The Origins of Counting and Writing in the Ancient Middle East



Overview

This day school in Oxford will introduce the developments that led to numeracy and literacy in Iraq and Iran from the tenth millennium BCE to the third millennium BCE.

Led by two archaeologists conducting research in Iraq and Iran, the workshop will deliver a chronological overview of key developments in human history through archaeological case studies. Over the course of the day, you will explore the archaeological evidence for counting, writing, and the origins of bureaucracy.

The day will begin with an examination of the earliest evidence for counting and how it began in the first farming communities in the Neolithic of Southwest Asia. You will follow how these humble objects developed into complex bureaucratic systems of sealing practices and proto-writing used by the world’s first cities.

In the afternoon, you will learn about early writing in its cultural context and current approaches applied to counting and writing in the ancient world. The day will conclude with a guided visit to the Ancient Middle East gallery in the Ashmolean Museum to view some of the objects you have been introduced to throughout the day, and finish with a discussion reflecting on the presentation of the archaeology in museums.

Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 BST on 28 May 2025.

Programme details

9.15am:
Registration at Rewley House Reception

9.30am:
The origins of numeracy in the Neolithic Middle East
Amy Richardson

10.45am:  
Tea/coffee break

11.15am:
The beginnings of bureaucracy in the first cities
Roger Matthews

12.30pm:
Lunch break

1.30pm:
New approaches to the earliest writing in Iraq and Iran
Amy Richardson and Roger Matthews

2.45pm:
Tea/coffee break

3.15pm:
Visit to the Ancient Middle East and Reading and Writing galleries in the Ashmolean Museum
Amy Richardson and Roger Matthews

4.30pm:
End of day

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee (includes tea/coffee) £125.00
Baguette Lunch £7.30
Hot Lunch £19.25

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit or are a full-time student in the UK you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutors

Dr Amy Richardson

Speaker

Amy is Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology at the University of Reading (2018-present), working with projects that span the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Her research applies scientific, materials-based approaches and network analysis to examine interactions between people and materials in Southwest Asia, with a focus on connections between communities in Iraq and Iran. Amy was Wainright Fellow at the University of Oxford (2015-2018) and is currently collaborating with the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin on the States of Clay project, examining the material evidence for emerging cooperation and shared administrative practices between the first cities of Mesopotamia.

Prof Roger Matthews

Speaker

Roger Matthews has been Professor of Archaeology of the Near East at the University of Reading since 2011. Previously he was Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq (1988-1996), Director of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara (1996-2001), and Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL (2001-2010). He has directed surveys and excavations in Iraq, Iran, Türkiye and Syria. His most recent publications include The Early Neolithic of the Eastern Fertile Crescent (Oxbow, 2020) and, with H. Fazeli Nashli, The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire Routledge, 2022).

Application

Please use the 'Book' button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.

Accommodation

Accommodation is not included in the price, but if you wish to stay with us the night before the course, then please contact our Residential Centre.

Accommodation in Rewley House - all bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished and each room has tea and coffee making facilities, Freeview television, and Free WiFi and private bath or shower rooms.  Please contact our Residential Centre on +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk for details of availability and discounted prices.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support