About the Royal Archaeological Institute

The Royal Archaeological Institute was founded in 1844.

The Institute's interests span all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these areas.

The major activities of the Institute are:

• Monthly lectures. Lectures take place from October to May and are held at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. These are given by visiting speakers on recent research, current archaeological projects and new discoveries. Lectures are filmed and available to members on our website afterwards. See our Lectures page for more details.
• Meetings. At least three annual meetings are held: a day trip in the autumn, a weekend visit in the spring and a week long summer meeting. Often there is also a regional conference focusing on a particular theme or period of archaeological research. See this year's Meeting Programme and Conference for more details.
• Publication. The Institute publishes The Archaeological Journal, a prestigious refereed journal, Summer Meeting Reports and a Newsletter.
• The award of grants. The Institute awards grants for archaeological research and excavation. For information on how to apply and to see recent grant recipients, go to our Grants page.
• Providing advice and contributing to opinion forming. The Institute actively participates in areas of public concern that fall within its remit.

Find out more about our Council Members and Officers. You can view a copy of our Royal Charter and Statutes as well as our 2021 Council Report and Financial Statements.

The RAI is a registered charity (226222), and our work is funded solely by membership fees, donations and the sale of publications. Please support us by joining the society.