Coordinator: Dr Colin A Hope
Archaeology, together with ancient history, is the reconstruction of past
societies using whatever type of data remains, whether this be structural,
artefactual, documentary or literary. It explores the genesis, evolution and
characteristics of the patterns of human existence on both cognitive and
practical levels. The geographical focus is upon the cultures of the ancient
Mediterranean world and temporally from the beginnings of urbanism among early
agricultural communities until the fourth century CE, thus upon complex
societies. Within this broad spectrum emphasis is placed on the study of Egypt
and its interaction with neighbouring regions. Studies which combine a variety
of methodological approaches are encouraged and priority is given to those
which involve practical components, whether in the field or in relation to
museum collections, both of which can be arranged through the centre. The
application of scientific techniques to the study of archaeological material is
welcomed. Research strengths include: settlement and mortuary archaeology with
specific reference to the Predynastic Period -- Old Kingdom, the New Kingdom
and the Ptolemaic-Roman Periods, both within the Nile Valley and the Saharan
region; the history of New Kingdom and Ptolemaic-Roman Egypt; ceramic studies;
ancient technology; numismatics; and the archaeology of early Christianity.
Supervision of PhD and masters by research candidature is available. Due to its
active participation in fieldwork in Egypt, the Centre for Archaeology and
Ancient History is ideally placed to provide students with new and previously
unpublished or unstudied data that can be incorporated into research programs.
Research interests of staff are available at
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/archaeology/research.html
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