Julian Thomas is Professor of Archaeology in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures in the University of Manchester. He is the author of 'Understanding the Neolithic' (1999), 'Archaeology and Modernity' (2004), 'Place and Memory' (2007), 'The Birth of Neolithic Britain' (2013), 'A Neolithic Ceremonial Complex in Galloway' (2015) and 'Neolithic Britain: The Transformation of Social Worlds' (with Keith Ray) (2018). He has been Secretary of the World Archaeological Congress, and a Vice-President of the Royal Anthropological Institute. His archaeological fieldwork has included a collaboration with Historic Scotland, investigating Neolithic monuments in Dumfries and Galloway, and working on the Stonehenge Riverside Project with colleagues from the Universities of Sheffield, Bristol, Bournemouth and UCL.