About the department of Archaeology and Ancient History

Archaeology is the only humanistic discipline that treats the whole history of humankind

In this subject, we study human beings and societies in prehistorical and early historical times through the material remains they have left behind. The subject is global and our researchers work on four continents. The teaching draws on examples from the whole world, but it is also possible to focus on ancient Scandinavia.

The methods of archaeology are interdisciplinary and contain clear humanistic, social and scientific parts. Archaeology also deals with our expectations and beliefs of the past, how they have been created and used in different periods. Different perspectives come to the forefront in the theoretical frameworks of archaeology. Excavations. visits to museums, excursions and digital spatial analysis also form part of the training.

Archaeology is the study of the human past, primarily from its material remains.

At our Department, in its Uppsala and Visby campuses, archaeology knows only two boundaries: it begins as far back as we can trace what it is to be human, and it ends yesterday. Our archaeology is a big room, with plenty of space for everyone.

We are fascinated by ancient lives, and the social dynamics, technologies, beliefs, identities and interactions that drove them. We explore past peoples' entangled relationships with their environment. We are interested in the complex interplay of material culture and text. We investigate the history of our discipline, how we came to work in the ways we do. We are engaged in how we think about the past, and how its study is inevitably rooted in the present.

With nearly sixty research and teaching staff in Archaeology, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Egyptology and Osteology, we are one of Europe's largest departments in our field and offer explicitly global perspectives on the past. In the Archaeology section, although our researchers have interests spanning many times, places and themes, our core specialist competence embraces the prehistory of Scandinavia, historical archaeology in its broadest sense, indigenous archaeology, and the archaeologies of Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. We are research leaders in GIS and the innovations of digital heritage, in landscape historical ecology and bioculture, and in forging new understandings of global environmental history.

We believe in an ethical study of the past as something that informs and illuminates our most urgent contemporary concerns, placed at the heart of planning for better futures. Our work is accessible not only to the academic community, but also beyond the university.

Please browse our web pages that extend our exploration of the human past to cover the globe. Whether as a potential or current student, researcher, collaborator or member of the public, we know you'll find something of interest in the long human story.

The classical Greek and Roman cultures form the focus of this subject, which also encompasses the study of other classical Mediterranean cultures from the Early Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC) to the first Byzantian era (6th century AD).

It includes areas that have been directly influenced by the Graeco-Roman cultural sphere, from the Greek Bactria in present-day Afghanistan to Roman Britain, as well as different cultures such as Persians and Celts.

Classical archaeology is interdisciplinary and the Classical period is studied from perspectives of archaeology, history and art history. The undergraduate training touches upon social, political and economic history as well as philosophy, religion and literature. Therefore, students will encounter different types of archaeological, iconographical (i.e. imagery) and historical source material. In addition to the preserved Classical literature, this latter material encompassesboth monumental inscriptions and everyday graffitti. In addition, the Classical heritage is included as a special theme.

Although in many cases, the source material is immensely rich, it can also me fragmented and open to different interpretations. Studies in Classical archaeology trains the student's abilities to survey and process large amounts of information and his/her source critical performance.The subject also provides valuable insights into historical and societal processes and increases the understanding of modern society and Western culture, since our contemporary art, literature and politics abound with Classical references.

After three terms of study, Classical archaeology can form the main (major) subject of a bachelor's degree, which qualifies the student to continued studies at an advanced level. Degrees as master (one or two years) are offered in Classical archaeology, and holders are qualified to apply for doctoral studies. The Swedish Institutes in Rome, Athens and Istanbul offer courses, usually at an advanced level, which provides a unique opportunity to focus on Mediterranean archaeology. As an andvanced level students, there are also good possibilities to participate in Swedish excavations in Greece, Italy and Turkey.

Classical archaeology is also the perfect complement to studies in other humanistic subjects, such as history of art, archaeology or the history of science and ideas.

Egyptology is the study of the culture and language of Ancient Egypt from the attestation of the first Predynastic cultures in the Nile Valley in the 6th millennium BC to the early Christian Egypt of the first centuries AD. Egyptological study and research combines modern archaeological methods and practises with sophisticated linguistic and philological investigation of ancient texts.

The Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University is the sole institute of higher education in Sweden and one of the very few universities in Scandinavia to offer the subject for full-time students. Our undergraduate programme provides training in all areas of Egyptology from the study of the archaeology of Egypt and Nubia to the language and literature of ancient Egypt. Our staff members are internationally distinguished researchers on their fields and committed to providing first class pedagogy and student guidance. The subject has excellent facilities and resources, including a rich associated collection of Egyptian and Nubian antiquities.

Environmental history is an interdisciplinary subject that explores the complex relationship between humans and nature throughout history. The focus is on historical changes, events, debates and analytical perspectives on the relations between human societies and natural environments. By analysing these relationships in environmental history we also have the ambition to better interpret, explain and debate contemporary issues of sustainability.

The world is increasingly aware of the pressing concerns facing nature and humanity. This results in an increasing demand for highly qualified professionals with an interdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between human societies and nature. The Master's Programme in Global Environmental History prepares you to meet this challenge.

Osteology means the study of bones and comprises studies of both human and animal material. Osteological material forms the largest amount of finds at archaeological excavations, regardless of the site contains burials or settlement structures. Osteological competence is necessary during an excavation in order to identify and process bone material on site.

The bones found during excavations can provide much information on a society. Which species of cattle were held, and which were hunted? What did people eat, how healthy were they and how long could they expect to live? These are all questions that you as an osteologist can provide the answers to. During your training, you will learn how this is done.