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Professor Robin Coningham

Professor

Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Professor in the Department of Archaeology+44 (0) 191 33 41145
Member of the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies 

Biography

Professor Robin Coningham holds UNESCO's 2014 Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage, the Chair of Early Medieval Archaeology and is Associate Director (World Heritage) in 一本道无码's Institute of Mediaeval and Early Modern Studies (IMEMS) and Co-Director of 一本道无码's MA International Cultural Heritage Management programme.

BIOGRAPHY

I studied Archaeology and Anthropology at King's College, Cambridge and, after six-months as Graduate Scholar at the British Institute in Eastern Africa, returned to King's as a College Scholar to complete a PhD under the supervision of the late F.R. Allchin, FBA. I then joined the Department of Archaeological Sciences at Bradford as a Lecturer in 1994, becoming Professor of South Asian Archaeology and Head of Department in 2004. I moved to a Chair at 一本道无码 in 2005, and was Head of the Department of Archaeology between 2007 and 2008, before becoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, a post which I held听until 2015. I was appointed the inaugural holder of in 2014.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Cities and Landscapes of Ancient Southern Asia

I am committed to archaeological field research and, with colleagues from across South Asia and beyond, have conducted fieldwork in Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka aimed at enhancing our understanding of the developmental sequences of urbanization in Southern Asia, both within cities but also across their hinterlands. Applying science-based archaeology, this has resulted in the generation of the first chronometrically-dated sequences for a number of key ancient city sites, including , Sri Lanka's earliest capital, and in the Vale of Peshawar, one of the great sites on Pakistan's portion of the Silk Road. The artefact typologies from these excavations have, in turn, shed new light on the antiquity and changing character of . Our UNESCO Chair team has also started to focus on the sequences of Medieval cities in South Asia, including at in Kathmandu and Polonnaruva, Anuradhapura's successor in Sri Lanka. More recently in Nepal, our team has undertaken a geophysical survey of the site of Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, followed up by targeted excavation. This programme of investigation has resulted in the compilation of the most complete plan of an Early Historic city in South Asia, complete with streets, buildings, a reservoir and central walled palatial compound as well as religious, industrial and residential suburbs beyond its walls.

Aware of the intimate relationship between cities and their hinterlands, we have also studied the impact of urbanization on extra-mural settlements and sites across the broader landscape.听In Sri Lanka, this led to the reassessment of our understanding of the centralizing role played by Buddhist monasteries within as well as the role of irrigation in sustaining colonization in the island鈥檚 Dry Zone. More broadly, research with colleagues there has led to recognition of the presence of what we termed in an article in the journal听Antiquity 鈥樷, with distinct similarities shared with other tropical forest settings in Southeast Asia and Central America. As shrines and pilgrimage centres can also present their own centralizing forces and their own developmental trajectories, we are studying the emergence of , Birthplace of the Buddha, and its landscape of pilgrimage with UNESCO and colleagues from the Government of Nepal. Drawing these threads together in a critical synthesis of the archaeology of South Asia from the Neolithic period (c.6500 BCE), when domestication began, to the spread of Buddhism accompanying the Mauryan Emperor Asoka's reign (third century BCE), my Cambridge University Press book ''听with Ruth Young explores how narratives of increasing urban complexity, continuity and transformation have been formulated.

  • Archaeological Practice, International Cultural Heritage Management, Heritage Protection, Community Engagement and the UN's SDGs

Heritage and archaeology are drivers for Creative Economies and UNESCO recognises that their protection contributes to sustainable development. There is awareness that they play a unifying role in post-conflict responses but also that unethical or unbalanced promotion may alienate communities, generate conflict and . Recognising threats to heritage from accelerated development, I started working with UNESCO in 1997 and, since then, have participated in over 30 UNESCO missions. These have included the refreshing of the Government of Pakistan鈥檚 Tentative List of World Heritage Sites and participation in the Second Scientific Committee on the nomination of the Qhapaq Nau (Inka Highway). I serve as Advisor in Archaeology for UNESCO鈥檚 International Scientific Committee for Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha and have co-directed its archaeological programme in southern Nepal since 2010, helping to delicately balance the develop needs of residents and pilgrims with the protection of sites and monuments. This is not a unique situation, as similar challenges have been identified with colleagues at World Heritage Sites in India. During this time, we have co-produced methods to enhance the long-term protection of heritage sites as well as reflecting on the nature of their threats, and ways in which resident communities and stakeholders can be better engaged through the synchronisation of programmes of archaeological activities alongside active community engagement, with the co-production of museum displays and heritage festivals. These themes are further explored in the book 'in South Asia', which was co-produced听with Nick Lewer and colleagues.听

Sadly, in addition to the threats identified above, heritage is also threatened by natural disasters and by conscious targeting during conflict. While archaeologists have traditionally played a secondary role in post-disaster interventions within South Asia, we were mobilized by UNESCO and the Government of Nepal after the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal. A human and cultural disaster, our team worked with colleagues to develop practical field training with non-academic collaborators to focus on learning from the evaluation of foundations of collapsed structures as well as on salvaging material to assist post-earthquake plans for its reconstruction. In Kathmandu, we co-produced methods to enhance the long-term protection of heritage sites as well as disseminating post-disaster subsurface heritage protocols within post-earthquake contexts. While working at a number of sites across the Valley, our focused study of the ancient Kasthamandap with engineers and architects has contributed to its reconstruction as discussed in our paper ' in the听Journal of the British Academy in 2019. I also serve as an Advisor in Archaeology on UNESCO's International Scie4ntific Committee for the Kathmandu Valley. With colleagues, we then successfully adapted and applied these methodologies to Jaffna Fort, a Sri Lankan heritage monument, badly damaged during the Civil War.听

Published in a special '' issue of the Journal of the British Academy to accompany the听COP26 Summit in Glasgow , Lisa Lucero and I explore听three examples of ruined and "lost cities" 鈥 Kathmandu in Nepal, Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka and Classic Mayan cities of Central America 鈥 to reflect on the lessons they bear for strengthening modern cities' disaster resilience and听the important role that archaeologists and historians can play in future sustainable urban planning, contributing towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Following an invitation to participate in the ICOMOS-UNESCO-IPCC International Co-Sponsored Meeting on Culture, Heritage, and Climate Change in December 2021, our case study featured as only one of 13 selected for their scientific output ''; in it, we argue that "...archaeology and heritage science, although infrequently mobilised, are uniquely placed to assist in providing a fuller understanding of the impact of climate change on urban infrastructure in the past; they also facilitate reflection on lessons of adaptation and resilience for modern cities and their inhabitants..." and that "..In the process we reframe how archaeology and heritage science can play a greater role in future sustainable urban planning 鈥 and in the move of practitioners from observation to action.....".

