Advancing Access to the UCL Archaeological Reference Collections (A3RC)

The A3RC project would provide access to UCL's modern and archaeological scientific reference collections, specifically the Archaeobotanical, Osteological and Artefact collections, strengthening the RICHeS National Infrastructure. Founded in 1937, the UCL?Institute of Archaeology (IoA) ?is one of the largest centres for archaeology, conservation, and heritage science in the UK. The IoA collections are unique and represent a history of archaeology, with material resulting from the work of pioneers such as Wheeler, Petrie, du Plat?Taylor, Kenyon, Childe, Zeuner, Waldron, Brothwell, Hillman and Hillson. These collections and their archival material are valuable resources to heritage science.

The Archaeobotanical collections are among the world's largest, comprising modern botanical reference specimens and archaeological plant remains. They encompass an extensive range of both cultivated (cereals, pulses, oil plants, fruits) and wild species that have been collected from five continents, with >18,500 accessions coming from numerous habitats with particular richness from the Fertile Crescent, Africa, SW Asia and Europe. These collections are essential for the correct taxonomic identification of archaeological materials, facilitating study of agricultural strategies and environmental conditions through time, and providing an unrivalled resource for understanding human adaptations to climate and environmental change for periods prior to historical records.

The IoA Osteological collections include both modern animal reference material and archaeological human and animal reference material. The zooarchaeological reference collections cover Eurasian large mammal, small mammal, bird and fish skeletal material, and include rare Middle Eastern specimens and extensive taphonomy and animal palaeopathology sections. The human palaeopathology reference collection is the largest in the UK, containing unique specimens from Britain spanning the last two thousand years. This material facilitates the study of human disease through time and provides an unrivalled resource for understanding how humans managed disease, disability and care, and the history of medicine.

The IoA Artefact collections house over 80,000 ceramic vessels, stone tools,?metalwork, figurines, jewellery and other object types from various periods across Europe, Africa, Egypt, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Mesoamerica, South America and the Caribbean. Highlights include the Petrie Palestinian Collection; objects from excavations at the Jericho UNESCO World Heritage site, Atchana, and Ur; Cypriot tomb groups from Vounous; Classical Antiquities; Scandinavian lithics, and Acheulean tools from Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. These unique reference collections facilitate the study of human material production, trade and use throughout history.

Currently, access for external researchers to our unique collections is severely limited due to inaccessible storage, limited visitor space, and lack of staff capacity to enable visitor access.

Our A3RC project aims to maximise the research potential of the UCL Archaeological Scientific Reference collections by enabling access for a wide range of users across the archaeology, conservation, and heritage scientific community and beyond.

Our A3RC project objectives are to improve storage accessibility, provide new spaces and equipment dedicated for the study of, and technical support to facilitate access to our Archaeobotanical, Osteological and Artefact collections.