University of Tartu

University of Tartu’s Philosophicum, the location of the Archaeology Department of the Institute of History and Archaeology

The University of Tartu was founded in 1632 by the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus. It was initially called Academia Dorpatensis. Academia Dorpatensis, modeled after the University of Uppsala in Sweden, was intended to pursue research and advance learning in a wide variety of disciplines. The University of Tartu (UT) has continued to adhere to this approach throughout the centuries, and remains today the only classical university in Estonia. UT includes nine faculties and four colleges. The University of Tartu is the only University in Estonia among the world’s 400 best universities according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-12.

The Chair of Archaeology at the University of Tartu is a research and teaching unit, focusing on the prehistoric and medieval period in Estonia, was first established in 1920, closed after the World War II and re-established in the beginning of the 1990s. The main aim of the unit is to offer higher education in archaeology at all academic levels and also to provide possibilities for academic research. The Chair of Archaeology and Archaeological Cabinet include an archive, a library, a laboratory and four depositories (for organic materials, archaeological finds, human and animal bones).

University of Tartu home page: www.ut.ee

Archaeology in the University of Tartu: www.arheo.ut.ee