This display draws on the archives of the British International Research Institutes (BIRI) and the Petrie Museum’s collections to highlight the pioneering work of women archaeologists across the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
‘Groundbreakers’ is part of Being Human Festival @beinghumanfest, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, 5-14 November 2026.
A specially commissioned film ‘Nine Lives: the women who shaped archaeology’, will be shown alongside the display.
The display is based on “Women Transcending Boundaries”, a British Academy-supported online research project exploring over a century of scholarship, fieldwork and friendship across the BIRI network.
Two talks bring these stories to life:
9 November, 6–8pm: The Joy of Lists, Letters and Wills – Women in the Archives.
11 November, 6–8pm: A reading of A Thousand Miles Up the Nile
Both talks take place at UCL Institute of Archaeology, Gordon Square.
For the Full programme click here
For display details click here
