The Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art (RLAHA) is a laboratory at the University of Oxford, England which develops and applies scientific methods to the study of the past. It was established in 1955 and its first director was Teddy Hall. The first deputy director was Dr Stuart Young, who was followed by Martin Aitken in 1957. The Laboratory publishes the journal Archaeometry, and hosts a chair named for its first director, Edward Hall Professorship in Archaeological Science, and a seminar series named for Martin Aitkin.

The Laboratory is currently directed by Professor Mark Pollard.

Areas of Research, Past and Present

  • Radiocarbon dating
  • Luminescence dating
  • Materials analysis
  • Palaeodiet
  • Archaeological geophysics
  • Uranium-series dating
  • Diagenesis
  • Tephrachronology

History of Directorship

  • Teddy Hall, 1955–1989.
  • Mike Tite, 1989–2004. Knowing that his replacement would require funding, he launched an appeal and raised a million pound endowment for a chair, the now eponymous Edward Hall Professorship in Archaeological Science.

The first to take this chair was a previous student of Martin Aitken's, Mike Tite, Tite was Edward Hall Professor from 1989, until his retirement in 2004. He was replaced by Mark Pollard, who remains in post.

See also

  • Archaeology
  • History of Art
  • School of Archaeology, Oxford

References

  • Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art website
  • Archaeometry journal website