Reflecting on the relevance of the discipline of Archaeology to the UN's in a 2022 Editorial in with Robert Witcher, we argue that if听archaeology engages fully with the SDGs, it "can move beyond the assertion of its relevance, in order to realise its full potential to contribute to some of the most pressing global issues through its teaching, research and practice".听

Closer to home, I am also the Associate Director of 一本道无码's Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies () with a portfolio which includes 一本道无码's own 听and co-founded the听Centre for the Ethics and Cultural Heritage听() in 一本道无码 with the Philospher Geoffrey Scarre; jointing publishing with Cambridge University Press in听2013. Recognising that national and international research, particularly in crisis situations, needs to have equitable and ethical partnerships enabled, colleagues and I recently mapped our post-disaster interventions against the TRUST Code in the jounral .听

With partners across County 一本道无码, the UNESCO Chair Team and colleagues in 一本道无码 University are currently implementing a project funded by Research England's Policy Support Fund to scope and pilot a shared regional approach for the collection, analysis and sharing of the social and economic impact of cultural and natural heritage in County 一本道无码. This includes the co-design and trialing of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal framework听as a shared approach for recognising and framing impact within County 一本道无码.

听

I believe strongly in bridging the gap between theory and practice teaching, and co-direct听一本道无码's MA International Cultural Heritage Management programme.

ACADEMIC SERVICE

In addition to these activities, I am a member of the UNESCO's International Scientific Committee for Lumbini, UNESCO's International Scientific Committee for the Kathmandu Valley, the UK National Commission for UNESCO's Expert Network, 一本道无码's World Heritage Site Coordinating Committee and chair the Antiquity Trust.听

Former posts include membership of the UK's National Academies' Resilient Futures Steering Group, AHRC鈥檚 GCRF Strategic Advisory Group, the British Academy's Sponsored Institutes and Society鈥檚 Committee (BASIS), the British Academy's International Engagement Committe, Honorary Secretary of the British Institute of Persian Studies, and Trustee of the Ancient India and Iran Trust (Cambridge). I acted as a QAA Specialist in Archaeology for seven Departmental reviews and was a QAA Review Chair for a further five reviews.

RESEARCH STUDENT SUPERVISION

I would be pleased to supervise postgraduate students interested in the archaeological visibility of Buddhism; caste and the development of craft specialisation; Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea trade; international cultural resource management; world heritage protection, the Later Prehistory and Early Historic archaeology of Southern Asia (from Iran to Myanmar); politics, identity and archaeology; Urbanisation; the Prehistory of Iran; post-conflict archaeology; post-disaster archaeology; sustainable pilgrimage; international Cultural Heritage Management and UNESCO and World Heritage.听Please email me about potential topics.

CURRENT RESEARCH STUDENTS

Jiajing Mo, M.A.,The Changing Landscape in Western Nepal Terai in the Second Half of the First Millennium

FORMER RESEARCH STUDENTS

Prof. H. Fazeli, Department of听Archaeology, University of TehranIran. Social complexity and craft specialisation in the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic period in the central plateau of Iran (2001).

Prof. R. Young, Department of Archaeology, University of Leicester, UK. Food procurement strategies in Iron Age Pakistan (2000).

Assoc. Prof. H. Karimian, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Iran. Space and society in Mediaeval Bam (2003).

Dr. L. Ford, Ceramic Specialist, West Yorkshire Archaeology Unit, UK. Towards the scientific provenancing of Rouletted Ware (2004).

Assoc. Prof. Dr M. Mortazavi, Department of Archaeology, University of Sistan and Baluchistan, Iran. System collapse? A reassessment of the end of the civilisations of southeast Iran in the second millennium BC (2004).

Andrew Newton, MPhil Politics and archaeology in nineteenth and twentieth century Germany (2005).

Prof. P. Gunawardhana, Department of Archaeology, University of Kaleniya, Sri Lanka. Monastic planning and sectarianism in Sri Lanka (2006).

Assoc. Prof. Abed Al Raouf Mayyas, Queen Rania Faculty of Tourism and Heritage, Hashemite University, Jordan. Late Prehistoric ceramic function and provenance in the Tehran Plain (2007).

Dr. Mark Manual, Department of Archaeology, University of 一本道无码, UK. Normative models and the social organisation of the Harappan Civilisation (2008).

Dr. Keir Strickland, Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, La Trobe University, Australia. The Jungle Tide: Urban Collapse in Early Medieval Sri Lanka (2011).

Dr. Saud Al-Ghamdi, M.A.,听Senior Research Archaeologist, Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar. Neolithic settlement in the south-west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2011).

Dr. Cesar Villalobos Acosta, M.A., Center for Anthropological Studies, Universidad Nacional Aut贸noma de M茅xico (UNAM), Mexico. Archaeology in circulation: nationalism and tourism in post-Revolutionary Mexico听(2011).

Dr. J. Marshall, M.A., Missing links: demic diffusion and the development of agriculture in the Central Iranian Plateau (2012).

Dr. C. Davis, M.A., Department of Archaeology, University of 一本道无码, UK. Early Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka:听a landscape approach (2013).

Dr. R. Daroogheh-Nokhodcheri, M.A., Research Fellow, Iran Heritage Foundation, UK. Nationalism, politics and the practice of archaeology: the case study of Iran (2014).

Dr. J. Tremblay, M.A., Department of Archaeology, University of 一本道无码, UK. The Development听and spread of Buddhism: an archaeological evaluation (2015).听

Dr.听A. Margussian, M.A., Department of Archaeology, University of 一本道无码, UK. Ceramic typologies and stylistic phylogenesis: the prehistoric ceramics of the Central Plateau of Iran (2017).

Dr. J. Shoebridge, M.A., University Library and Collections, 一本道无码 University, UK. Arikamedu Type 10 and the reconstruction of networks of Indian Ocean trade (2018).

Dr. A. Lafortune-Bernard, M.A., Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Actions Team, European Commission, Brussels. Mastering the master plan of Lumbini: towards developing an evidence-based approach to evaluating the economic and social impact of site development on local communities (2020).

Dr. K. Weise, MArch., When the shaking stops: an evaluation of post-earthquake rehabilitation of the Kasthamandap in Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square (2023).

Research interests

  • UNESCO and World Heritage management
  • International Cultural Heritage Management
  • Sustainable pilgrimage
  • Community engagement
  • Post-conflict archaeology and heritage
  • Post-disaster archaeology and heritage
  • Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage
  • Later Prehistory and Early Historic archaeology of Southern Asia (from Iran to Myanmar)
  • Archaeological visibility of Buddhism
  • Caste and the development of craft specialisation
  • Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea Trade
  • Urbanisation
  • Politics, identity and archaeology

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Publications

Authored book


  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (2019). Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Protection and Community Engagement in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6237-8

  • Coningham, R., Lin, R., Chang, R., Chien, M., Gong, M., Barclay, C., Lu, Y., Barclay, R., Tremblay, J., & Xian, Y. (2018). Walking with the Buddha: Discovering the Natal Landscape of the Buddha. Fo Guan Shan Buddha Museum.

