Archaeology with Gaelic Studies

Archaeology and Gaelic studies is a combination that makes particular sense in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, where the material record of human settlement and the living presence of the Gaelic language are both deeply embedded in the landscape and community. Archaeology is the study of human societies through the analysis of their physical remains: the buildings, artefacts, landscapes and biological materials that survive from the past and that can be excavated, surveyed and interpreted. Gaelic studies engages with the language, literature, history and culture of Gaelic-speaking communities, which in Scotland means engaging with a tradition that runs from medieval poetry and classical bardic culture through the catastrophe of the Clearances to the contemporary Gaelic revival.

At the University of the Highlands and Islands this four-year full-time programme is delivered across the institution's network of colleges and learning centres, which spans the very territories whose archaeology and Gaelic heritage you will be studying. This gives the programme an unusually direct relationship with its subject matter: the landscapes you analyse in your archaeology studies and the communities whose language you study in Gaelic are the landscapes and communities that surround you. You will develop skills in archaeological fieldwork, including survey, excavation and the analysis of material culture, alongside proficiency in Gaelic and engagement with its literature, history and linguistic structure.

The combination is well suited to anyone who wants a deep and locally rooted understanding of Scottish history and culture, combining the material evidence of the archaeological record with the linguistic and literary evidence that Gaelic provides.

Graduates pursue careers in heritage management, museum and archive work, community development, language planning, education, cultural organisations and archaeology in the public and private sectors. Many go on to postgraduate study in archaeology, Celtic studies, Scottish history or heritage management.