DREAM (Discovering the (R)Evolution of EurAsian Metallurgy) is a UKRI-funded project led by Dr Miljana Radivojević at the UCL Institute of Archaeology. It explores how Bronze Age Steppe communities transformed the social and environmental landscape of Eurasia through the large-scale production and movement of metals between c. 3500 and 1000 BC.
Key mission statements:
We map the rise and spread of early metal-based economies across the Eurasian steppe network.
We integrate archaeology, earth sciences, environmental studies and AI-driven analysis to reconstruct production, exchange and impact.
We seek to redefine Eurasian connectedness by making large-scale datasets, spatial models and ecological footprints central to our narrative.
Our collaborative, Open Access article on Semiyarka was published in Antiquity Journal on 18 November 2025 and picked up by major media outlets and academic pages. We are grateful to have worked alongside our wonderful colleagues at Durham University in the UK and Toraighyrov University in Kazakhstan!
Fieldwork at the Andronovo Culture Kurgan, situated on the steppe terrace above the Irtysh River's branch near Semey, Kazakhstan
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