Archaeology and Ancient History

BILNAS Archive

The British Institute for Libyan and Northern African Studies (BILNAS) is a British International Research Institute (BIRI) which supports research, scholarship, and collaboration relating to the history, archaeology, culture, art, and literature of Libya and Northern Africa. The BILNAS Archive has been housed at the University of Leicester since 2012, and holds a rich assortment of documents, photographs, drawings, maps, and plans relating to archaeological projects in Libya from the early 20th century onwards undertaken by many pioneering British scholars in the field including Lady Olwen Brogan, Charles Daniels, John Ward-Perkins, Dame Kathleen Kenyon, John Dore, David Mattingly, and many more. Browse the collection and find out who else has been involved. Recently, a major project has been the digitisation of key collections from the archive, which are being made available online and open-access via the Archaeology Data Service.

The archive is not just a historical record of the Institute’s work in Libya and Northern Africa however, it is also a rich resource for future research. Packed with unpublished material and extensive data sets from previous fieldwork expeditions, the archive holds enormous potential for fresh insights and opportunities for re-interpretation. Ongoing funding from the British Academy has enabled collaboration with other BIRI archives to create a joint discovery platform. This platform will streamline the process of querying and searching archival materials across the BIRI network. More recently, support from The National Archives has enabled workshops where digital annotation tools were used to support source communities make aspects of Libyan culture, captured in archival photographs, more accessible.

To learn more about the work undertaken in the BILNAS Archive, check out this recorded lecture on YouTube.

 Two people  looking at a large document laid out on a table

Image above shows researchers consulting a plan in the Maps and Plans room of the BILNAS Archive (Photograph by Design Services, University of Leicester)

The BILNAS Archive is located on the 18th Floor, Attenborough Tower. To arrange a visit, contact the archivist.

Meet the Team

Archivist

Principal Investigators 

Affiliated Researchers

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