  • Coningham, R., & Young, R. (2015). The Archaeology of South Asia: From the Indus to Asoka c.6500 BCE - 200 CE. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139020633

  • Coningham, R., & Gunawardhana, P. (2013). Anuradhapura: Volume 3 The Hinterland. BAR International Series.

  • Coningham, R., & Ali, I. (2007). Charsadda: The British - Pakistani Excavations at the Bala Hisar of Charsadda (1st ed.). Archaeopress.

  • Coningham, R. (2006). Anuradhapura: The British - Sri Lankan Excavations at Anuradhapura Salgaha Watta: Volume 2 The Artefacts. Archaeopress.

  • Coningham, R., & J.-f., M. (2001). Reactive Monitoring Mission to Lumbini, Birthplace of Lord Buddha: Report and Recommendations of a UNESCO Mission to Nepal. UNESCO Kathmandu.

  • Coningham, R. (1999). Anuradhapura: The British - Sri Lankan Excavations at Anuradhapura Salgaha Watta: Volume 1 The Site. Archaeopress.

Chapter in book


  • Lafortune-Bernard, A., Suwal, R., Weise, K., & Coningham, R. (2020). Religious Tourism and Environmental Conservation in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, World Heritage Site, Nepal. In K. Shinde & D. Olsen (Eds.), Religious Tourism and the Environment (pp. 83-94). CABI Publishing.

  • Schmidt, A., Gunawardhana, P., Davis, C., Hale, D., Coningham, R., Pushparatnam, P., Villis, R., Woolston-Houshold, M., & Manuel, M. (2019). Interpreting GPR data from Jaffna Fort, Northern Sri Lanka, using historic maps and new excavations. In J. Bonsall (Ed.), New Global Perspectives on Archaeological Prospection:13th International Conference on Archaeological Prospection 28 August - 1 September 2019 Sligo Ireland (pp. 224-227). Archaeopress. https://doi.org/10.32028/9781789693072

  • Lewer, N., Lafortune-Bernard, A., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., & Kunwar, R. (2019). Community Engagement in the Greater Lumbini Area of Nepal: The Micro-Heritage Case 一本道无码 of Dohani. In R. Coningham & N. Lewer (Eds.), Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Protection and Community Engagement in South Asia (pp. 59-74). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6237-8_5

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Manuel, M., & Tremblay, J. (2019). Sites of the Greater Lumbini Area. In UNESCO (Ed.), The Sacred Garden of Lumbini (pp. 223-259). UNESCO.

  • Wilson, A., Gaffney, V., Gaffney, C., Ch鈥檔g, E., Bates, R., Sears, G., Sparrow, T., Murgatroyd, A., Faber, E., & Coningham, R. (2019). Curious Travellers: Repurposing imagery to manage and interpret threatened monuments, sites and landscapes. In M. Dawson, E. James, & M. Nevel (Eds.), Heritage Under Pressure 鈥 Threats and Solution: Studies of Agency and Soft Power in the Historic Environment. (pp. 107-122). Oxbow. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvpmw4hr.13

  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (2019). Communities, Identities, Conflict and Appropriation in South Asia. In R. Coningham & N. Lewer (Eds.), Archaeology, Cultural Heritage Protection and Community Engagement in South Asia (pp. 151-164). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6237-8_11

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Joshi, A., & Weise, K. (2019). Resilience within the Rubble: post-disaster archaeological responses to Nepal鈥檚 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. In M. Dawson, E. James, & M. Nevell (Eds.), Heritage Under Pressure: Threats and Solutions (Studies of Agency and Soft Power in the Historic Environment) (pp. 123-146). Oxbow.

  • Bhaddamanika, S., Bidari, B., Choegyal, L., Coningham, R., Cuppers, C., & Rai, G. (2019). Balancing competing requirements of faith and preservation. In UNESCO (Ed.), The Sacred Garden of Lumbini (pp. 210-223). UNESCO.

  • Coningham, R., & Weise, K. (2019). Ruins and Debris: Cultural Heritage Practice, Resource Management, and Archaeology. In J. Bicknell, J. Judkins, & C. Korsmeyer (Eds.), Philosophical Perspectives on Ruins, Monuments, and Memorials (pp. 275-290). Routledge.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., & Tremblay, J. (2019). Archaeology and site interpretation. In UNESCO (Ed.), The Sacred Garden of Lumbini (pp. 50-103). UNESCO.

  • Manuel, M., Gunawardhana, P., Coningham, R., Davis, C., Namalgamuwa, H., Senanayaka, J., Rammungoda, U., & Bandara, K. (2018). Ritual and economy reconsidered at Siva Devale No. 2, Polonnaruva. In P. Gunawardhana & R. Coningham (Eds.), Buddha Rashmi : Vesak volume : essays in Buddhism and Buddhist monastic archaeology. (pp. 33-44). Central Cultural Fund.

  • Lafortune-Bernard, A., Coningham, R., & Acharya, K. (2018). Recording the social and economic contribution of local heritage at Tilaurakot: a pilot study. In T. O. C. H. S. P. A. (ochspa) (Ed.), The Cultural Heritage of Nepal, before, during and after the 2015 Earthquakes: Current and Future Challenges (pp. 170-179.). Kathmandu: Vajra Publications.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Davis, C., Manuel, M., Simpson, I., Strickland, K., Hale, D., Tremblay, J., & Lafortune-Bernard, A. (2018). Excavating ancient Kapilavastu: the childhood home of Lord Buddha. In P. Gunawardhana & R. Coningham (Eds.), Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume 2018: Essays in Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Archaeology (pp. 8-25). Colombo, Sri Lanka : Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka,.

  • Davis, C., Gunawardhana, P., Coningham, R., Pushparatnam, P., Schmidt, A., Manuel, M., Namalgamuwa, H., Senanayaka, J., & Bandara, K. (2018). Recent excavations and survey at Jaffna Fort in 2017 and reflections on the antiquity of Indian Ocean trade. In P. Gunawardhana & R. Coningham (Eds.), Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume 2018: Essays in Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Archaeology. (pp. 67-78). Colombo, Sri Lanka : Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka,.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., LaFortune-Bernard, A., Tremblay-Fitton, J., Schmidt, A., & Simpson, I. (2018). Apres le Deluge: observations and recommendations from a post-disaster mission to the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site in October and November 2015. In M. Richon (Ed.), The Cultural Heritage of Nepal, Before, During and After the 2015 Earthquakes: current and future challenges (pp. 92-103). Vajra Books.

