Antiquity (journal)

Antiquity (journal)
source
Title	Antiquity
Discipline	Archaeology
Abbreviation	Antiquity
Editor	Paul Pettitt
Publisher	Antiquity Publications Ltd
Country	United Kingdom
History	1927–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0003-5984

Antiquity (journal) is a peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to archaeology and the study of the human past. Founded in 1927, it has published research on prehistoric, classical, medieval, and post-medieval contexts from around the world, engaging with debates involving Mortimer Wheeler, Flinders Petrie, V. Gordon Childe, and later figures such as Gordon Childe and Christopher Hawkes. The journal is read by scholars associated with institutions including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and University College London.

History

Antiquity was launched in 1927 during an era shaped by figures like Leonard Woolley, Howard Carter, T. E. Lawrence, and organizations such as the Institute of Archaeology, London and the British School at Rome. Early editorial stewardship involved connections to excavations at Ur, Tutankhamun's tomb, Knossos, and research influenced by theories from V. Gordon Childe and methodologies debated at forums including the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Society of Antiquaries of London. Throughout the mid‑20th century the journal reflected shifts prompted by the aftermath of World War II, the rise of processual archaeology associated with scholars like Lewis Binford, and the later introduction of post‑processual perspectives tied to researchers such as Ian Hodder and institutions including the University of Cambridge Department of Archaeology. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, editors responded to technological advances in archaeometry from laboratories at University of Oxford and Harvard University and to global debates involving heritage disputes around sites like Göbekli Tepe, Machu Picchu, and Angkor Wat.

Scope and Content

The journal covers fieldwork reports, synthetic reviews, methodological advances, and theoretical contributions engaging with regions from Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt to East Asia, Mesoamerica, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Articles engage with methods such as radiocarbon dating developed at laboratories like the University of Arizona and techniques including stable isotope analysis performed in facilities associated with Max Planck Institute and ETH Zurich. Contributions address material culture from contexts including Paleolithic cave sites like Lascaux and Altamira, Neolithic settlements such as Çatalhöyük, Bronze Age assemblages from Mycenae and Salisbury Plain, Iron Age landscapes exemplified by Hallstatt and La Tène, as well as urbanism in Rome, Athens, Carthage, Tenochtitlan, and Chang'an. The journal regularly publishes work on heritage management involving agencies like UNESCO and debates about repatriation influenced by cases at the Elgin Marbles and collections in the British Museum.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The editorial board comprises scholars drawn from departments and museums such as University College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Museums Scotland. The editor-in-chief oversees submission handling, with associate editors managing specialist areas including zooarchaeology represented by researchers from University of York, archaeobotany linked to Pl@ntNet collaborations, and geoarchaeology with ties to University of Leicester. Peer review is double‑blind or single‑blind depending on policy changes, drawing referees from networks spanning Australian National University, University of Toronto, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Editorial practice follows standards advocated at meetings of the European Association of Archaeologists and ethical guidelines aligned with museums and repositories like the Smithsonian Institution.

Publication and Access

Published quarterly by Antiquity Publications Ltd and distributed through academic libraries at institutions including Harvard Library, Bodleian Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the National Library of Australia, the journal offers print and digital formats. Access models have evolved from subscription and institutional access used by university consortia such as JISC to open access options reflecting policies from funders like the European Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. The journal indexes content in bibliographic databases that serve scholars at Academia.edu, JSTOR-linked collections, and library systems used by Columbia University and Yale University.

Impact and Reception

Antiquity has influenced archaeological discourse through widely cited papers and by shaping public engagement via coverage in outlets like The Times, The Guardian, BBC, and documentary collaborations with broadcasters such as Channel 4 and PBS. Its reputation has been critiqued and lauded in scholarly debates alongside journals like Journal of Archaeological Science, American Antiquity, World Archaeology, and Antiquaries Journal. Citation impact reflects contributions to debates on chronology, migration, and social complexity involving case studies from Ötzi the Iceman, Stonehenge, Pompeii, and Çatalhöyük. The journal has been central to controversies over interpretation in high-profile disputes involving Elgin Marbles, cultural property litigation at NAGPRA hearings, and heritage politics surrounding Basque and Catalan contexts.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Antiquity has published influential articles examining topics such as radiocarbon calibration debates prompted by work related to Willard Libby and labs at University of Cambridge, synthetic overviews of the Neolithic revolution engaging V. Gordon Childe’s legacy, and methodological advances in remote sensing tied to data from LIDAR surveys of Maya lowlands and Angkor. Special issues have focused on themes including the archaeology of collapse with case studies from Copán, Teotihuacan, and Rapa Nui; urbanism with essays about Constantinople and Teotihuacan; and climate and society using palaeoclimatic records from Greenland ice cores and Lake Baikal. Landmark papers published in the journal have catalyzed further work on human dispersals from Africa into Eurasia, postglacial adaptations in Siberia, and domestication processes documented at sites such as Ganj Dareh and Aşıklı Höyük.

Category:Archaeology journals