European Journal of Archaeology

European Journal of Archaeology
Title	European Journal of Archaeology
Discipline	Archaeology
Abbreviation	Eur. J. Archaeol.
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1993–present

European Journal of Archaeology. The European Journal of Archaeology is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal publishing research on archaeological practice, theory, and interpretation across Europe and adjacent regions such as the Mediterranean Sea, Caucasus, and Near East. Founded in the early 1990s, the journal has featured contributions from researchers affiliated with institutions including the University of Cambridge, University College London, University of Oxford, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, and the British Museum. It engages with debates connected to projects and events like the Neolithic Revolution, the Bronze Age collapse, the Roman conquest of Britain, the Viking expansion, and the Industrial Revolution in archaeological perspective.

History

The journal was established in 1993 amid disciplinary shifts influenced by figures and movements such as the work of V. Gordon Childe, the theoretical debates associated with the Processual archaeology and Post-processual archaeology movements, and institutional changes paralleling the expansion of networks like the European Union. Early editorial boards included scholars with links to the British Academy, the Council of Europe, the German Archaeological Institute, and the Archaeological Institute of America. Over time its editorial policy responded to methodological innovations exemplified by research at centers such as the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and laboratories at the University of Leiden. The journal’s history mirrors continental projects including the Landesforschung initiatives, pan-European collaborations like Horizon 2020, and major excavations at sites like Çatalhöyük, Knossos, and Pompeii.

Scope and Focus

The journal covers prehistoric, protohistoric, classical, medieval, and post-medieval archaeology across regions connected to Europe, addressing material culture from contexts including the Neolithic Revolution, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and the Medieval Warm Period. Articles frequently engage with interdisciplinary methods developed at institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social. Topics have included landscape archaeology at places like Stonehenge, bioarchaeology studies linked to the Battle of Hastings contemporaneous cemeteries, technological studies referencing artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum, and theoretical pieces in dialogue with the work of scholars associated with the British School at Rome and the École Française d'Athènes.

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The journal is managed by an editorial board composed of editors and section editors drawn from universities such as the University of Glasgow, the University of Barcelona, the University of Bologna, and research organizations like the National Museum of Denmark and the State Hermitage Museum. Peer review follows double-blind procedures commonly practised at publishers including Cambridge University Press and is overseen by advisory groups with members from bodies such as the European Association of Archaeologists and the Society for American Archaeology. Editorial decisions reference ethical standards promoted by organizations like the International Council of Museums and the World Archaeological Congress.

Publication Details and Access

Published quarterly by Cambridge University Press, the journal issues volumes with contributions from scholars affiliated to the University of York, the University of Vienna, the University of Warsaw, and research centers including the British Library and the Bodleian Library. Access is provided via institutional subscriptions held by libraries such as the Library of Congress and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and through platforms used by publishers like JSTOR and Project MUSE for archiving. The journal participates in open access options that intersect with funder policies from entities like the European Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Impact and Reception

The journal is cited in bibliographies and evaluations alongside periodicals such as the Journal of Archaeological Science, Antiquity, and the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, and its articles are used in syllabi at departments including the Institute of Archaeology, UCL and the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. Reviews and receptions have appeared in venues associated with the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian’s archaeology coverage, and discipline-specific outlets linked to the European Association of Archaeologists conference proceedings. Its impact is assessed through citation indices managed by organizations like Clarivate Analytics and referenced in national research assessments such as REF.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

The journal has published influential papers addressing topics from the emergence of complex societies—with case studies referencing Mycenae, Troy, and Caral—to methodological syntheses involving studies from Çatalhöyük, Skara Brae, and Varna Necropolis. Special issues have focused on themes connected to the Neolithic Revolution, the Romanization of Europe, migration studies spotlighting the Migration Period, craft and technology tied to workshops in Pompeii, and landscape transformations exemplified by research on Hadrian's Wall and the Danube Limes.

Indexing and Abstracting

The journal is indexed in major databases and services including Web of Science, Scopus, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and archival services used by institutions like the British Library. Abstracting entries are harvested by aggregators associated with the European Research Council reporting systems and national bibliographic services such as the German National Library and the Biblioteca Nacional de España.

Category:Archaeology journals Category:Cambridge University Press academic journals