Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of the human past through its physical remains, recovering and interpreting the traces that people have left in the earth, above the ground and in the environment across thousands of years of human history and prehistory. It is a discipline that requires both scientific rigour and humanistic imagination, combining field and laboratory methods with the theoretical frameworks needed to make sense of what those methods reveal. Archaeology can address questions about the origins of modern humans, the development of agriculture, the rise and fall of civilisations, and the everyday lives of people who left no written records, giving it a unique capacity to illuminate the full depth of human experience.

At the University of Liverpool this three-year full-time programme develops your skills in fieldwork, excavation, artefact analysis, environmental archaeology, digital documentation and the theoretical and historical frameworks of the discipline. You will engage with prehistoric, classical, medieval and post-medieval archaeology, and you will work on real sites and with real collections as part of your studies. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic and archaeological tradition, whether that means fieldwork in southern Europe, participation in a project in the Middle East, or study at a university in North America or Australia.

Liverpool's strong archaeology department and its collections provide an excellent research context.

Graduates go on to work in professional archaeological practice, including fieldwork, heritage management and consultancy. Others pursue careers in museums, archives, cultural heritage organisations, conservation, academia and local government heritage departments. The research skills, attention to material evidence and ability to synthesise information from multiple sources that archaeology develops are valued well beyond the heritage sector.

Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in archaeology, heritage management or related disciplines, and some pursue specialist technical training in areas such as finds analysis, environmental archaeology or digital heritage. The degree is an engaging and rigorous introduction to a profession with a direct connection to understanding who we are.