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Oxford Centre for
Asian Archaeology, Art, and Culture

International Research
Academic Collaboration
Knowledge Exchange
About the Centre

The Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art and Culture is a unique UK-based organisation that fosters exchange, research and training relating to the heritage and culture of Asia. Based within the University of Oxford, and specifically the School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, the Centre brings together a wealth of expertise relating to Asia and its cultural past, offering a unique programme of research and teaching. The Centre trains students from all parts of the world including the Asian region, and supports major research programmes, visiting scholars, and publication programmes in Asian archaeology, art and culture. It holds regular public, academic and international events, including talks, seminars, workshops and symposia. The Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art and Culture also engages in a variety of public outreach activities, including school visits, public lectures, and campaigning for the preservation of heritage sites.

Why Asia?

The various regions of Asia are amongst the fastest developing in the world today. This has led to a rapid increase in both heritage destruction and conservation efforts, as well as a growing interest in the remarkably rich cultural past of one of the largest and most diverse areas of the world. Asian archaeology and heritage studies are expanding at an unprecedented rate, and there is a growing need for world-class expertise in this area. The Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art and Culture has been developed to support research and training in various areas of Asian archaeology and heritage studies, and to offer opportunities for scholarly discussion, networking and collaboration.
If you want to know more about the Centre or its activities please contact us at the Institute, follow us on twitter, or subscribe up to our e-newsletter.

Centre Team, Associates, and Students

At the core of the centre are six members of the School of Archaeology who are actively involved in developing its profile and furthering its aims. However, in various ways, the Centre draws in colleagues from many other departments, as well as a much wider web of research associates and project partners stretching across the continent.

Core Team
Professor
Chris Gosden

Landscape and Identity, intelligence, Eurasian connections, Papua New Guinea

Professor
Mark Pollard

Materials science in archaeology, Chinese metallurgy, Iran

Prof. Dame
Jessica Rawson

China, Inner Asia, Interaction spheres

Dr
Rick Schulting

Western Europe, Japan, Human osteology

Dr
Anke Hein

South-west China, Human-environment relations

Dr
Peter Hommel

Russia, Central Asia, Early ceramics, Hunter-gatherer landscapes

Dr
Mitsuko Ito

Ancient Japan, archaeology of children and childhood, museum studies

Associated Researchers in Oxford
Prof. Craig Clunas

History of Art Department

Prof. Sir Barry Cunliffe

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford

Chris Doherty

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford

Dr Mallica Kumbera Landrus

Ashmolean Museum, Oriental Institute and Said Business School

Prof. Donna Kurtz

The Cultural Heritage Institute, University of Oxford

Dr Dirk Meyer

Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford

Dr Bryan Miller

Rothmere American Institute, University of Oxford

Prof. Christopher Ramsey

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford

Ms Wannaporn Rienjang

Classical Art Research Centre, Oxford

Dr Amy Richardson

Oriental Institute, Oxford

Dr Peter Stewart

Classical Art Research Centre, Oxford

Dr Shelagh Vainker

Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Dr Paul Wordsworth

Oriental Institute, University of Oxford

External Research Associates and International Project Partners
Prof. Jianli Chen

Peking University, Beijing

Dr Yury Esin

Khakassian Research Institute for Language, Literature and History

Prof. Hirofumi Kato

Center for Ainu & Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Krause

Goethe University, Frankfurt

Prof. Jianjun Mei

Needham Institute, Cambridge

Prof Michael Petraglia

Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena

Prof. Sharada Srinivasan

National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

Dr Nataliya Shishlina

State Historical Museum, Moscow

Dr Viktor Trifonov

Institute for the History of Material Culture RAS, St Petersburg

Prof. Tsagaan Turbat

School of Archaeology, University of Oxford MAS, Ulan Bator

Dr Alicia Ventresca-Miller

University fo Kiel

Doctoral Students

One of the primary aims of the Centre is to foster a constructive and supportive environment for students coming to Oxford to study aspects of Asian archaeology, art, and culture. Through involvement in the Centre and its activities our students develop a broad understanding of current trends in research in Asia. They also have the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of visiting scholars, helping them to build network during their time in Oxford, to enrich their studies and build collaborations for future research. Students, past and present, also form their own networks, developing international and interdisciplinary contacts which can form the basis of future collaborations. Click here for a list of some of our current and former DPhil student profiles

Current Students

Former Students

Research Projects

The Centre and its members contribute to projects across Eurasia and details of our involvement in research across Asia can be found here. Links to some of the major projects run by core team and associates in Oxford are provided below. These projects not only represent the Centre and its aims, but also to make an active contribution to its vitality and further development:

China and Inner Asia:
Interactions that Changed China (1000–200 BC)

Leverhulme 2011–2017

European Celtic Art in Context:
Exploring Celtic Art and its Eastern Links

Leverhulme 2014–2017

Activities, Interactions, Partners

The Centre's involvement in academic research is matched by its efforts to build future collaboration, to establish productive partnerships with institutions in Asia, and to build wider networks of knowlege exchange. Some of our current and previous activities are displayed on the maps below. More detailed reports on some of our collaborative programmes is available here

map of activities
OCAAAC News and Announcements

Below are some of the recent tweets from our Twitter feed. If you would like to recieve regular updates on our activities and events please follow us @ArchaeoAsia or subscribe up to our e-newsletter.

@ArchaeoAsia

Contact Us!

The Oxford Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art, and Culture
Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford
34-36 Beaumont St
Oxford OX1 2PG
United Kingdom
+44 1865 278147
+44 1865 278254