University honours pioneering archaeologist

The University of Leicester has honoured a pioneering female archaeologist by naming one of its academic buildings after her.

After a decades-long campaign from staff and students, the home of the University of Leicester’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History and School of Museum Studies has been named after Dame Kathleen Kenyon.

The Kathleen Kenyon Building was officially opened at a naming ceremony on Friday, 7 March 2025 by Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Henrietta O’Connor.

A pioneer of archaeology, Dame Kathleen Kenyon has shaped modern methods of excavation and is best known for her excavations of Jericho, which saw the city recognised as the oldest continuous settlement in history.

Closer to home, Dame Kenyon was a leading figure in the excavations of Leicester’s Jewry Wall, one of the tallest surviving sections of Roman masonry in Britain. 

Deputy vice-chancellor Prof Henrietta O’Connor said: “Dame Kathleen Kenyon contributed so much to our understanding of Leicester’s Roman past, and commemorating her immense contribution in this way perfectly reflects the world-changing research being done by our School of Archaeology and Ancient History and School of Museum Studies.”

Dame Kenyon, who died in 1978, was recognised for her work in Leicester as well as sites in Libya and Palestine including Sabratha and Jericho.