Our aim
The Centre of Archaeology (CoA) was formed in October 2013 with dual aims: to develop research activity and consultancy in applied archaeology. The CoA is now an international centre of learning and knowledge exchange with an emphasis on engagement that extends beyond academia.
We are dedicated to developing research excellence and professional practice with a focus on the application of novel techniques to the investigation of the recent and ancient past. In particular, we apply our expertise to the investigation of the Holocaust and other genocides, and to missing persons investigations across the world.
We research, and are guided by, the unique ethical challenges posed in these circumstances and have developed an interdisciplinary methodology that accounts for the religious, social and cultural issues that surround the sites connected to these crimes. Our work has resulted in the first archaeological investigations at sites such as the Nazi-German extermination and labour camps in Treblinka (Poland), forced and slave labour camps and cemeteries in Alderney (UK), Semlin concentration camp (Serbia) and numerous killing sites in Ukraine and Poland, as well as state-of-the-art surveys at other sites in Germany, Norway, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
We have also carried out innovative research connected to the life of William Shakespeare, resulting in the excavation of his final home at New Place and ground-breaking non-invasive surveys to investigate the graves of the Shakespeare family.
Our commitment to community engagement is reflected in our portfolio of community archaeology projects and publications in this area, and our involvement in interdisciplinary research is demonstrated by our staff who work across a number of fields such as archaeology, forensic investigation, virtual reality and 3D visualisation, film and TV and fine art.