Richard Hodges studied archaeology and history at Southampton University where he completed a doctorate on the archaeology of Dark Age trade. He is a professor at University of East Anglia and President Emeritus of The American University of Rome.
He is specialized in the late Roman world and early Middle Ages of western Europe, where he focus especially on the transition from classical antiquity to the creation of Europe.
Hodges set up The Box Archaeological & Natural History Society after participating at an excavation in Box when he was 15 years old. Since then he has launched excavations in San Vincenzo al Volturno and Montarrenti. Moreover, he has participated in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint, where he developed a cultural heritage program.
As an approach to archaeology Hodges has had an interest in using the archaeology to help the societies of which Butrint is an example. His work is reflecting his belive that a connection to or engagement with the past is good for a society. In his bookTravelswith an Archaeologist, he elaborates this focus on connecting the past and the present.
In 1995 Hodges was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Honors.
His many publications includes:
