The Historiography of Prehistoric Archaeology in Britain: A Brief Outline

Tim Murray

doi:10.5334/bha-750

The Historiography of Prehistoric Archaeology in Britain: A Brief Outline

Bulletin of the History of Archaeology

Volume 36 (2026): Issue 1

By: Tim Murray

Open Access

|Apr 2026

Abstract

I begin by presenting a very brief overview of historiographic analysis in archaeology, noting that the past two decades have seen a significant expansion in the range and scope of histories of archaeology. An important aspect of this growing interest has been the expanding diversity in accounts of what have long been thought to be the core features of the evolution of the discipline. I then seek to ground the themes identified there through a short and highly partial longitudinal study of the history of British prehistoric archaeology.

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