Staff

Prof Tony Wilkinson

Contact (email at t.j.wilkinson@durham.ac.uk)

Career

Tony James Wilkinson’s research interests include: the archaeology of the Middle East landscape; long-term trends in settlement and population; geoarchaeology, and human impacts on the environment.

Tony Wilkinson was trained as a geographer at the University of London and then at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario where his research involved the hydrology of overland flow in the Canadian High Arctic. From there he moved into archaeology where he worked on regional landscape projects in the UK and the Middle East. Somewhat perversely he then specialized in landscapes of dry lands and landscapes submerged beneath the sea. He has worked in Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran as well as various places in the United Kingdom. He was formerly assistant director of the British Archaeological Expedition, to Iraq, Research Associate (Associate Professor) Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, as well as Lecturer and Professor in the Dept. of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh. His book “Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East” (University of Arizona Press) received the Book Prize of the Society for American Archaeology (2004), and the Wiseman Book Award of the Archaeological Institute of America (2005). He is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Research Groups

• Landscape

Research Projects

• An Imperial Frontier in its Landscape: The Gorgan and Tammisha Walls in North-east Iran
• Land of Carchemish (Syria) Project
• MASS Project
• Nineveh Digital Archive Project
• The Fragile Crescent Project (Middle East): Settlement Change during the Urban Transition
• Yemen

Research Interests

• Landscape Archaeology
• Geoarchaeology
• Archaeology of the Middle East

Indicators of Esteem

• 2008: British Academy: Fellow of the British Academy
• 2007: DFG Excellence Intitiative: Panel member of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Excellence Initiative for promoting Centres of Excellence & Graduate Schools in German Universities
• 2005: AIA Book Award: Winner of James R. Wiseman Book Award (of the Archaeological Institute of America) for "Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East" (Arizona 2003).
• 2005: Unversity of Cincinnatti: Annual Lecture for the winner of the Wiseman Book Prize 2005 (Archaeological Institute of America): "Landscapes of Empires in The Near East", Friday 28th October
• 2004: ICAANE Keynote Lecture: Opening lecture at the 4th Meeting of the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (ICAANE), Berlin: Human Dimensions of Environmental Change in the Ancient Near East, March 29th. .
• 2004: SAA Book Award: Society for American Archaeology Book Award for "Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East" (Arizona 2003).
• 2004: Veenhof Lecture: Annual Lecture at the Netherlands National Museum, Leiden: Arabia's First Towns: Bronze Age Chiefdoms in Highland Yemen, 19th November.
• 2002: PI: NSF grant: NSF Programme: Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems, for "Settlement systems within a dynamic environment and economy: contrasting northern and southern Mesopotamian city regions." $1,200,000. T.J.Wilkinson senior PI with M Gibson U Chicago) and J. Christiansen (Argonne National Lab).
• 2000: Editorial Committee: Member of Editorial Committee of the Journal of Field Archaeology (Boston USA)
• 1998: Scientific Committee: Member of Scientific Committee of the Journal PaleOrient (France)

Publications

Books: authored

• Wilkinson, T., Miller, N., Reichel, C. & Whitcomb, D. 2004. On the margin of the Euphrates settlement and land use at Tell es-Sweyhat and in the upper Lake Assad area, Syria. Chicago, Illinois: Oriental Institute, Chicago. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2003. Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. (Additional information) (View publication online)

