Rate My Professor Julian Thomas

Professor Julian Thomas is Professor of Archaeology in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester. He holds a B.Tech. in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Bradford (1981), an M.A. in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy from the University of Sheffield (1982), and a Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Sheffield (1986). His academic career includes serving as Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Wales, Lampeter from 1987 to 1993, and Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader in Archaeology at the University of Southampton from 1994 to 2000, before taking up his current position at Manchester in 2000. Thomas's research focuses on the theory and philosophy of archaeology, history of archaeological thought, Neolithic Britain and Europe, archaeology of place, landscape, architecture and monuments, and the relationship between archaeology and anthropology, including material culture and phenomenology.

He has directed significant projects such as the Dorstone Hill Neolithic Landscape excavations since 2011, revealing early Neolithic long mounds and timber buildings dated to the 39th century BC, and was Principal Investigator on the AHRC-funded Stonehenge Riverside Project from 2005 to 2010. Key publications include Time, Culture and Identity: An Interpretative Archaeology (2002), Archaeology and Modernity (2004), Understanding the Neolithic (1999), Rethinking the Neolithic (1991), and the co-authored Neolithic Britain: The Transformation of Social Worlds (Oxford University Press). A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London since 2012, he has secured major grants from AHRC, Historic Scotland, and others totaling over £1.8 million. Thomas has influenced the field through editorial board memberships on journals like Journal of Material Culture and Journal of Social Archaeology, media contributions including BBC programmes, public lectures at Hay Festival, and committee roles with the Royal Anthropological Institute.