Chris Scarre


Christopher John 'Chris' Scarre, FSA is an academic and writer in the fields of archaeology, pre-history and ancient history. He is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham and was head of its archaeology department 2010-2013.

Early life

Scarre studied at the University of Cambridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, that was later promoted to Master of Arts degree. He then undertook postgraduate study of landscape change and archaeological sites in western France, culminating in a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Academic career

Scarre was Deputy Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge from its foundation in 1990 to 2005. In January 2006, Scarre was appointed Professor of Prehistory at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Durham. In 2006, he was Professeur Invité at the Collège de France in Paris.
He has directed and co-directed excavations at a number of prehistoric sites. These include sites in France, Portugal, and the Channel Islands. Beginning in 2008, he led excavations exploring the prehistoric monuments of Herm. This project was Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded and a final excavation was under taken in the summer of 2011.
He was editor of the Cambridge Archaeological Journal from 1991 to 2005. He is the current editor of the international academic journal Antiquity, having been appointed in January 2013.
In 2007, he was elected to the post of Trustee of the Council for British Archaeology.

Personal life

His brother, Geoffrey Scarre, is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Durham.

Honours

On 9 January 1986, Scarre was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Selected works