Roger Matthews

Roger Matthews is Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology in the department of archaeology at the University of Reading. Matthews was previously with the UCL Institute of Archaeology. From 1988 to 1995, Matthews was director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, and from 1996 to 2001 he was director of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara. He has directed major field projects in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. He currently leads a European Research Council Advanced Grant project investigating the origins of farming settlements in Iraqi Kurdistan, in collaboration with Dr Wendy Matthews, Dr Amy Richardson and Kamal Rasheed Raheem.

Areas of Interest:
Prehistory and early history of Iran, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia
Early development of sedentism and farming in the Near East, especially in Iran and Iraq
Early complex societies and empires of the Near East
Urbanisation and the development of bureaucracy and trade in Mesopotamia and Iran
Techniques and approaches to archaeological excavation and survey
History and philosophy of the discipline of archaeology in the Near East