Books: sections

• Wilkinson, T.J. 2007. Archaeological regions in the neighbourhood of Carchemish. In Euphrates River Valley Settlement: The Carchemish Sector in the Third Millennium BC. Peltenburg, E. Oxford: Oxbow Books. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Munro, R. Neil & Wilkinson, Tony J. 2007. Environment, Landscapes and Archaeology of the Yemeni Tihāmah. In Natural Resources and Cultural Connections of the Red Sea. Starkey, Janet, Starkey, Paul, & Wilkinson, Tony. J. Oxford: BAR (International Series) 1661. 5: 13-33. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Kouchoukos, Nicholas & Wilkinson, T.J. 2007. Landscape archaeology in Mesopotamia: past, present and future. In Settlement & Society: Essay Dedicated to Robert McCormick Adams. Stone, Elizabeth Los Angeles, California: Cotsen Institute, UCLA.
• Wilkinson, Tony J. , Gibson, McGuire. Christiansen, John H., Widell, Magnus. Schloen, David. Kouchoukos, Nicholas., Woods, Christopher. & John Sanders, Kathy-Lee Simunich, Mark Altaweel, Jason A. Ur, Carrie Hritz, Jacob Lauinger, Tate Paulette, Jonathan Tenney, 2007. Modeling Settlement Systems in a Dynamic Environment: Case Studies from Mesopotamia. In Model Based Archaeology. Kohler, Timothy, & van der Leeuw, Sander E. Santa Fe, New Mexico: School for Advanced Research Press. 175-208. (Additional information)
• Wilkinson, Tony J. 2006. From highland to desert: the organization and landscape and irrigation in southern Arabia. In Agriculture, Polity and Society: Agricultural Intensification and Socio-political organization. Stanish, Charles & Marcus, Joyce Los Angeles: UCLA: Cotsen Institute.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2005. Approaches to modelling archaeological site territories in the Near East. In Non-Linear Models for Archaeology and Anthropology. Beekman, C. S. & and Baden, W. W. Aldershot: Ashgate Press. 123-138.
• Casana, Jesse & Wilkinson, T.J. 2005. Settlement and Landscapes in the Amuq Region. In The Archaeology of the Amuq Plain. Yener, K. Aslihan Chicago: Oriental Institute Publications. 131: 25-65 & 203-280.
• Wilkinson, T.J., Ur, Jason, A. & Casana, Jesse 2004. From Nucleation to Dispersal. Trends in Settlement Pattern in the Northern Fertile Crescent. In Side-by side survey Survey,. Cherry, John & Alcock, S. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 189-205.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2004. Off-site archaeology in the area of Mashkan-Shapir. In The Anatomy of a Mesopotamian City: Surveys and Soundings at Mashkan-shapir. Stone, Elizabeth C. & Zimansky, Paul Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. 402-415.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2004. The archaeology of landscape. In The Blackwell Companion to Archaeology. Bintliff, John Oxford: Blackwell. 334-356.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2004. The disjunction between Mediterranean and Near Eastern survey: is it real? In Mediterranean Archaeological Landscapes: Current Issues. Wandsnider, L. & Athanassopoulos, E.F. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 55-67.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2003. Archaeological Survey and Long-term Population Trends in Upper Mesopotamia and Iran. In Yeki Bud Yeki Nabud:Essays on the Archaeology of Iran in Honor of William M. Sumner. Miller, N.F. and K. & Abdi, K. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA. 39-51.
• Ball, Warwick & Wilkinson, T.J. 2003. Ninevite 5 town and country in northwestern Iraq. In The Origins of North Mesopotamian Civilization: Ninevite 5 Chronology, Economy, Society. Rova, Elena & Weiss, Harvey Turnhout (Belgium).: Brepols. 335-359.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2002. 'Archaeological Survey of the Tell Beydar Region, Syria, 1997: A Preliminary Report'. In Subartu VI. K. Vanlerberghe Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. VI: 1-37.
• Wilkinson, T.J., French, C., Matthews, W. & Oates, J. 2002. Tell Brak, geoarchaeology, landscape and the region. In Excavations at Tell Brak Vol. 2. The Third Millennium B.C. Oates, J., Oates, D. & McDonald, H. Cambridge, UK: McDonald Institute. 2: 1-14.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2002. The settlement transition of the second millennium BC in the western Khabur. In Of Pots and Plans: Papers on the Archaeology and History of Mesopotamia. Al-Gailani Werr, L., Curtis, C., Martin, H., McMahon, A., Oates,J. & Reade, J. London: Nabu Publications.
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2001. Surface collection, field walking, theory and practice, sampling theories. In Introduction to Archaeological Science. Brothwell, D.R., & Pollard, A.M. London.: Wiley. 529-541.
• Wilkinson, T.J., Friedman,E. Alp,E. & Stampfl, A. 2001. The Geoarchaeology of a Lake Basin: Spatial and Chronological Patterning of Sedimentation in the Amuq Plain, Turkey. In Recherches Archéométriques, Cahiers d’archéologie du CELAT. Fortin, M. Laval University, Quebec: Laval University, Quebec. Cahiers d’archéologie du CELAT: 211-226.

Journal papers: academic

• Wilkinson, T.J., Christiansen, J., Ur, J., Widell, M. & Altaweel, M. 2007. Urbanization within a Dynamic Environment: Modeling Bronze Age Communities in Upper Mesopotamia. American Anthropologist 109(1): 52-68. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Nokandeh,Jebrael, Sauer, Eberhard, W., Omrani, Rekavandi,Hamid, Wilkinson, Tony , Abbasi,Ghorban Ali, Schwenninger,Jean-Luc Mahmoudi,Majid Parker,David Fattahi,Morteza Usher-Wilson,Lucian, Stephen Ershadi, Mohammad Ratcliffe, James & Gale, Rowena 2006. Linear Barriers of Northern Iran: The Great Wall of Gorgan and the Wall of Tammishe. Iran 44: 121-173. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Parker,Adrian Davies, Caroline & Wilkinson, Tony 2006. The early to mid-Holocene moist period in Arabia: some recent evidence from lacustrine sequences in eastern and south-western Arabia. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 36: 243-255. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Hritz, C. & Wilkinson, T.J. 2006. Using Shuttle Radar Topography to map ancient water channels in Mesopotamia. Antiquity 80(308): 415-424. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson, T. J., Wilkinson, E. B., Ur, J. & Altaweel, M. 2005. Landscape and Settlement in the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 340: 23-56. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson.T.J. 2005. Soil erosion and valley fills in the Yemen highlands and southern Turkey: Integrating settlement, geoarchaeology, and climate change. Geoarchaeology 20(2): 169-92. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson.T.J. 2005. The other side of Sheba: early towns in the highlands of Yemen. Bibliotheca Orientalis 62(1-2): 5-14. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Alizadeh,A. Kouchoukos, N. Wilkinson, T.J. , Bauer A. & M. Mashkour 2004. Human-environment interactions on the Upper Khuzestan Plains, southwest Iran. Recent investigations. PaleOrient 30(1): 69-88. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2003. The organization of settlement in highland Yemen during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 33: 157-168. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson, T.J. 2002. Physical and cultural landscapes of the Hamoukar area, (Syria). Akkadica 123(fasc.1): 89-105. (Additional information) (View publication online)
• Wilkinson, T.J., Edens, C. & Barratt, G. 2001. Hammat al-Qa: An Early Town in Southern Arabia. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 31: 249-259. (Additional information) (View publication online)