Steven Mithen attained a Bachelor of Arts in prehistory and archaeology from Sheffield University, a Master of Science in biological computation from York University and a PhD in Archaeology from Cambridge University. From 1987 and 1992, he was a Research Fellow at Trinity Hall and then Lecturer in Archaeology at Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge, Mithen excavated prehistoric sites in the Western Hebridean Islands of Scotland and in southern Jordan. He developed his interest in the behaviour of prehistoric hunter-gatherers and human ancestors as derived from the archaeological record, and especially in the evolution of mind, intelligence, and language.
Mithen joined the University of Reading where h was promoted to Senior Lecturer, Reader and then a Professor of Early Prehistory in 2000. That year, he was appointed as the first Head of the School of Human & Environmental Sciences, a post he held until August 2008 when he became Dean of the Faculty of Science.
In 2010, Mithen was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation. In 2014, he was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for Research. Between 2014 and 2018, he also held the post of Deputy Vice Chancellor. In 2018, he completed his management roles at the University and returned to the Department of Archaeology as Professor Early Prehistory.
Mithen's books include The Prehistory of the Mind, After the Ice: A Global Human History, The Singing Neanderthals, and Thirst: Water and Power in the Ancient World.
Mithen delivered the Beatty Lecture on October 20, 1999, titled "Becoming Human: The Evolution of Mind and Language". His Lecture was part of a month-long series of Beatty lectures called the Ape or Angel McGill Millennium Series which explored how evolutionary theory provides a basis for new medical therapies. Eugenie Scott and Paul Ewald provided the first and second lectures.
Image: Steven Mithen
