Professor Lord Colin Renfrew awarded inaugural prize for Outstanding Contribution to Archaeological Theory
At this year’s Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference, Professor Lord Colin Renfrew was presented the inaugural prize for Outstanding Contribution to Archaeological Theory.
The organising committee selected Professor Renfrew as they felt that he is the most prolific and wide-ranging archaeological theorist of the last five decades. The selection decision was made jointly by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and members of the TAG National Committee.
He will be awarded a piece of artwork by Rose Ferraby, an archaeologist who works as an artist.
"I am delighted that Colin’s visionary contribution to our field is recognised with this inaugural award. As an early pioneer of transdisciplinary research, his integration of science methods within theoretical approaches presages much of the best archaeology carried out today." Dr Tamsin O'Connell, Head of the Department of Archaeology
The criteria for the award are:
- Sustained commitment to developing, promoting and teaching on theory
- Innovative ideas
- Encouraging theoretical discussion.
In 1981, Professor Renfrew was elected as the Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. In 1990, he was appointed as the founding Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. He held this position until his retirement in 2004.
Professor Lord Colin Renfrew is now a Senior Fellow at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and an Emeritus Fellow at Jesus College.
This article is adapted from one first appeared on the University of Cambridge website and is reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