  • Strickland, K., Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., & Simpson, I. (2018). Hydraulic Complexities: Collapse and Resilience in Sri Lanka. In F. Sula & I. Pikirayi (Eds.), Water and Society from Ancient Times to the Present: Resilience, Decline, and Revival, (pp. 259-281). Routledge.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Weise, K., Kunwar, R., & Simpson, I. (2018). Look Down, Not Up: Protecting the Post-disaster Subsurface Heritage of the Kathmandu Valley鈥檚 UNESCO World Heritage Site. In L. Bracken, H. Ruszczyk, & T. Robinson (Eds.), Evolving Narratives of Hazard and Risk The Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal, 2015. (pp. 159-181). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65211-5_10

  • Davis, C. (2018). Patterns of Patronage: a reanalysis of the contents and distribution of inscriptions in Sri Lanka. In P. Gunawardhana & R. Coningham (Eds.), Buddha Rashmi: Vesak Volume: essays in Buddhism and Buddhist monastic archaeology. (pp. 53-66). Colombo, Sri Lanka Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka.

  • Coningham, R., Manuel, M., Davis, C., & Gunawardhana, P. (2017). Archaeology and Cosmopolitanism in Early Historic and Medieval Sri Lanka. In Z. Biedermann & A. Strathern (Eds.), Sri Lanka at the crossroads : from antiquity to modernity. (pp. 19-43). UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781911307822

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Manuel., M., Davis, C., & Lafortune-Bernard, A. (2017). Promoting the Protection, Preservation and Presentation of the Natal Landscape of the Buddha in Nepal. In P. Gunawardhana, R. Coningham, & K. Nampoothiri (Eds.), Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume: Essays in Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Archaeology (pp. 13-26). Central Cultural Fund of Sri Lanka.

  • Coningham, R., Manuel, M., & Shoebridge, J. (2016). Reconstructing Networks of Trade and Exchange in the Indian Ocean during the Early Historic Period: Case Studies from Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka). In K. Mathew (Ed.), Imperial Rome, Indian Ocean Regions and Muziris: New Perspectives on Maritime Trade (pp. 31-51). Routledge.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., & Davis, C. (2015). Archaeological Evidence and the Historicity of the Buddha: Lumbini. In M. Degalle (Ed.), Vesak, Peace and Harmony: Thinking of Buddhist Heritage. (pp. 59-82). Nagananda International Buddhist University.

  • Manuel, M., Coningham, R., Gillmore, G., & Fazeli, H. (2014). Societal change and sustainability within the Central Plateau of Iran: an archaeological viewpoint. In P. Sillitoe (Ed.), Sustainable development : an appraisal from the Gulf Region. (pp. 38-61). Berghahn Journals.

  • Coningham, R. (2013). The Archaeology of Early Buddhism. In R. Payne (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Buddhism (pp. 1-35). Oxford University Press.

  • Coningham, R. A. E., & Tremblay, J. (2013). Re-discovering Lumbini: Archaeology and Site Interpretation. In The Sacred Garden of Lumbini: Perceptions of Buddha鈥檚 Birthplace (pp. 61-95). UNESCO.

  • Kourampas, N., Simpson, I., Fazeli, H., Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2013). Sediments, soils and livelihood in a Late Neolithic village on the Iranian Plateau. In R. Matthews & H. Fazeli (Eds.), The Neolithisation of Iran: the formation of new societies (pp. 178-189). Oxbow Books.

  • Fazeli, H., Coningham, R., Marghussian, A., Manuel, M., Azizi, H., & Pollard, A. (2013). Mapping the Neolithic occupation of the Kashan, Tehran and Qazvin Plains. In R. Matthews & H. Fazeli (Eds.), The Neolithisation of Iran: the formation of new societies (pp. 114-135). Oxbow Books.

  • Coningham, R. (2012). Non-Western Societies and Indigenous Peoples, Archaeology and: Archaeology and South Asia. In N. Silberman (Ed.), The Oxford Companion To Archaeology. Oxford University Press.

  • Coningham, R., & Gunawardhana, P. (2012). Looting or Rededication? Buddhism and the Expropriation of Relics. In G. Scarre & R. Coningham (Eds.), Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Practice of Archaeology (pp. 281-294). Cambridge University Press.

  • Coningham, R. (2012). Frank Raymond Allchin(1923-2010). In Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy (pp. 3-23). Oxford University Press.

  • Gillmore, G., Stevens, T., Buylaert, J., Coningham, R., Batt, C., Fazeli, H., Young, R., & Maghsoudi, M. (2011). Geoarchaeology and the value of multidisciplinary palaeo-environmental approaches: a case study from the Tehran Plain, Iran. In L. Wilson (Ed.), Human Interactions with the Geosphere: The Geoarchaeological Perspective (pp. 49-67). Geological Society.

  • Coningham, R. (2011). Buddhism. In T. Insoll (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion (pp. 934-947). Oxford University Press.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Schmidt, A., & Bidari, B. (2010). Searching for Kapilavastu. In P. Gunawardhana, G. Adikari, & R. Coningham (Eds.), Essays in Archaeology (pp. 55-66). Neptune Publishers.

  • Schmidt, A., & Coningham, R. (2010). Geophysical Investigations of World Heritage Sites in South Asia. In P. Gunawardhana, G. Adikari, & R. Coningham (Eds.), Essays in Archaeology (pp. 285-290). Neptune Publishers.

  • Young, R., & Coningham, R. (2010). From Village to State: Modelling Food Consumption and Ideological Change at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. In P. Gunawardhana, G. Adikari, & R. Coningham (Eds.), Essays in Archaeology (pp. 81-92). Neptune Publishers.

  • Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2009). The Early Empires of South Asia. In T. Harrison (Ed.), The Great Empires of the Ancient World (pp. 226-249). Thames & Hudson.

  • Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2008). Warfare in ancient South Asia. In P. de Souza (Ed.), The Ancient World at war. (pp. 229-242). Thames & Hudson.

  • Coningham, R., & Coningham, S. (2008). Chandragupta Maurya. In J. Black (Ed.), Great military leaders and their campaigns. Thames & Hudson.

  • Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2007). The Indus Civilisation. In A. Cremin (Ed.), Archaeologica : The world鈥檚 most significant sites and cultural treasures (pp. 240-245). Random House.

  • Coningham, R., & Strickland, K. (2007). South Asia : Sri Lanka. In D. M. Pearsall (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Archaeology (pp. 791-795). Elsevier.

  • Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2007). South Asia : The Northwest Frontier and Kashmir region. In D. M. Pearsall (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Archaeology (pp. 733-745). Elsevier.

