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New book by Professor Paul Pettitt examines how novel scientific advances are transforming our understanding of human evolution

'Homo Sapiens Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins' by Professor Paul Pettitt explores how our ancestors developed and innovated during the Palaeolithic period.
Cave paintings made by Homo sapiens

Durham University contributes to the survey of Egyptian archaeology

This summer, teams from Durham worked as part of the Delta Survey project in the north Nile Delta, where a further 9 sites were surveyed.
Panoramic view of a tell in the north Nile Delta

Neanderthals: how a carnivore diet may have led to their demise

Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology investigates how understanding our ancestors' diets can reveal crucial information about their varying degrees of evolutionary success.
Cave paintings made by Homo sapiens

Glaciers in the Anthropocene. A Biocultural View

Daniel Gaudio (Durham University) and Mauro Gobbi (MUSE-Science Museum of Trento) explore the impact of retreating glaciers on ecology, heritage and bioarchaeology in their new article in Nature and Culture.

Scotland's First Farmers Didn't Need Manure

Early farming in Scotland was a less smelly affair than elsewhere, as new research shows they did not need to use manure to fertilise their fields.
A field of wheat

New book by Professor Mark White provides a new perspective on archaeological research

A Global History of the Earlier Palaeolithic: Assembling the Acheulean World 1673-2020s By Professor Mark White explores the history of research into the Palaeolithic from its earliest origins to the modern day.
Artist's reconstruction of Homo heidelbergensis making a flint handaxe

Heritage protection in a humanitarian crisis

After Kathmandu was hit by the Gorkha Earthquake in April 2015, a team from Durham University’s UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage was invited by the Government of Nepal and UNESCO to assess damaged historic monuments.
Image showing post-disaster training exercise with first responders

Celebrating Black Archaeologists

During Black History Month, the Department of Archaeology will be regularly releasing a news item relating to the life and work of a black archaeologist. Watch this space for more articles as they are released.
A black woman wearing a headscarf

Professor Paul Pettitt appears on Times Radio to discuss one of prehistory's biggest discoveries

One of archaeology’s most significant discoveries has received new publicity through Times Radio’s ‘On This Day’ feature in an interview with Professor Paul Pettitt.
Paul Pettitt

CODEX: Inspired by Lindisfarne Gospels 2022

Durham University will be bringing history to life and lighting up the North East in a new exhibition.
Light projection from the CODEX video and sound installation

Ancient dung reveals earliest evidence of farmed animals

Ancient dung has helped provide archaeologists with the earliest evidence of animals being farmed for food.
A person pours soil into a flotation machine to extract carbonised plant remains

Community excavation projects unveils local history

A collaborative community project involving our Department of Archaeology has unearthed thousands of artefacts from back gardens in a bid to reveal the history of a North East town.
Two school pupils digging in a test pit