Institute of Archaeology Collections
UCL’s teaching-and-research collections: study sets of prehistoric lithics, Roman and Classical ceramics, and global material-culture samples used to train archaeologists in identification, dating and analysis. Expect comparative sequences (from cores and flakes to finished tools), typology trays of sherds, and reference casts that link classroom theory to hands-on evidence.
Opening Hours
What's not to miss inside?
Prehistoric Lithics Sequence
Shows how stone tools were made and used, from cores to blades and scrapers, with diagnostic features (bulb of percussion, platforms, retouch) visible at a glance.Pick one core and trace every step to a finished tool using refitting flakes and practice pieces.
📍 Teaching cases / study room
Roman & Classical Ceramics
Comparative trays illustrate fabrics, forms and surface treatments—useful for typology and dating (e.g., finewares vs. utilitarian wares).Compare a fine red-slipped bowl to a coarse storage sherd; note fabric, temper and rim profiles and what they imply about function.
📍 Ceramics reference racks
Use-Wear & Microscopy Bench
Demonstrates how microwear and residue analysis reveal tasks (cutting meat vs. woodworking) otherwise invisible to the naked eye.Match polish patterns and edge rounding on two blades to different activities using hand lenses and microscope images.
📍 Lab-adjacent teaching station
Global Teaching Sets
Cross-cultural samples (beads, loom weights, small bronzes, worked bone) show how materials and techniques travel between regions and time periods.Follow one material—clay, bone or copper—across at least three object types to see technological choices in context.
📍 Rotating study drawers
Inspire your Friends
- Founded in 1937, the Institute built its collections specifically as hands-on teaching tools—typology trays and study sets remain central to UCL’s archaeology training.
- Reference sherd sets include deliberately broken examples so students can learn to read rims, bases and fabric under field conditions.
- Use-wear teaching samples pair tools with microscope images to model how edge polish, striations and rounding diagnose activities like hide-scraping or cereal cutting.
