Bill Finlayson

Dr. Bill Finlayson is Professor of Prehistoric Environment and Society at Oxford Brookes University, leading the EAMENA Project. His research spans three interconnected areas: the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, theoretical frameworks for pre-farming societies, and cultural resource management, including heritage interpretation and public engagement. With over 20 years of fieldwork in Jordan, he has directed major excavations at Neolithic sites like WF16, Shahara, Dhra', and Beidha, focusing on site conservation, experimental archaeology, and community-based initiatives such as the Faynan Heritage Project and DEEPSAL. He currently oversees the AHRC Newton-Khalidi collaboration with Yarmouk University and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities.

• PhD in Archaeology, University of Edinburgh
• Manager, Centre for Field Archaeology, University of Edinburgh (1992–1999)
• Director, Council for British Research in the Levant (post-1999)
• Honorary Fellowships at University of Edinburgh and Notre Dame University
• Visiting Professor, University of Reading

His work explores Neolithic societal complexity, particularly in Southwest Asia and Europe, analyzing communal architecture, plant domestication, and hunter-gatherer diversity. Key themes include the role of materiality in social inequality, technological practices in early villages, and the political economy of heritage in conflict zones.

Recent publications emphasize community-driven conservation, environmental archaeology, and the evolution of social structures during the transition to farming. His 15 most recent articles span topics like cereal domestication, Neolithic symbolism, and site preservation in Jordan.

• Honorary Fellowship, University of Edinburgh
• Honorary Fellowship, Notre Dame University

Finlayson supervises doctoral students, including Emre Yurttas, whose research addresses sexuality and ritual in the prehistory of Southwest Asia. He integrates fieldwork, theoretical archaeology, and heritage policy, fostering collaborations between Jordanian and UK institutions to protect endangered sites.