Royal Archaeological Institute

09/06/2026

𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞

We are accepting nominations for the RAI Tony Baggs Undergraduate Dissertation Prize.

University and college departments are invited to submit their best undergraduate dissertation written in 2025 or 2026 on archaeology or architectural history of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and other countries.

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 9 December 2026

The nomination form is available at

The Institute awards a dissertation prize each year for either an undergraduate (the Tony Baggs Undergraduate Dissertation Prize) or Master's dissertation on an alternating basis. The prize goes to the best dissertation on a subject concerning the archaeology or architectural history of Britain, Ire...

01/06/2026

We're delighted to share our Lecture Programme for 2026-7! We have a wonderful line up of speakers presenting on a wide range of topics - from Neolithic cheese making, Roman plasterwork and late Roman hoards, early medieval archaeology at Yeavering, recent investigations at Bodiam, graffiti and inscriptions at Royston, archaeology and nature recovery at the National Trust and 17th century papercuts from SuttonHouse in Hackney.

For the first time, we are planning a lecture outside London - the Talbot Green lecture will take place in York in April 2027. For more details about this and all of the other lectures, please check out our Events Page: https://www.royalarchinst.org/events

Durham University University of York University of Kent Museum of London Archaeology National Trust Bodiam Castle NT Ad Gefrin Society of Antiquaries of London

18/05/2026

We’ve had a wonderful weekend in Halifax for our Spring Meeting visiting the Town Hall, Wainhouse Tower, Haworth Parsonage, Cliffe Castle Museum, Calderdale Industrial Museum, the Piece Hall, Hepstonstall village, Ilkley Church and the Manor Museum, Shibden Hall and Halifax Minster. A huge thank you to all of our expert guides at these places and to our Meetibgs Secretaries for arranging such a brilliant programme for us!

04/05/2026

Our final lecture of the 2025-6 season will be presented by our President, Nathalie Cohen: this will present some results of research on the Society of Antiquaries of London lamp, used as the organisation's ‘symbol of ticket’ since the 18th century. Originally identified as a Roman artefact, subsequently re-dated to the medieval period, and more recently suggested to be a Jewish sabbath lamp, this presentation will discuss other examples identified in collections in the UK and beyond, depictions of lighting during the medieval period and present some initial thoughts on the context of the lamp’s discovery and the lived experience of Jewish communities in England.

The lamp itself will be on display for in-person attendees in the Meeting Room before the AGM (from 16.30 to 16.45), with many thanks to the Society of Antiquaries.

Our Annual General Meeting and the lecture will be held at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London starting at 4.45p.m on Wednesday 13 May.

Non-members are welcome to attend the lectures but should contact [email protected] in advance so they can be added to the guest list.

01/05/2026

The Royal Archaeological Institute will be supporting the Bodiam 100 project this year through our grants programme - providing funding for early career archaeologists.

06/04/2026

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺/𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗩 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 (𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀) 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀.

We’re looking forward to this week’s lecture!

Catch a free public lecture this Wednesday on early Neanderthal archaeology at ASE’s excavations at Maritime Academy, Frindsbury! Letty Ingrey will be talking about the site’s remarkably well-preserved Palaeolithic archaeology as part of the Royal Archaeological Institute’s lecture series.

🗓 Wednesday 8 April 2026
⏰ 5:00 – 6:00pm
💸Free!
💻 Attend online: live streaming on YouTube (see link below)
📍 Attend in person (London): email admin[at]royalarchinst.org to register

For full details see https://www.royalarchinst.org/events/2026/maritime-academy-frindsbury-early-neanderthal-archaeology-preserved-chalk-landscape

20/03/2026

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺/𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗩 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 (𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀) 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀.

𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐚𝐭 𝟓 𝐩𝐦

Please join us on Wednesday 8 April for Letty Ingrey’s lecture ‘Maritime Academy, Frindsbury: Early Neanderthal archaeology preserved in a chalk landscape capture point’.

The earliest appearance of Neanderthals in Europe is associated with fundamental changes in how humans behaved and adapted to their environments. A recently discovered archaeological site, excavated ahead of the construction of a school, provides a key opportunity to understand this critical period.

The lecture will detail the results of excavations undertaken by UCL Archaeology South-East at Maritime Academy, Frindsbury between 2021 and 2023. The site is located within a large solution feature in the Chalk which has functioned as a capture point, trapping sediments and protecting a multi-period Palaeolithic locale from erosion for 330,000 years. Within the feature buried soils and sediments contain stone artefacts which have barely moved since discard. A minimally disturbed site of this age is a significant discovery, dating to a period in Britain central to discussions on early Neanderthal behaviour and changing technologies.

𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲: Burlington House (Soc of Antiquaries)

Non-members are welcome to attend at Burlington House. To join the guest list, contact us at [email protected].

16/03/2026

🎊𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 to Jason Cohen from UCL Institute of Archaeology who has been awarded the RAI Master's Dissertation Prize for his dissertation, Weapon Burials in Early Medieval England: A DNA-Informed Perspective.

The information for future submissions is available at

The Institute awards a dissertation prize each year for either an undergraduate (the Tony Baggs Undergraduate Dissertation Prize) or Master's dissertation on an alternating basis. The prize goes to the best dissertation on a subject concerning the archaeology or architectural history of Britain, Ire...

05/03/2026

𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐚𝐭 𝟓 𝐩𝐦 – Dr Tony Wilmott

We are delighted that Dr Tony Wilmott will present our next lecture on ‘A small town on Hadrian's Wall? - the extramural settlement and bathhouse at Birdoswald’.

In the 1990s, geophysical surveys on the extramural areas of Hadrian's Wall forts demonstrated that they were more extensive than formerly believed, however very little excavation has taken place since that time to investigate their relationship with the forts. Extensive excavation within the fort and cemetery at Birdoswald since 1987 has resulted in the detailed understanding of these areas against which work on the extramural areas could be set. Partnership excavations by Historic England and Newcastle University from 2022 to 2024 to the east, west, and north of the fort have produced important new evidence on the chronology, zoning and function of these settlements. A building previously located by Ian Richmond proved to be the fort bathhouse, specifically the stoking chamber and flue, the latter extraordinarily well preserved. The discovery of a run of water pipes leading directly into the bathhouse shows how the water supply operated with relation to the heating system and led to the identification of the entry point of an aqueduct from the north.

𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲: Burlington House (Soc of Antiquaries) and our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/a87uR2-M3Go

Non-members are welcome to attend at Burlington House. To join the guest list, contact us at [email protected].

A small town on Hadrian's Wall? - the extramural settlement and bathhouse at BirdoswaldIn the 1990s, geophysical surveys on the extramural areas of Hadrian's...

24/02/2026

Congratulations and best wishes to our 2026 grant recipients!
🎉💐

Royal Archaeological Institute,c/o Society of Antiquaries of London,Burlington House,Piccadilly,London W1J [email protected] charity 226222