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Understanding early human cave art

A psychological phenomenon where people see meaningful forms in random patterns, such as seeing faces in clouds, may have stimulated early humans to make cave art.
A Palaeolithic painting of an aurochs from the cave of La Pasiega. The artist traced the natural cracks in the cave wall when painting the head, horns, and back leg of the animal

From Dunbar to Durham: Walking 95 miles in memory of Scottish POWs forced to march south after the Battle of Dunbar

Archaeology PhD researcher Megan Olshefski completes a 95-mile walk in memory of the 17th century Scottish soldiers forced to march from Dunbar to Durham Cathedral after the 1650 Battle of Dunbar.
A group of smiling people gathered outside the Durham Cathedral doors. Two in the centre are dressed in hiking gear and one holds a bouquet of flowers.

Shared horse and human burials show how deeply the vikings cared for their animal companions

Dr Harriet Evans-Tang, a Post Doctoral Research Associate in our Department of Archaeology, and Dr Keith Ruiter from the University of Suffolk explore the connection between vikings and their horses.
viking carving

Durham project 'Exploring cultural capital in local communities' wins Emerald Publishing Interdisciplinary Research Award for 2022/3.

Durham project 'Exploring cultural capital in local communities' wins Emerald Publishing Interdisciplinary Research Award project for 2022/3.
EmeraldPublishing Interdisciplinary Research Award project for 2022/3

Durham celebrates the renewal of our strategic partnership with the Palace Museum Beijing

On 8 July, we welcomed a delegation from the Palace Museum Beijing, led by Senior Deputy Director Mr LOU Wei, to Durham.
Lanterns at Oriental Museum

Durham and the Palace Museum host ‘Pearl by the Sea’ archaeological exhibition

From May to August 2023, we have partnered with the Palace Museum in Beijing, to host ‘Pearl by the Sea - The Comparative Exhibition of Ceramic Finds from Ras al-Khaimah and China’ at the Longquan Celadon Museum in Zhejiang, China.
A group of archaeologists standing in front of a museum

Diversity and Inclusivity in Disaster Responses

At ALLEA (The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities) our Professor of Archaeology Robin Coningham was a panelist for their recent General Assembly on Crises and the Importance of Research: "How Prepared Can We Be?"
Tina Comes, Hannah Cloke, Tom Shakespeare and Robin Coningham sitting on a panel

How ceramics are telling the story of 14th century Chinese trade

The history of Chinese trade is sometimes still a bit of a mystery due to the lack of historical records. This is where archaeologists are relying on ceramics to tell the story.
A modern working ‘dragon kiln’ in the Longquan area in China

13th International Congress for the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

From left to right: Ruben Davtyan, Lynne Welton, Valentina Tumolo, Dan Lawrence, Graham Philip, Rune Rattenborg, Felicitas Ruschel, Michelle de Gruchy and Cathie Draycott.
Group of researchers and staff smiling

Strengthening our partnerships in India

In May we celebrated our long-standing partnership with the Maharaja Sayajirao University (MS University) of Baroda.
A group of people looking at the camera and smiling.

Scientists unearth forgotten children of the past

Scientists have unearthed a harrowing story of forgotten children of the past, providing the first direct evidence of the lives of early nineteenth century ‘pauper apprentices’.
Image of a young child in a cotton mill factory setting

Heritage, historic urban infrastructure, disasters and sustainable development

Professor Robin Coningham is UNESCO's Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage, the Chair of Early Medieval Archaeology and is Associate Director (World Heritage) in Durham's Institute of Mediaeval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) and Co-Director of Durham's MA International Cultural Heritage Management programme. Here Robin discusses the role of archaeology in urban infrastructure, climate change, disaster and risk, as part of Durham’s Global Lecture Series
An image of an archaeological excavation site