Archaeology and History BA (Hons)

Explore the richness and variety of past human experience, and discover its influence on our present and future, with our BA Archaeology and History degree.<br/><br/>At the University of Reading, you will join a community of passionate and curious staff and students from both the Department of History and the Department of Archaeology which ranked 1st in the UK for research quality and research outputs in Archaeology (Times Higher Education Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021). The University of Reading also scored 2nd best for teaching quality in Archaeology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024).<br/><br/>You’ll gain an awareness of the development of differing values, systems and societies, working to address issues critical to our shared global future – including human diets and health, environmental change, inequality, migration and identity.<br/><br/>In your archaeological studies, you’ll study material remains to uncover our human past, from as early as the first hominins millions of years ago. Your historical studies will then take you on a journey through Britain, Europe, Africa, America, the Middle East and South Asia, spanning the past thousand years. You’ll interrogate historical records and explore visual and material culture through texts, paintings, photographs, films and oral sources.<br/><br/>Through the lens of these two complementary subjects, you’ll gain a richer, more holistic understanding of our shared human past, balancing your critical evaluation of historical sources against the physical evidence of lived experience provided by archaeological finds.