  • Coningham, R., & Manuel, M. (2007). The Indus Civilisation. In D. Fortenberry (Ed.), 30,000 Years of Art. Phaidon.

  • Coningham, R., & Young, R. (2007). The archaeological visibility of caste. In T. Insoll (Ed.), The archaeology of identities : a reader. (pp. 250-264.). Routledge.

  • Gillmore, G., Coningham, R., Young, R., Fazeli., H., Rushworth, G., Donahue, R., & Batt, C. (2007). Holocene alluvial sediments of the Tehran Plain: sedimentation and archaeological site visibility. In L. Wilson, P. Dickinson, & J. Jeandron (Eds.), Reconstructing human-landscape interactions (pp. 37-67). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

  • Coningham, R., Cooper, R., & Pollard, A. (2006). What value a unicorn鈥檚 horn? A study of archaeological value. In C. Scarre & G. Scarre (Eds.), The ethics of Archaeology: philosophical perspectives on archaeological practice (pp. 260-272). Cambridge University Press.

  • Coningham, R. (2005). South Asia: From Early Villages to Buddhism. In C. Scarre (Ed.), The Human Past (1st ed., pp. 518-551). Thames & Hudson.

  • Coningham, R., & Mann, S. (2005). The Story of the Stupa Revisited. In P. Gunawardhana & R. Coningham (Eds.), Essays in Archaeology (1st ed., pp. 31-43). Godage International Publishers.

  • Ali, I., & Coningham, R. (2002). Recording and Preserving Gandhara鈥檚 Cultural Heritage. In J. Brodie, J. Doole, & A. Renfrew (Eds.), Illicit Antiquities: the Destruction of the World鈥檚 Archaeological Heritage (pp. 25-31). McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

  • Coningham, R. (2002). Deciphering the Indus Script. In S. Settar & R. Korrisettar (Eds.), Indian Archaeology in Retrospect (pp. 81-104). Indian Council of Historical Research.

  • Coningham, R. (2001). The archaeology of Buddhism. In T. Insoll (Ed.), Archaeology and world religion. (pp. 61-95). Routledge.

  • Coningham, R., & Young, R. (1999). The Archaeology of Caste. In T. Insoll (Ed.), Case Studies in Archaeology and World Religions (pp. 84-93). BAR.

  • Coningham, R. (1999). South Asia. In S. Scarre (Ed.), The Seventy Wonders of the World. Thames & Hudson.

  • Coningham, R. (1997). Anuradhapura. In B. Fagan (Ed.), The Oxford Campanion to Archaeology (pp. 38-39). Oxford University Press.

  • Coningham, R., & Allchin, F. (1995). The Rise of Cities in South Asia. In F. Allchin (Ed.), The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The emergence of Cities and States (pp. 152-184). Cambridge University Press.

  • Coningham, R. (1995). Dark Age or Continnum? An Archaeological Analysis of The Second Emergence of Urbanism in South Asia. In F. Allchin (Ed.), The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States (pp. 54-72). Cambridge University Press.

Conference Paper


  • Ford, L., & Coningham, R. (2006). Early Historic Specialisation and Standardisation: The Technology of Rouletted Ware and Associated Wares at Anuradhapura. In U. Franke-Vogt & H. Weisshaar (Eds.), South Asian Archaeology 2003 (pp. 393-397). Deutsches Archaologisches Institut.

  • Coningham, R. (1997). The Spatial Distribution of Craft Activities in Early Historic Cities. In F. R. Allchin & B. Allchin (Eds.), South Asian Archaeology 1995 (pp. 35-48). Oxford and IBH.

  • Krishnan, K., & Coningham, R. (1997). Microstructural Analysis of Samples of Rouletted Ware and Associated Pottery from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. In F. R. Allchin & B. Allchin (Eds.), South Asian Archaeology 1995 (pp. 55-63). Oxford and IBH.

  • Coningham, R. (1994). Notes on the Construction and Destruction of Ancient Sri Lankan Buildings. In B. Allchin (Ed.), Living Traditions: Studies in the Ethnoarchaeology of South Asia (pp. 69-82). Oxford and IBH.

Edited book


  • Gunawardhana, P., & Coningham, R. (Eds.). (2018). Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume 2018: Essays in Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Archaeology. Colombo, Sri Lanka : Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka,.

  • Gunawardhana, P., Coningham, R., & Nampoothiri, K. (Eds.). (2017). Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume: Essays in Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Archaeology. Central Cultural Fund of Sri Lanka.

  • Scarre, G., & Coningham, R. (Eds.). (2013). Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Practice of Archaeology. Cambridge University Press.

  • Gunawardhana, P., Adikari, G., & Coningham, R. (Eds.). (2010). Essays in Archaeology 2. Neptune Publishers.

  • Gunawardhana, P., & Coningham, R. (Eds.). (2005). Essays in Archaeology (1st ed.). Godage International Publishers.

  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (Eds.). (2000). Identity and Archaeology in South Asia.

Journal Article


  • Reay, M. K., Simpson, I. A., Zhao, W., Coningham, R. A. E., Davis, C., Acharya, K. P., Manuel, M., Strickland, K., Gilliland, K., Kinnaird, T. C., & Bull, I. D. (2025). Triterpenoid wax esters confirm Ficus religiosa in archaeological sequences within the Mayadevi temple shrine, Lumbini 鈥 the birthplace of Buddha. Frontiers in Geochemistry, 3, Article 1507366. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgeoc.2025.1507366

  • Coningham, R., Lewer, N., Acharya, K. P., Weise, K., Kunwar, R. B., Joshi, A., & Parajuli Khanal, S. (2024). Enabling equitable and ethical research partnerships in crisis situations: Lessons learned from post-disaster heritage protection interventions following Nepal鈥檚 2015 earthquake. Research Ethics, 20(4), 835-846. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470161241234502

  • Coningham, R., & Witcher, R. (2022). Editorial: Relevance and the Sustainable Development Goals. Antiquity, 96(385), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2022.2

  • Marghussian, A., Coningham, R., & Fazeli, H. (2021). The development of pottery production, specialisation and standardisation in the Late Neolithic and Transitional Chalcolithic periods in the Central Plateau of Iran. Archaeological Research in Asia, 28, Article 100325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2021.100325

  • Manuel, M., Gunawardana, P., Namalgamuwa, H., Coningham, R., Davis, C., Krishnan, K., Senanayake, J., & Rammungoda, U. (2021). Low Density Urbanism in Medieval Sri Lanka: Exploring the hinterland of Polonnaruva. Asian Perspectives, 60(2), 248-271. https://doi.org/10.1353/asi.2021.0002

