UCD School of Archaeology

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

🔬 Ancient World: Rethinking what passage tombs tell us about ancient society

Traditionally, passage tombs were thought to be exclusive, elite sites, disconnected from daily life. Dr Jessica Smyth’s work at UCD School of Archaeology offers a broader picture of how these sites connected to people, settlements, community and the environment. This is driving a dramatic reappraisal of how ancient society in Ireland operated, and how iconic sites like Newgrange were built.

Dr Smyth is now examining one of the largest known prehistoric human bone assemblages recovered in Ireland, from the sister site of Fourknocks, Co. Meath. Employing non-invasive CT scanning, she is collaborating with osteologists to reveal fascinating life histories of those buried within these tombs.



Learn more about Death and Ritual in the Ancient World:
https://www.ucd.ie/research/infocus/ancientworld/deathandritual/

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, UCD Archaeological Sciences, National Monuments Service - Archaeology, National Museum of Ireland, OPW - Office of Public Works

05/10/2026

🛖 Prof. Aidan Sullivan, UCD School of Archaeology, has been invited to deliver the prestigious Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS) Research Network keynote at Universität Wien, Austria, at 15:30 on 12 November 2026.

🛖 Aidan will speak on “Experimental Archaeology: Making, Understanding, Storytelling”.

🛖 The event is in person and online so please visit the organiser's website to register to attend virtually.

https://www.heas.at/events/heas-keynote-with-aidan-osullivan/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet&utm_campaign=HEAS%20Newsletter

University College Dublin, UCD Global, UCD Alumni, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, UCD Experimental Archaeology

03/10/2026

Pastimes: the archaeology of recreation

03/10/2026

📣 Meet the Speaker

Dr Mark Haughton

📍 Passing time in Bronze Age Ireland

How did people pass their time in Bronze Age Ireland?

At Pastimes: The Archaeology of Recreation, Dr Mark Haughton turns to Ireland’s prehistoric past and considers recreation and everyday life during the Bronze Age.

Dr Mark Haughton is a prehistoric archaeologist at University College Dublin. His current research on wool production in Bronze Age Europe is funded by the European Union.

📌 Pastimes: The Archaeology of Recreation
🗓 Saturday, 10 October 2026
📍 Trinity College Dublin
🌍 In-person and online attendance options
🎟 Booking now open: http:/
monuments service-archaeology
O’Sullivan TD
Housing
National Monuments Service - Archaeology
Archaeology Ireland
History Ireland

02/10/2026

UCD Research highlighting some of our School's research

https://www.ucd.ie/research/infocus/ancientworld/scienceuncoveringtheunseen/?utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demong3kmdql&fbclid=IwY2xjawUsvKhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6X9Be9b3wSZvr65TctEMZVk8pNooZqk1NkLmCB6Z2GTnTmBUMyg15jtMQaKQ_aem_pC2zJhHAqsGso4FNIYbEHA

Major advances in scientific archaeology and the development of cutting-edge technologies are transforming our understanding of pre-history. Evidence that is invisible to the naked eye can now be tracked and analysed, revealing new dimensions to the story of our past.

02/10/2026

This is online and free from the Sainsbury Institute in Norwich, but you have to book a spot!

https://www.sainsbury-institute.org/events/andre-leroi-gourhan-in-japan-tangible-collections-and-intangible-recollections/

Thursday 15 October, 2026. 6:00pm BST - 7:00pm BST
Online lecture via Zoom. 50 min lecture followed by Q&A.
Free and open to all, booking essential.

Speaker
Marion Di Santi (Sorbonne Université / Centre André Chastel)

About the Talk
André Leroi-Gourhan (1911-1986) was a prominent figure in 20th-century French humanities. He is best remembered for his pioneering contribution to the field of “technology” in the context of anthropological studies of techniques, as well as for his pivotal role in transforming prehistoric archaeology and cave art research in the aftermath of World War II. He has influenced several generations of researchers, who recognise him as one of the leading thinkers on the relationships between humans, technology, and the environment.

A significant yet often disregarded period in his career is his two-year stay in Japan, between April 1937 and March 1939. As a scholarship student sponsored by the Japanese government, he was also commissioned by the Musée de l’Homme to assemble a collection of ethnographic materials. This mission to Japan constituted a pivotal moment in the trajectory of his academic career. Aged just twenty-five, this was Leroi-Gourhan’s inaugural foray into fieldwork. Through meticulous field observations, systematic artefact collection, photographic surveys and a deliberate process of acculturation, Leroi-Gourhan constructed and refined his understanding of the relationship between culture and environment. Almost none of his work on Japan was ever published, but the collection of ethnographic materials remains. The objective of this presentation is twofold: firstly, to showcase the collections of Japanese materials assembled by Leroi-Gourhan; and secondly, to highlight the more theoretical contributions that this trip to Japan made to his research, particularly in the field of the study of techniques.

Thursday 15 October, 2026 @ 6:00pm BST - 7:00pm BST - Online lecture via Zoom. 50 min lecture followed by Q&A. Free and open to all, booking essential. To check your time zone conversion if you are joining from outside the UK, click here. If you have limited access to the internet but would still li...

01/10/2026

A great lineup for the 3rd Annual Irish Association of Professional Osteoarchaeologists (IAPO) seminar in Belfast Sat 21 November 2026. It includes our own Dr Jess Beck and Assoc. Prof. Jessica Smyth of UCD School of Archaeology with Dr Zachary Cofran of Vassar College speaking on the Linkardstown burial in the Phoenix Park. It promises to be a great day concluding with a keynote address by Prof Eileen Murphy of QUB - Archaeology on 'Interpreting emotional performance in Irish Medieval burials'.

28/09/2026

🔬 This month, UCD School of Archaeology was delighted to host Dr Anna Davies-Barrett for a two-week research visit. Anna was here to analyse the microremains trapped inside mineralised human dental plaque, which offers a fascinating window into the types of things past people were eating and breathing in.

Anna was working with Dr Anita Radini, Assistant Professor at University College Dublin, whose expertise in the field is recognised worldwide. As part of her work on the UK Research and Innovation funded TB-Omics Project at School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Anna is interested in identifying respiratory irritants that past people may have breathed in during everyday work that might have predisposed them to developing tuberculosis. Anna was looking at both Roman and Victorian individuals who have been identified as having tuberculosis, with some very interesting results!

https://le.ac.uk/people/anna-davies-barrett
https://le.ac.uk/heritage-and-culture

University College Dublin, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, UCD Archaeological Sciences, UCD Experimental Archaeology