Archaeology and Anthropology

Archaeology and anthropology together offer one of the most compelling approaches to the question of what it means to be human. Archaeology recovers and analyses the material traces of past human life, from prehistoric campsites and ancient cities to more recent industrial and colonial sites, giving us access to societies and peoples that would otherwise be invisible. Anthropology examines human societies and cultures in their full diversity, both through fieldwork-based social anthropology and through evolutionary and linguistic perspectives on what makes humans distinctive as a species.

Together they ask: across all times and all places, what do humans have in common, and how profoundly different can we be?

At the University of Bristol this three-year full-time BA employs archaeology alongside social, evolutionary, and linguistic anthropology to offer an interdisciplinary perspective on human experience. A foundation year is available for those who benefit from additional academic preparation before entering the main degree. You will develop fieldwork skills, the ability to analyse material culture and skeletal remains, social and cultural analysis, and the theoretical frameworks needed to interpret evidence about human behaviour and cultural diversity across time and space.

The typical entry tariff of 168 points reflects the strong academic standard expected of students on this programme at Bristol.

You will develop research and analytical skills, the ability to work with both material and social evidence, and a broad cross-cultural literacy that is genuinely valuable in a globalised world.

Graduates pursue careers in archaeology, heritage and cultural resource management, museums, international development, policy research, journalism, teaching, and the charitable sector. Postgraduate study in archaeology, social anthropology, evolutionary anthropology, or museum studies is a natural continuation for those who want to specialise further or pursue academic research.