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Schmidt, A., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Kinnaird, T., Morrison, M., & Kilic, A. (2021). Archaeological Investigations at Changu Narayan Temple Complex, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 207, 5-23.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., & Forlin, P. (2021). Post-Disaster Archaeological Investigations at the Gurujyu Sattal, Pashupati Temple Complex, Kathmandu. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 207, 37-59.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Villis, R., Davis, C., Manuel, M., Hale, D., & Naylor, A. (2021). Pilot geophysical investigations in Thimi, Kathmandu Valley. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 206, 23-47.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Schmidt, A., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Davis, C., & Woolston-Houshold, M. (2021). Ground Penetrating Radar survey within the courtyards of Hanuman Dhoka Palace Complex and Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 206, 48-60.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Schmidt, A., Kunwar, R., Davis, C., & Woolston-Houshold, M. (2021). Preliminary results of additional post-disaster archaeological investigations within Bhaktapur, UNESCO World Heritage Property, Kathmandu Valley. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 206, 5-22.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Villis, R., Hale, D., Davis, C., Manuel, M., & Naylor, A. (2021). Geophysical Investigations at the Satya Narayan Temple, Handigaon, Kathmandu (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 207, 24-36.

  • Coningham, R., & Lucero, L. J. (2021). Urban infrastructure, climate change, disaster and risk: lessons from the past for the future. Journal of the British Academy, 9s8, 79-114. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/009s8.079

  • Davis, C., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Forlin, P., Weise, K., Maskey, P., Joshi, A., Simpson, I., Toll, D., Wilkinson, S., Hughes, P., Sarhosis, V., Kumar, A., & Schmidt, A. (2020). Identifying archaeological evidence of past earthquakes in a contemporary disaster scenario: Case-studies of damage, resilience and risk reduction from the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake and past seismic events within the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Journal of Seismology, 24(4), 729-751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-019-09890-7

  • Kumar, A., Hughes, P. N., Sarhosis, V., Toll, D., Wilkinson, S., Coningham, R., Acharya, K. P., Weise, K., Joshi, A., Davis, C., Kunwar, R. B., & Maskey, P. N. (2020). Experimental, numerical and field study investigating a heritage structure collapse after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. Natural Hazards, 101(1), 231-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-03871-7

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Manuel, M., Hale, D., Woolston-Houshold, M., & Mo, J. (2020). Geophysical Investigations at Ramagrama: Results from new surveys undertaken in November 2019 and February 2020. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 230, 5-28.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Villis, R., Manuel, M., Davis, C., Hale, D., Gyawali, B., & Naylor, A. (2020). Pilot Archaeological Investigations at Panditpur, Nawalparasi District, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 203, 43-59.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Kinnaird, T., Strickland, K., Manuel, M., Davis, C., Schmidt, A., Mirnig, N., & Mo, J. (2020). Lumbini鈥檚 鈥楴ursery Well鈥 and the evidence for an ancient routeway through Rupandehi and Kapilbastu Districts, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 204, 5-24.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Gyawali, B., Davis, C., Simpson, I., Manuel, M., Hale, D., Voke, P., Kinnaird, T., & Woolston-Houshold, M. (2020). Archaeological Investigations at Dohani and Karma, two newly identified fortified enclosures in Kapilbastu District, Nepal: Preliminary results from geophysical survey, mapping and auger coring. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 204, 25-57.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Villis, R., Manuel, M., Davis, C., Hale, D., & Naylor, A. (2020). Pilot Geophysical Survey at Maulapur, Rautahat District, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 203, 29-42.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Barclay, C., Barclay, R., Davis, C., Graham, C., Hughes, P., Joshi, A., Kelly, L., Khanal, S., Kilic, A., Kinnaird, T., Kunwar, R., Kumar, A., Maskey, P., Lafortune-Bernard, A., Lewer, N., McCaughie, D., Mirnig, N., 鈥 Wilson, A. (2019). Reducing Disaster Risk to Life and Livelihoods by Evaluating the Seismic Safety of Kathmandu鈥檚 Historic Urban Infrastructure: enabling an interdisciplinary pilot. Journal of the British Academy, 7(S2), 45-82. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/007s2.045

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Hale, D., Kunwar, R., Manuel, M., Woolston-Houshold, M., & Davis, C. (2019). Geophysical Investigations at Ramagrama, Nepal: Results from new surveys undertaken in January 2018. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 201, 5-17.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Davis, C., Hale, D., Manuel, M., Villis, R., & Watson, L. (2019). Pilot Geophysical Survey in Handigaon, Kathmandu. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 201, 19-37.

  • Davis, C., Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., Pushparatnam, P., Schmidt, A., & Manuel, M. (2019). The antiquity of Jaffna Fort: new evidence from post-disaster archaeological investigations in northern Sri Lanka. Antiquity, 93(368), Article e13. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.30

  • Dahal, B., Kunwar, R., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Hale, D., Davis, C., Manuel, M., & Voke, P. (2019). Pilot Geophysical survey at Guita Domar, Patan, Kathmandu, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 201, 48-56.

  • Dahal, B., Kunwar, R., Acharya, K., Coningham, R., Hale, D., Davis, C., Manuel, M., & Voke, P. (2019). Pilot Geophysical survey at Panauti, Kavre Palanchok District, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 201, 39-46.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Manuel, M., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Strickland, K., Smaghur, E., Tremblay, J., & Lafortune-Bernard, A. (2018). Archaeological investigations at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, 2014-2016. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 197-198, 5-59.

  • Davis, C., & Coningham, R. (2018). Pilgrimage and Procession: Temporary gatherings and journeys between the tangible and intangible through the archaeology of South Asia. World Archaeology, 50(2), 347-363. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2018.1490199

  • Marghussian, A., Coningham, R., & Fazeli, H. (2017). The Evolution of Pottery Production during the Late Neolithic Period at Sialk on the Kashan Plain, Central Plateau of Iran. Archaeometry, 59(2), 222-238. https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12258

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Tremblay, J., Schmidt, A., Simpson, I., & LaFortune-Bernard, A. (2016). Post-Disaster Rescue Archaeological Investigations, Evaluations and Interpretations in the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property (Nepal): Observations and Recommendations from a UNESCO mission in 2015. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 191-192, 72-92.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Manuel, M., Kunwar, R., Hale, D., Tremblay, J., Gautam, D., & Mirnig, N. (2016). Exploring Ancient Pashupati: Preliminary Results of Archaeological Surveys and Excavations at Bhandarkhal, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 191-192, 93-112.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Tremblay, J., Simpson, I., & Schmidt, A. (2016). Preliminary Results of Post-Disaster Archaeological Investigations at the Char Narayan Temple and within Patan鈥檚 Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 191-192, 52-71.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Tremblay, J., Schmidt, A., & Simpson, I. (2016). Preliminary Results of Post-Disaster Archaeological Investigations at the Vatsala Temple and within Bhaktapur鈥檚 Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 191-192, 3-27.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Schmidt, A., & Tremblay, J. (2016). Preliminary Results of Post-Disaster Archaeological Investigations at the Kasthamandap and within Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Property (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 191-192, 28-51.

