Roger Matthews

Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Reading

Roger Matthews has been Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Reading since 2011. For almost 40 years, he has directed major excavation and survey projects in the Middle East, in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Türkiye. He was previously Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, and of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara. He is currently President of RASHID International (Research, Assessment, Safeguarding the Heritage of Iraq in Danger). With Dr Wendy Matthews, he co-directs the Central Zagros Archaeological Project, investigating the transition from mobile hunter-gatherer to more settled farmer-herder lifeways across the timespan 15000-9000 Before Present. This project involves long-term excavation of sites in the Iraqi Zagros foothills, in particular the sites of Zawi Chemi Rezan and Bestansur. He also leads on the States of Clay project, investigating early bureaucratic systems of the first cities and states of Mesopotamia, c. 5700-4700 Before Present.