Dr Hugh Thomas
Hugh Thomas is a Lecturer in Archaeology in the Discipline of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, who specialises in ancient mortuary practices along with the role of digital technologies in archaeological field work.
Hugh is interested in the Neolithic to Bronze Age monumental landscapes of Saudi Arabia, specifically the transition from a ritual to funerary landscape that occurred in the region between c.5000-2800 BCE. This was part of his research in the Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Project (AAKSA), a multifaceted project which he directed from 2019-2023, and included remote sensing, helicopter photography, ground survey, and excavation. The project identified hundreds of thousands of stone-built structures across the Northwest of Saudi Arabia. These include monumental Neolithic ritual structures known as ‘mustatil’, Bronze Age funerary structures, and domestic structures of all periods. This work will continue as the PAKEP project (2023-2026).
He is also focusing on digital recording techniques and their utilisation on archaeological projects. Previously, this has focused on large scale digital mapping projects utilising drones. However, recent studies have centred on multispectral analysis of sites, particularly thermal/infrared imaging. This method has been applied to sites such as Methone and Zagora in Greece and assisted in identifying numerous undetected buried features. Hugh is hoping to fund excavations of several of the features identified at Zagora to determine how accurate drone based thermography is at identifying subsurface archaeology.
Project title | Research student |
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An Archaeological Approach from the Sea: A Seaman's Perspective of the Maritime Cultural Landscape and Seascape of the Early Eastern Aegean | Steven VASILAKIS |
Publications
Journals
- Kennedy, M., Strolin, L., McMahon, J., Franklin, D., Flavel, A., Noble, J., Swift, L., Nassr, A., Fallon, S., Thomas, H. (2023). Cult, herding, and ‘pilgrimage’ in the Late Neolithic of north-west Arabia: Excavations at a mustatil east of AlUla. PloS One, 18(3 March). [More Information]
- Repper, R., Kennedy, M., McMahon, J., Boyer, D., Dalton, M., Thomas, H., Kennedy, D. (2022). Kites of AlUla County and the Harrat 'Uwayrid, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. [More Information]
- Dalton, M., McMahon, J., Kennedy, M., Repper, R., Al Shilali, S., AlBalawi, Y., Boyer, D., Thomas, H. (2022). The Middle Holocene ‘funerary avenues’ of north-west Arabia. The Holocene, 32(3), 183-199. [More Information]
2023
- Kennedy, M., Strolin, L., McMahon, J., Franklin, D., Flavel, A., Noble, J., Swift, L., Nassr, A., Fallon, S., Thomas, H. (2023). Cult, herding, and ‘pilgrimage’ in the Late Neolithic of north-west Arabia: Excavations at a mustatil east of AlUla. PloS One, 18(3 March). [More Information]
2022
- Repper, R., Kennedy, M., McMahon, J., Boyer, D., Dalton, M., Thomas, H., Kennedy, D. (2022). Kites of AlUla County and the Harrat 'Uwayrid, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. [More Information]
- Dalton, M., McMahon, J., Kennedy, M., Repper, R., Al Shilali, S., AlBalawi, Y., Boyer, D., Thomas, H. (2022). The Middle Holocene ‘funerary avenues’ of north-west Arabia. The Holocene, 32(3), 183-199. [More Information]
- Beaumont, L., Donnelly, P., McLoughlin, B., Paspalas, S., Thomas, H. (2022). Zagora Archaeological Project: the 2019 Field Season. Mediterranean Archaeology, 34/35(2021/2022), 131-142.
2021
- Kennedy, M., McMahon, J., Thomas, H., David, B., Repper, R., Dalton, M., AlKhaldi, K. (2021). Dating the 'Pendant' Burials of Northwest Arabia: First Radiometric Results from the Khaybar Oasis, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 32(S1), 183-197. [More Information]
- Thomas, H., Kennedy, M., McMahon, J., Strolin, L., Franklin, D., Flavel, A., Noble, J., Swift, L. (2021). Monumentality, Social Memory, and Territoriality in Neolithic-Chalcolithic Northwestern Arabia. Journal of Field Archaeology, 46(4), 239-259. [More Information]
- Thomas, H., Kennedy, M., Dalton, M., McMahon, J., Boyer, D., Repper, R. (2021). The mustatils: cult and monumentality in Neolithic north-western Arabia. Antiquity, 95(381), 605-626. [More Information]
2019
- Thomas, H., Williams, E. (2019). High resolution terrestrial thermography of archaeological sites. Archaeological Prospection, 26(3), 189-198. [More Information]
2017
- Thomas, H. (2017). A methodology for combining terrestrial and aerial photographs to create high resolution photogrammetric models of large-scale archaeological sites: A case study for Methone, Greece. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 16, 27-33. [More Information]
- Thomas, H. (2017). Some like it hot: The impact of next generation FLIR Systems thermal cameras on archaeological thermography. Archaeological Prospection, 25(1), 81-87. [More Information]
2016
- Thomas, H., Kennedy, M. (2016). A new methodology for accurate digital planning of archaeological sites without the aid of surveying equipment. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 10, 887-892. [More Information]
- Thomas, H. (2016). Quantitative analysis of two low-cost aerial photography platforms: A case study of the site of Zagora, Andros, Greece. Journal of Field Archaeology, 41(6), 660-670. [More Information]
In the media
Television
2021 ‘The Architects of Ancient Arabia’. Discovery Channel: Powderhouse
2021 ‘Archaeologists uncover earliest evidence of domesticated dogs in Saudi Arabia’. Channel 7, Sunrise
Radio
2021 All things Considered. NPR.
Print
2021 ‘These mysterious stone structures in Saudi Arabia are older than the pyramids’. NBC News: Tom Metcalfe
2021 ‘Arabian cult may have built 1000 monuments older than Stonehenge’. New Scientist: Ibrahim Sawal
2021 ‘Did a Neolithic Cattle Cult Build These Sprawling Structures in Saudi Arabia?’. Smithsonian Magazine: Livia Gershon
2021 ‘Pet dog buried 6,000 years ago is earliest evidence of its domestication in Arabia’. Live Science: Harry Baker