  • Davis, C., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Simpson, I., Tremblay, J., Kunwar, R., Manuel, M., Krishna Bahadur, K., & Bidari, B. (2016). Re-investigating Tilaurakot鈥檚 Ancient Fortifications: a preliminary report of excavations through the northern rampart (Nepal). Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 190, 30-46.

  • Strickland, K., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Schmidt, A., Simpson, I., Kunwar, R., Tremblay, J., Manuel, M., Davis, C., Krishna Bahadur, K., & Bidari, B. (2016). Ancient Lumminigame: A Preliminary Report on Recent Archaeological Investigations at Lumbini鈥檚 Village Mound. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 190, 1-17.

  • Strickland, K., Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Dahal, B., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Tremblay, J., Simpson, I., Jones, J., Hale, D., Krishna Bahadur, K., & Bidari, B. (2016). Recent archaeological excavations at Tilaurakot鈥檚 southern Industrial mound (Nepal): a preliminary report. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 190, 47-58.

  • Lucero, L., Fletcher, R., & Coningham, R. (2015). From 鈥榗ollapse鈥 to urban diaspora: the transformation of low-density, dispersed agrarian urbanism. Antiquity, 89(347), 1139-1154. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2015.51

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Strickland, K., Davis, C., Manuel, M., Simpson, I., Gilliland, K., Tremblay, J., Kinnaird, T., & Sanderson, D. (2013). The Earliest Buddhist Shrine: Excavating the Birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini (Nepal). Antiquity, 87(338), 1104-1123. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00049899

  • Bailiff, I., Lacey, H., Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., Adikari, G., Davis, C., Manuel, M., & Strickland, K. (2013). Luminescence dating of brick stupas: an application to the hinterland of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Antiquity, 87(335), 189-201. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00048717

  • Gilliland, K., Simpson, I., Adderley, W., Burbidge, C., Cresswell, A., Sanderson, D., Coningham, R., Manuel, M., Strickland, K., Gunawardhana, P., & Adikari, G. (2013). The dry tank: development and disuse of water management infrastructure in the Anuradhapura hinterland, Sri Lanka. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40(2), 1012-1028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.09.034

  • Mayyas, A., Stern, B., Gillmore, G., Coningham, R., & Fazeli Nashli, H. (2013). Beeswax preserved in a Late Chalcolithic Bevelled-Rim Bowl from the Tehran Plain, Iran. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 48, 13-25.

  • Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., Davis, C., Adikari, G., Simpson, I., Strickland, K., Gilliland, K., & Manuel, M. (2012). Contextualising the Tabbova-Maradanmaduva 鈥檆ulture鈥: Excavations at Nikawewa, Tirappane, Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 28(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2012.659877

  • Coningham, R., Schmidt, A., & Strickland, K. (2011). A cultural and environmental monitoring of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 176, 1-8.

  • Coningham, R., Schmidt, A., & Strickland, K. (2011). A pilot geophysical and auger core evaluation within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 176, 9-24.

  • Shoebridge, J., & Coningham, R. (2011). Arikamedu Type 10 and the reconstruction of Indian Ocean networks of contact. Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology, 6, 125-141.

  • Schmidt, A., Coningham, R., Strickland, K., & Shoebridge, J. (2011). A pilot geophysical evaluation of the site of Tilaurakot, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 177, 1-16.

  • Schmidt, A., Coningham, R., Strickland, K., & Shoebridge, J. (2011). A pilot geophysical evaluation of the site of Ramagrama, Nepal. Pr膩c墨na Nep膩la : = Ancient Nepal, 177, 17-33.

  • Ramaroli, V., Hamilton, J., Ditchfield, P., Fazeli, H., Aali, A., Coningham, R., & Pollard, A. (2010). The Chehr Abad "salt men" and the isotopic ecology of humans in ancient Iran. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 143(3), 343-354. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21314

  • Fazeli, N. H., Vidale, M., Guida, G., & Coningham, R. (2010). The evolution of ceramic manufacturing technology during the Late Neolithic and Transitional Chalcolithic periods at Tepe Pardis, Iran. Arch盲ologische Mitteilungen Aus Iran Und Turan., 42, 87-112.

  • Gillmore, G., Coningham, R., Fazeli, H., Young, R., Magshoudi, M., Batt, C., & Rushworth, G. (2009). Irrigation on the Tehran Plain, Iran: Tepe Pardis - the site of a possible Neolithic irrigation feature?. CATENA, 78(3), 285-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2009.02.009

  • Coningham., R., & Manuel, M. (2009). Priest-Kings or Puritans? Childe and willing subordination in the Indus. European Journal of Archaeology, 12(1-3), 167-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461957109339691

  • Stern, B., Connan, J., Blakelock, E., Jackman, R., Coningham, R., & Heron, C. (2008). From Susa to Anuradhapura : reconstructing aspects of trade and exchange in bitumen-coated ceramic vessels between Iran and Sri Lanka from the third to the ninth centuries AD. Archaeometry, 50(3), 409-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2007.00347.x

  • Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., Manuel, M., Adikari, G., Katugampola, M., Young, R., Schmidt, A., Krishnan, K., Simpson, I., McDonnell, G., & Batt, C. (2007). The state of theocracy: defining an Early Medieval hinterland in Sri Lanka. Antiquity, 81(313), 699-719. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00095673

  • Fazeli, H., Coningham, R., Young, R., Gillmore, G., Maghsoudi, M., & Raza, H. (2007). Socio-Economic transformations in the Tehran Plain: Final season of settlement survey and excavations at Tepe Pardis. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 45, 267-286.

  • Ali, T., Coningham, R., Connan, J., Gething, I., Adam, P., Dessort, D., & Heron, C. (2006). South Asia鈥檚 earliest incendiary missile?. Archaeometry, 48(4), 641-655. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2006.00278.x

  • Coningham, R., Fazeli, H., Young, R., Gillmore, G., Karimian, H., Maghsoudi, M., Donahue, R., & Batt, C. (2006). Socio-economic transformations:settlement survey in the Tehran Plain and excavations at Tepe Pardis. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 44, 33-62.

  • Coningham, R., Gunawardhana, P., Adikari, G., Katugampola, M., Simpson, I., & Young, R. (2006). The Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) Project: the hinterland (phase II), preliminary report of the first season 2005. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 22, 53-64.

