Abercromby Professor of Archaeology

Abercromby Professorship of Archaeology is a chair at the University of Edinburgh. It was endowed in the will of John Abercromby, 5th Baron Abercromby (1841–1924), who left instructions to establish a chair in prehistoric archaeology at the university. With the new post having been advertised, it was filled for the first time in 1927 by V. Gordon Childe.^[1][2] Abercromby's will set out the focus of the chair and requirements of its holder: they should be knowledgeable of the prehistory of Europe and of the Near East, and that the professor would be actively involved in archaeology research.^[2][3]

List of Abercromby Professors of Archaeology

• 1927–1946: V. Gordon Childe
• 1946–1977: Stuart Piggott
• 1977–2007: Dennis Harding
• 2007–2012: vacant
• 2012–2019: Ian Ralston
• 2019–2022: vacant
• 2022–present: Manuel Fernández-Götz

References

1. "The tradition of archaeology at Edinburgh". School of History, Classics and Archaeology. The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
2. Trigger, Bruce G. (1980). "The Abercromby Professorship". Gordon Childe, revolutions in archaeology. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0-231-05038-8.
3. "Abercromby". Professor Dennis Harding. Retrieved 19 February 2021.