Archaeology: Unit of Assessment 33
The vast majority of research in UoA 33, Archaeology is officially classified as world-leading, internationally excellent or recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour, having been placed in the three highest categories for quality in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
| Quality Level | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | Unclassified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity | 15 | 35 | 35 | 15 | 0 |
Our claim for international research excellence in Archaeology has been greatly strengthened since 2001. We prioritise quality research outputs and from 2001-7 secured approximately £1.5m in research awards to support their production. We have produced 127 publications and given 130 invited papers in locations from York to Australia.
Our research strengths and outputs can be characterised in terms of three thematic strands:
- Landscape Archaeology,
- Material Culture of Historic Periods,
- Bodies and Identity.
Roman/Late Antique archaeology remains central to our research profile. We are the gateway UoA for the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site; and our University Museums curate an important collection of classical antiquities, which in 2009 move to the Great North Museum, a major regional heritage initiative.
We are renowned for our work in Late Antique/Byzantine archaeology. In 2001 we shared an award of £895,000 to develop the AHRB Centre for Byzantine Cultural History with Sussex and Queen’s, Belfast.
We gain much strength from interdisciplinary research synergies, with international co-operation being one of our key priorities. Between us, we have developed research collaborations with 47 universities, museums and heritage bodies in countries ranging from Iran and South Africa to Romania and Italy.
UK-based partnerships are a further strength. We have forged links with 29 different UK institutions, ranging from universities and museums to English Heritage, National Parks, and County Councils. We are equally committed to developing research with regional practitioners, and view this as a key future priority.
The School of Historical Studies has invested considerably in the facilities available to the UoA. Priority has been given to creating well-equipped Postgraduate Suites with their own computer facilities.
Since 2001 a total of 47.5 postgraduate research students completed their degrees (12 PhD and 36.5 MLitt/MPhil). Some 20 conference papers have been given by PhD students in the last two years alone, in locations ranging from Bristol to Krakov and Aarhus. Three have also had work published.
Some 20 outputs are already firmly committed for publication in 2008, and several of our long-term projects, for example Raunds Prehistoric and the Water Supply of Byzantine Constantinople will be published in the next two years.