  • Ford, L., Pollard, A., Coningham, R., & Stern, B. (2005). A geochemical investigation of the origin of Rouletted and other related South Asian fine wares. Antiquity, 79(306), 909-920. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00115030

  • Coningham, R., & Hardman, C. (2004). Identity, Fundamentalism and Archaeology in Modern South Asia. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 14(1), 156-159. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774304280106

  • Coningham, R. (2004). [Contribution to] CA Forum on Anthropology in Public: Archaeology at the Heart of a Political Confrontation: The case of Ayodhya. Current Anthropology, 45(2), 251-251. https://doi.org/10.1086/381044

  • Fazeli, H., Coningham, R., & Batt, C. (2004). Cheshmeh-Ali Revisited: Towards an Absolute Dating of the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic of Iran鈥檚 Tehran Plain. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 42, 13-23.

  • Coningham, R., Fazeli, H., Young, R., & Donahue, R. (2004). Location, Location, Location: A Pilot 一本道无码 of the Tehran Plain 2003. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 42, 1-12.

  • Ali, I., Batt, C., Coningham, R., & Young, R. (2002). New Exploration in the Chitral Valley, Pakistan: An Extension of the Gandharan Grave Culture. Antiquity, 76(293), 647-653. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00091055

  • Fazeli, H., Donahue, R., & Coningham, R. (2002). Stone Tool Production, Distribution and Use During the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic on the Tehran Plain, Iran. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 40, 1-14.

  • Coningham, R. (2002). Beyond and Before the Imperial Frontiers: Early Historic Sri Lanka and the Origins of Indian Ocean Trade. Man & Environment., 27, 99-108.

  • Fazeli, H., Coningham, R., & Pollard, A. (2001). Chemical Characteristics of Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Pottery from the Tehran Plain, Iran. Iran : Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies., 39, 55-71.

  • Young, R., Coningham, R., Batt, C., & Ali, I. (2000). A Comparison of Kho and Kalasha Subistence Patterns in Chitral, NWFP, Pakistan. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 16, 133-142.

  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (2000). The Vijayan Colonisation and the Archaeology of Identity in Sri Lanka. Antiquity, 74, 707-712.

  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (2000). Archaeology and Identity in South Asia: Interpretations and Consequences. Antiquity, 74, 664-667.

  • Coningham, R. (2000). Contestatory Urban Tests or were Cities in South Asia built as Images. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 10, 348-357.

  • Coningham, R., & Lewer, N. (1999). Paradise Lost: the Bombing of the Temple of the Tooth - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Asia. Antiquity, 73, 857-866.

  • Coningham, R., & Sutherland, T. (1998). Dwellings or Granaries? The Pit Phenomenon of the Kashmir-Swat Neolithic. Man & Environment., 22, 29-34.

  • Young, R., & Coningham, R. (1998). Subsistence Patterns in NWFP: An Archaeological 一本道无码. Ancient Pakistan, 12, 39-126.

  • Coningham, R. (1998). The Nepali Terai and Sites Associated with the Birth and Childhood of Gautama Buddha. Journal of the British - Nepla Association, 22, 23-26.

  • Coningham, R., & Edwards, B. (1998). Space and Society at Sirkap. Ancient Pakistan, 12, 47-76.

  • Coningham, R. (1998). Buddhism Rematerialised and the Archaeology of the Gautama Buddha. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 8(1), 121-126. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774300001372

  • Ali, T., Coningham, R., Durrani, M., & Rahim, G. (1998). Preliminary report of the first two seasons of archaeological investigations at the Bala Hisar of Charsadda. Ancient Pakistan, 12, 1-34.

  • Coningham, R., Allchin, F., Batt, C., & Lucy, D. (1996). Passage to India? Anuradhapur and the Early Use of the Brahmi Script. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 6(1), 73-97. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959774300001608

  • Janaway, R., & Coningham, R. (1995). A Review of Archaeological Textile Evidence from South Asia. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 11, 159-176.

  • Coningham, R. (1995). Monks, Caves and Kings: A Reassessment of the Nature of Early Buddhism in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). World Archaeology, 27, 222-242.

  • Coningham, R. (1995). East is East and West is West, and Never the Two Shall Meet. Antiquity, 69(266), 1051-1055. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003598x00082661

  • Coningham, R. (1994). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Results of a Season of Geophysical Survey. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 10, 179-188.

  • Coningham, R. (1993). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Results of the Excavation of the Southern Rampart. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 9, 111-122.

  • Coningham, R., & Allchin, F. (1992). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Results of the Third Season of Sri Lankan - British Excavations at Salgaha Watta. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 8, 155-167.

  • Coningham, R., & Allchin, F. (1991). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project: Preliminary Report of the Second Season of Sri Lankan - British Excavations at Salgha Watta. South Asian Studies : Journal of the Society for South Asian Studies (Incorporating the Society for Afghan Studies)., 7, 167-175.

  • Coningham, R. (1990). Anuradhapura Citadel Archaeological Project, British Sub-Project, Anuradhapura Salgaha Watta Preliminary Report 1989-1990. Ancient Ceylon, 3(9), 23-48.

Other (Print)


  • Coningham, R., & Acharya, K. (2020). After the Earthquake: Post-Disaster Archaeology in Nepal (pp. 32-35). Current World Archaeology.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Simpson, I., Joshi, A., & Weise, K. (2018). Resilience Within the Rubble:Reconstructing the Kasthamandapand its Past after the 2015Gorkha Earthquake (pp. 32-41). SPACES.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Manuel, M., Davis, C., & LaFortune-Bernard, A. (2018). Promoting the Protection, Preservation and Presentation of the Natal Landscape of the Buddha in Nepal (pp. 35-49). Lumbini Darpan.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Kunwar, R., Schmidt, A., & Simpson, I. (2017). Below the Surface in Bhaktapur: Post-Earthquake Archaeological Assessment of the Vatsala Temple and Bhaktapur鈥檚 Durbar Square (pp. 44-54). SPACES.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Kunwar, R., Davis, C., Manuel, M., & Simpson, I. (2016). Tilaurakot: Early Historic City Planning in South Asia (pp. 48-57). SPACES.

  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., & Davis, C. (2015). Lumbini, Nepal: Excavating the Birthplace of the Buddha (pp. 32-37). Current World Archaeology.

Report


  • Coningham, R., Acharya, K., Davis, C., Strickland, K., McDonnell, G., Tremblay, J., Manuel, M., & Bidari, B. (2016). Defining the Chronological and Cultural Sequence of Mound V, Tilaurakot: A Report on pilot excavations conducted in 1999.

Supervision students

Jiajing Mo

Liam O'Kell

Rob Swinbank

Roger Lang

Research Student

Taramati Borkar

Postgraduate Research Student