Location BIAA, Atatürk Bulvarı 154/1 and online
Date and time
Thursday 11 December 2025
14:30 - 14:30 (London GMT)
17:30 - 17:30 (Ankara UTC+3)
Speakers
Prof Robin Skeates
Durham University
This lecture introduces debates on the relevance of archaeology to the modern world.
The first half deals with ‘public archaeology’, drawing on three examples with which the presenter has direct experience: a heritage battle fought by various stakeholders over the future of a Bronze Age monument in England; a project exploring what makes people say ‘wow!’ when visiting archaeological places; and another project intended to transform museums in Jordan from tourist places to educational resources for local communities. The second half then turns to some major contemporary debates concerning: ‘decolonising’ archaeology, ‘fast’ archaeological science, the growing dominance of English as the language of archaeological science, archaeology in wartime, and archaeology at a time of global environmental crisis.
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Robin Skeates is a Professor in Durham University’s Department of Archaeology, UK, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and an Honorary Member of the European Association of Archaeologists. Of particularly relevance to this lecture, he is author of a book titled ‘Debating the Archaeological Heritage’, co-editor of ‘The Oxford Handbook of Public Archaeology’, editor of a book on ‘Museums and Archaeology’, and editor of the distinguished archaeology journal, ‘Antiquity’. He is also a specialist in Central Mediterranean prehistoric archaeology.