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Department of Archaeology

Staff

Professor Tony Wilkinson

Professor in the Department of Archaeology

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

Tony Wilkinson was trained as a geographer at Birkbeck College, London University and at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. At McMaster his research focused upon the hydrology of overland flow in the Canadian High Arctic. From Canada he then moved into archaeology where he worked on regional landscape projects in the UK and the Middle East. Within those areas his special interests have included landscapes of dry lands (deserts) and wetlands (specifically those submerged beneath the sea). He has undertaken landscape fieldwork in Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran, as well as various places in the United Kingdom.

 

He was formerly Assistant Director of the British Archaeological Expedition to Iraq, in Baghdad, Research Associate (Associate Professor) at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, as well as Lecturer and Professor in the Department of Archaeology, University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, and since 2006 has been a Professor in the Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK.

 

His book “Archaeological Landscapes of the Near East” received the Book Prize of the Society for American Archaeology (2004), and the Wiseman Book Award of the Archaeological Institute of America (2005).

 

Since 2002 he has been principal investigator of a NSF-funded project to model ancient settlements in greater Mesopotamia, and his most recent project is the Fragile Crescent Project (2008-2013) funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK). This four year project is analyzing settlement and landscape trends across north Syria, southern Turkey and northwest Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages. In addition to supplying insights into how urbanization proceeds along multiple pathways (see PhD research by Dan Lawrence), research by the FCP is demonstrating how archaeological sites and landscapes in the Fertile Crescent are being destroyed as a result of cycles of peace and war. The data bases produced by project researchers Emma Cunliffe and Michelle De Gruchy are also contributing to our ability to assess long term destruction of the archaeological record. Their data bases have considerable implications for long-term cultural resource management in the region.

Although Syria is currently inaccessible because of the ongoing conflict, the Land of Carchemish Project is now in the process of being prepared for publishication under the editorship of T.J. Wilkinson, E. Wilkinson and E. Peltenburg . This will appear as a forthcoming BANEA monograph (Oxbow Books).

The recently appeared Archaeology of the Essex Coast: Excavations at the Neolithic Site of the Stumble (East Anglian Archaeology 2012) is about to make waves in the appropriate circles. The Stumble was one of the first offshore Neolithic sites to be excavated in the UK and it results from a long-term collaboration with Essex County Council.

The AHRC-funded Gorgan Wall project has now been published (2013) by Oxbow books (see publications).

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Research Interests

  • Landscape Archaeology
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Archaeology of the Middle East

Indicators of Esteem

  • 2012: ERC PI Sasanian Frontiers Project:

    2012 European Research Council. The Persia Project: The Frontiers of the Sasanian Empire. 5-year grant with the University of Edinburgh. Durham project ca. €875,000 (with E Sauer Edinburgh PI & overall PI; TJW coPI, PI for Durham).

  • 2009: John Coles Medal: In September 2009, Tony Wilkinson was awarded the John Coles Medal for Landscape Archaeology at the British Academy, London.
  • 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

Books: edited

Books: sections

  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2013). Hydraulic Landscapes and Irrigation Systems of Sumer. In The Sumerian World. Crawford, H. Routledge. 33-54.
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2012). Introduction to Geography, Climate, Topography and Hydrology. In Blackwell’s Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. Potts, D.T. Blackwell. 1: 3-26.
  • Wilkinson, T.J. & Cunliffe, E. (2012). The Archaeological Landscape Of The Tell Beydar Region: An Update Using Satellite Imagery. In The Ancient Near East,a Life! Festschrift for Karel Van Lerberghe. Boiy,T., Bretschneider,J., Goddeeris,A. Jans, G. & Tavernier, J. Peeters: OLO Leuven. 665-679.
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2012). Wetland Archaeology and the Role of Marshes in The Ancient Middle East. In The Oxford Handbook of Wetland Archaeology. Menotti, F. & O’Sullivan, O. Oxford University Press. 121-139
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2010). Environment and Long-Term Population Trends in Southwest Arabia. In The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia. Petraglia, M.D. & Rose, J.I. Dordrecht: Springer, Science. 51-66.
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2009). Foreword. In Arabia Felix: An Exploration of the Archaeological History of Yemen. Alessandro de Maigret London: Stacey International. 9-20.
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2009). Political landscapes and states in upper Mesopotamia and the Levant. In States and Landscape,. Redman, C. & Falconer, S. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. 152-62
  • Wilkinson, T.J. (2008). Human dimensions of environmental change in the ancient Near East. In Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of the Ancient Near East (Berlin). Kuhne,H., Czichon, R.M. & Kreppner, F.J. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. Vol. 1: The Reconstruction of the Environment: 3-18.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Conference papers

  • Wilkinson, Tony & J. (2010), Models of human settlement and behaviour: The role of ethnoarchaeology, in Matthiae, Paolo Pinnock,Frances Nigro Lorenzo & Marchetti, Nicolò eds, 1: Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East May, 5th-10th 2008,•. “Sapienza” - Università di Roma. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 133-147

Essays in edited volumes

  • Wilkinson,Tony, J. , Rekavandi, Hamid Omrani Hopper, Kristen, Priestman, Seth Roustaei, Kourosh & Galiatsatos, Nikolaos (2013). The Landscapes of the Gorgān Wall. In Persia’s Imperial Power In Late Antiquity: Sasanian Frontier Walls, Forts And Landscapes Of Northern Iran (The Joint Fieldwork Project On The Great Wall Of Gorgān, The Wall Of Tammīsheh And Other Sites In The Frontier Zone: 2005-2009). Sauer, Eberhard, W., Rekavandi,Hamid Omrani Wilkinson, Tony J. & Nokandeh, Jebrael Oxford: Oxbow Books. 24-132.
  • Wilkinson, Tony & J. (2012). Earth and Water: The Land of Iran. In Ancient Iran from the Air. Stronach, David & Mousavi, Ali Philipp von Zabern, Darmstadt. 12-27.
  • Wilkinson, Tony, J. & Deckers, K. (2011). Tell Brak’s Loess Section in Area TC. In Holocene Landscapes through Time in the Fertile Crescent. Deckers, K. Brepols: Turnhout. 28: 107-110
  • Wilkinson, Tony J (2010). Empire and Environment in the Northern Fertile Crescent. In Landscapes and Societies - Selected Cases. Martini I.P. & Chesworth, W. Dordrecht: Springer. 135-151.
  • Wilkinson, Tony J. (2010). The Tell: Social Archaeology and Territorial Space. In The Development of Pre-state Communities in the Ancient Near East: Studies in Honour of Edgar Peltenburg. Bolger, Diane & Maguire, Louise Oxbow, Oxford. 55-62
  • Wilkinson, Tony & J. (2009). The Hinterland (of Siraf). In Siraf: History, Topography and Environment. Whitehouse, David Oxbow. 54-76

Journal papers: academic

Journal papers: popular

  • Wilkinson, Tony, J. & Peltenburg, Edgar (2010). Carchemish in Context: Surveys in the Hinterland of a Major Iron Age City. CBRL Bulletin 5: 11-20.

Supervises