Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion

Kulturvitenskap på UiB

Contact:

Telephone: (+47) 55 58 23 00
E-mail: post@ahkr.uib.no

Office address: Øysteinsgate 3
Address: Postboks 7805, 5020 BERGEN, Norway

Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour

The Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion – AHKR – was established on 1st August 2007 as a result of restructuring at the Faculty of Humanities, uniting four highly profiled, well established and related disciplines. The Department aims to maintain and strengthen these academic identities, and create a basis for innovative interdisciplinary research and teaching. Seven cross-disciplinary research groups have been established at the department, and a wide range of studies and courses are taught.

Disciplines

News | New documentary

Norwegian gardens have become sterile lawnscapes

Norwegian gardens have gone from being full of fruits and berries to becoming flat lawns with trampolines and gas grills. “We have gardens that demand more, but give less back to nature,” says Professor Kyrre Kverndokk.

From Ochre to innovation

Elizabeth Velliky post doc at SapienCE excavating in Blombos Cave

Shaping the Past: Ochre as a Tool in Early Human Innovation

A new study from SapienCE reveals that early modern humans at Blombos Cave in South Africa used ochre as a specialized tool for stone toolmaking during the Middle Stone Age, demonstrating advanced technical skills far earlier than previously believed.

New research from SapienCE

Professor Francesco d’Errico sapience researcher in the filed smiling to camera with rock mountain in the back.

Learning to Learn: How cultural transmission shaped the human mind

How did our ancestors learn to craft tools, control fire, paint on cave walls, and sail across vast oceans — and how were these skills passed down through generations?

News

Image of Asia Alsgaard holds a Ph.D. in anthropology, specializing in identifying animal skeletal remains, or zooarchaeology sat in Blombos Cave South Africa, doing fieldwork looking at the photographer.

Sparking a Passion: Asia Alsgaard's Archaeological Journey

Her passion for archaeology was sparked the first time she witnessed an active archaeological dig. This spring, Asia Alsgaard supervised the SapienCE excavations at Klipdrift Cave during fieldwork in South Africa.