. [1] Harrison studied at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and gained his Bachelor's degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in 1970. He held a Prize Fellowship at Harvard from 1970 to 1975, and was awarded his PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University in 1975. His first employment was in the Department of Prehistoric and Roman-British Antiquities at the British Museum, from where he moved to the University of Bristol as a lecturer in 1976. In 1977 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, [2] and in 2003 to be a Corresponding Fellow of the Deutsches Archaeologisches Institut in Frankfurt, Germany. [3]
Richard Harrison is known for his work on the Copper and Bronze Ages of Europe, in particular Spain and Portugal. He began with an interest in the problems that the Bell Beaker culture poses, which broadened to an interest in the reasons how and why prehistoric societies changed in the manner they did. He has conducted excavations in Spain on the remains of four Bronze Age villages (dated 2600–1000 BC) in the region of Aragón and published his findings (see the selected publications below). Harrison's excavations were supported for many years by the 'Earthwatch' programme. [4]
A collaborative project for a three-year study of Beaker cemeteries in Bavaria is supported by a grant from the Von Thyssen Stiftung. Its aim is to use the DNA preserved in ancient skeletons to determine patterns of kinship, immigration and residence. [1]
Andrew Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, is a British archaeologist, paleolinguist and Conservative peer noted for his work on radiocarbon dating, the prehistory of languages, archaeogenetics, neuroarchaeology, and the prevention of looting at archaeological sites.
Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe,, known as Barry Cunliffe, is a British archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2007. Since 2007, he has been an emeritus professor.
The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell beaker drinking vessel used at the very beginning of the European Bronze Age, arising from around 2800 BC.
Stuart Ernest Piggott, was a British archaeologist, best known for his work on prehistoric Wessex.
The Atlantic Bronze Age is a term that has never been formally defined. Some take its meaning to be a label for the period spanning approximately 1300–700 BC in Britain, France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain; that is, the Atlantic coast of Europe. Others assign it to a cultural complex of the Bronze Age period in prehistoric Europe that is defined by the culture prevalent at this time and location.
Charles Franklin Wandesforde Higham is a British-born New Zealand archaeologist most noted for his work in Southeast Asia. Among his noted contributions to archaeology are his work about the Angkor civilization in Cambodia, and his current work in Northeast Thailand. He is an emeritus professor at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
The motillas were the early settlements of La Mancha (Spain) belonging to the Middle Bronze Age, and connected to the Bronze of Levante culture. These were human-made hills atop of which are placed fortified settlements. Their height is usually between four and five meters and the motillas are separated from each other by a distance of four to five kilometers. Their construction started c. 2200 BCE and they were used for about 1000 years.
Christopher John Scarre, FSA is an academic and writer in the fields of archaeology, pre-history and ancient history. He is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham and was head of its archaeology department 2010-2013.
Bronze Age Britain is an era of British history that spanned from c. 2500–2000 BC until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1,700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the period of Iron Age Britain. Being categorised as the Bronze Age, it was marked by the use of copper and then bronze by the prehistoric Britons, who used such metals to fashion tools. Great Britain in the Bronze Age also saw the widespread adoption of agriculture.
Professor Anthony James Legge. was a British archaeologist and academic, who specialised in zooarchaeology.
Julian Stewart Thomas is a British archaeologist, publishing on the Neolithic and Bronze Age prehistory of Britain and north-west Europe. Thomas has been vice president of the Royal Anthropological Institute since 2007. He has been Professor of Archaeology at the University of Manchester since 2000, and is former secretary of the World Archaeological Congress. Thomas is perhaps best known as the author of the academic publication Understanding the Neolithic in particular, and for his work with the Stonehenge Riverside Project.
Peter Michael Warren, is a British archaeologist and academic, specialising in the Aegean Bronze Age. From 1977 to 2001, he was Professor of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at the University of Bristol, where he is currently Professor Emeritus and a senior research fellow at the university.
Cecily Margaret Guido,, also known as Peggy Piggott, was an English archaeologist, prehistorian, and finds specialist. Her career in British archaeology spanned sixty years, and she is recognised for her field methods, her field-leading research into prehistoric settlements, burial traditions, and artefact studies, as well as her high-quality and rapid publication, contributing more than 50 articles and books to her field between the 1930s and 1990s.
Nancy Katharine Sandars was a British archaeologist and prehistorian. As an independent scholar, she wrote a number of books and a popular version of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Helena Bonet Rosado is a Spanish archaeologist who specialises in Iberian material culture. She has published two books and numerous articles and chapters on Iberian archaeology. She is currently the Director of the Prehistory Museum of Valencia.
Muntanya Assolada is a Bronze Age settlement located on the right bank of the Xúquer river, in Spain, built on the top of a spur of the Corbera mountain range, dominating the river plain from a height of 227 metres (745 ft) above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Alzira, Valencia, Spain.
Joanna Bruck is an archaeologist and academic, who is a specialist on Bronze Age Britain and Ireland. Since 2020, she has been Professor of Archaeology and Head of the School of Archaeology at University College Dublin. She was previously Professor of Archaeology at the University of Bristol between 2013 and 2020.
Hugh O'Neill Hencken was an American archaeologist who specialized in Iron Age Europe. He was curator of European archaeology at the Peabody Museum, Harvard University, from 1932 to 1972.
Jodie Lewis is a British archaeologist specialising in the study of prehistory. She is a lecturer at the University of Bradford. She was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2015. Before joining Bradford in 2022, Lewis lectured at the University of Wales, Bangor, the University of West of England, and the University of Worcester. She is a council member of The Prehistoric Society.
Anthony Harding is a British archaeologist specialising in European prehistory. He was a professor at Durham University and the University of Exeter and president of the European Association of Archaeologists between 2003 and 2009. Following his doctoral research on Mycenaean Greece, Harding's work has mainly concerned the European Bronze Age, including major studies of prehistoric warfare and the prehistory of salt.