Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw
Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw
The Faculty of Archaeology (WAUW) is the main archaeology department of the University of Warsaw. It was formed in 2020 from the Institute of Archaeology and is housed in the Szkoła Główna Warszawska building. WAUW is the largest archaeology institution in Poland, with about 100 academic staff and around 1,500 students. It has 17 departments and 7 laboratories and teaches modern archaeology and related sciences in areas such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient America, Classical Archaeology, and the Ancient Near East. Its archaeology program is ranked among the top 51–100 universities worldwide by QS (2023).
A quick look at WAUW’s history
- Origins go back to the 19th century, with early collections like the Numismatic Cabinet and the Cabinet of Ancient Curiosities.
- 1919: Department of Prehistoric Archaeology was created in Staszic Palace; later joined by the Section of Classical Archaeology (1931).
- 1975: Several departments merged to form the Institute of Archaeology within the Faculty of History.
- 1980s–1990s: Growth and diversification, including ancient Europe, Near Eastern archaeology, Egyptology, and more.
- 2020: The Institute of Archaeology became the WAUW, led by a dean.
What WAUW does
- Education and research in archaeology and related sciences.
- Notable fieldwork at sites in Poland, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, Greece, Libya, Oman, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, Peru, and more.
- Key discoveries include work at Novae (Europe), the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Egypt), the Cathedral at Faras (Sudan), Saqqara (Egypt), Tell Arbid (Syria), Palmyra (Near East), Ptolemais (Libya), Tell Qaramel (Syria), and the El Castillo de Huarmey site (Peru).
Notable archaeologists and heritage
- WAUW has been associated with prominent archaeologists in Egyptology, Near Eastern archaeology, European archaeology, and other fields, including specialists who shaped Polish archaeology and the Warsaw school of Slavic and Mediterranean archaeology.
Organizational structure
- Departments include:
- Chair of Classical Archaeology
- Chair of Epigraphy and Papyrology
- Department of Aegean and Textile Archaeology
- Department of Archaeology of Egypt and Nubia
- Department of Archaeology of the Americas
- Department of Barbaricum and the Roman Provincial Archaeology
- Department of Bioarchaeology
- Department of Medieval and Early Modern Archaeology
- Department of Numismatics and Museology
- EuroWeb. Europe through Textiles
- Stone Age Department
- Laboratories include:
- Department for Archaeological Conservation
- Department for Modelling and Digital Documentation
- Department for Non-Invasive Methods
- Department for Underwater Archaeology
- Department of Archaeology of Images and Symbolism of Light
- Department of Circum-Pacific and Far Eastern Archaeology
Publications and online presence
- Journals and series such as:
- Światowit (since 1899)
- Bioarchaeology of the Near East (since 2007)
- Studia Archaeologica Sudauica (since 2017)
- Studia i Materiały Archeologiczne (since 1980)
- Archeo UW (since 2013)
- Online publishing includes Archeowieści.pl (since 2021).
Location and contact
- Address: Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland
- Website: archeologia.uw.edu.pl
Quick facts
- Parent institution: University of Warsaw
- Established as Institute of Archaeology in 1975; became Faculty of Archaeology in 2020
- Dean: Bartosz Kontny (as of the latest update)
- Students: about 1,500
- Academic staff: around 100
- QS World University Ranking for WAUW: 51–100 globally (2023)
Website for more information: https://www.archeologia.uw.edu.pl
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 23:12 (CET).