I’m very sad to hear that Colin Renfrew, a giant in the field of Prehistoric Archaeology, has joined the realm of the ancients. An academic archaeologist with one foot firmly in the trench, he combined theory & fieldwork with flair - and had a knack for asking the right questions. His work lives on - ThreadSky

profaliceroberts.bsky.social • 90 days ago

I’m very sad to hear that Colin Renfrew, a giant in the field of Prehistoric Archaeology, has joined the realm of the ancients. An academic archaeologist with one foot firmly in the trench, he combined theory & fieldwork with flair - and had a knack for asking the right questions. His work lives on

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katecelyn.bsky.social•90 days ago

Always interesting - taught me when I was at Cambridge reading Arch and Anth. Some people you remember so clearly…

marshallschurtz.com•90 days ago

Growing old is hearing about scholars you looked up pass away…

Realm of the ancients is perfect because he will in the annals of “THE archaeologists”

mphsil.bsky.social•90 days ago

Very sad! Takes me back to 1964 when he led an expedition to Andiparos in the Cyclades, on which I was a diver mapping submerged remains.

tigerstyle1066.bsky.social•90 days ago

A sad loss. That was the edition of Theories, Methods and Practice I had an Uni. Great book, been reading it again recently.

alwaysmorebooks.bsky.social•90 days ago

His seminal text was a standard at university when I was studying a few archaeology units - Renfrew and Bahn was the catch phrase in all my ancient history essays for about 4 years.

leftpeggers.bsky.social•90 days ago

I’m doing a certificate in archaeology right now. The two books I’m using had Tim Darvill and Colin Renfrew as authors. How very sad…

gudfala.bsky.social•90 days ago

Very sorry to hear this - I spent many hours engrossed in his introductory textbook.

hawhen.bsky.social•90 days ago

I remember buying that book over 25 years ago! As a lay person with an interest in archaeology who wanted to learn more about the skills and techniques, it was a great insight. I'm sorry to hear that he has passed.

huber.bsky.social•90 days ago

How sad. That was the edition of his book I had in college; funny how you can recognize a name immediately even 25 years later. His text made an impression.

mammothunter.bsky.social•90 days ago

So sad! I still use his Archaeology Essentials text. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780500845295

charfield-blue.bsky.social•90 days ago

“Joined the realm of the ancients”. I like that.

pentathlos.bsky.social•90 days ago

While I didn’t continue with Archaeology for….well… *reasons*, I developed an odd habit of replacing my copy of this book whenever a new edition came out. The new one went on the shelf as my go-to resource, and the previous one went to a good home.

killearnan.bsky.social•90 days ago

My ideas on the afterlife are amorphous at best ~ but when someone dies, as a cosmic reward, I figure they now know the answers to the questions they pursued in life. If that happens to be true, he is likely enjoying having his curiosity satisfied.

cornelleparker.bsky.social•90 days ago

Pitch perfect prose.

wergend.bsky.social•90 days ago

Best we can do is send out those ripples in the pond, they dont deminish, they just dissipate wider.

hikinghistorian.bsky.social•90 days ago

Practically our Bible doing archaeology at Cardiff!

teajunkie.bsky.social•89 days ago

He was a man of good humour too.

turiking.bsky.social•90 days ago

Oh my goodness! When? He was Master at my College when I was reading Arch and Anth at Cambridge. He was the whole reason I went there.

nasadler.bsky.social•89 days ago

Another of my archaeology heroes lost 😢

gravytron.bsky.social•90 days ago

"Joined the realm of the ancients". What a wonderful verse. Makes me feel better about my own mortality. ❤️

ediwlemac.bsky.social•90 days ago

First prehistoric books I ever read. Thank you and good bless!

snoweider.bsky.social•90 days ago

That is sad. I dont think I went anywhere without my copy of "Renfrew and Bahn" in my first year at Uni.

annri.bsky.social•90 days ago

He had an amazing career . And a terrific wife Jane , also an academic, who I was lucky enough to meet at Lucy Cavendish college. I last saw her in the summer.

virtualpasts.bsky.social•90 days ago

I think the image of his book there is the 2nd edition, which I proudly own, it was my go-to during my undergrad years and still have it today. How many of us were furnished with his Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice text book at 1st year undergrad and went on using it? Many I suspect.

amchristensen.bsky.social•90 days ago

I have this same book/cover.

cbgenealogy.ie•90 days ago

Oh no. That book was a pivotal text in my undergraduate course.

gavin27.bsky.social•90 days ago

I think that might have been my first year textbook at University for Archaeology…

abinr.bsky.social•90 days ago

He will never be forgotten.

jetac.bsky.social•90 days ago

It's a very honourable realm. My dad Arnold Aspinall was a colleague who passed on there several years ago now.

yosemitesocs.bsky.social•90 days ago

I've still got that very book on my shelf after nearly 30 years. A staple for every undergraduate

ubermeisters.bsky.social•90 days ago

You know, I'm not sure who this person was, and I'll take some time after my comment here to go figure that out, but I really hope when I pass somebody says something as awesome as I "joined the realm of the ancients". Whoever he was, and wherever he is now, I bet he loved that.

marksplace.bsky.social•90 days ago

Still have that book from Archaeology part of 1st year of degree in Lampeter, Not sure i ever read much of it but it always looked good on the bookcase.

cherylmorgan.bsky.social•90 days ago

😢

realturkana.bsky.social•90 days ago

Legend.

julesyoung.bsky.social•90 days ago

Nice chap. Met him when an ex partner was working in the arch and anth library.

alanwyatt.bsky.social•90 days ago

I had this book.

wetdarkandwild.bsky.social•90 days ago

Such sad news and such a beautiful way to put it.

digger-martin.bsky.social•90 days ago

😢

hutchinlondon.bsky.social•90 days ago

One of my favourite text books at university, taught by the amazing Dr Sam Lucy.

rugby-mummy.bsky.social•90 days ago

I have his books, he was a legend

christophersmith.bsky.social•90 days ago

He also had a profound knowledge of and interest in modern art...

https://youtu.be/M9mQXZgU7pU?feature=shared

profaliceroberts.bsky.social•90 days ago

The photo shows Colin Renfrew & co-director Michael Boyd (right), on the summit of the rocky island of Dhaskalio, where they were digging for traces of Bronze Age habitation - and is from this wonderful article by Richard Hodges
https://www.world-archaeology.com/travel/richard-hodges-homage-to-dhaskalio/

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