Crowdsourcing our human past

You can assist existing research projects with tasks that need human intelligence, such as the accurate location of artefact findspots or photographed scenes, the identification of subject matter in historic archives, the masking of photos meant for 3D modelling, or the transcription of letters and catalogues. Other tasks might require on-location contributions by members of the public, such as submitting your own photographs of particular archaeological sites or objects. By contributing to a MicroPasts project you will:

  • Have a direct impact on research in archaeology, history and heritage
  • Help with tasks that computers cannot do
  • Develop skills that interest you
  • Produce results that will be open and freely usable

To start contributing, just choose one of our featured projects below or visit our full list of ongoing Projects.

Featured Projects

Shaping the Bronze Age: East Anglian Axes 6

This application looks to trace the outlines of Bronze Age axes from East Anglia and thereby describe their formal shape

68% completed / 17 contributors Contribute

Celtic Coin Index 4

Help coin specialists to transcribe cards of Iron Age coins from Britain.

8% completed / 2 contributors Contribute

Celtic Coin Index 6

Help coin specialists to transcribe cards of Iron Age coins from Britain.

6% completed / 3 contributors Contribute

Celtic Coins Index 3

Help coin specialists to transcribe cards of Iron Age coins from Britain.

6% completed / 3 contributors Contribute

Celtic Coin Index 2

Help coin specialists to transcribe cards of Iron Age coins from Britain.

6% completed / 3 contributors Contribute

Transcribing Ur of the Chaldees

Transcribing the field notebooks from the joint expeditions field seasons at Ur, Mesopotamia

11% completed / 27 contributors Contribute

Video-tagging about the Roman Empire - Long videos

Application for the tagging of long YouTube videos focussing on the Roman Empire and its heritage in modern Britain

71% completed / 47 contributors Contribute

Photo-Tagging of Scottish Political Archive photographs - 2014 Referendum Collection (Part Two)

The Scottish Political Archive (SPA) was launched in October 2010 and is housed at the University of Stirling. The SPA aims to collect political material and archives from Scottish politicians and political organisations to chronicle the political hist...

3% completed / 3 contributors Contribute

Exploring Atchana: 1939 object card transcription

Transcribing field records from Sir Leonard Woolley's excavations at Bronze Age Tell Atchana in Turkey

47% completed / 11 contributors Contribute

Help transcribe financial lists of donors to the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1902-1903

Transcription of the 1902-1903 Donor List for the Egypt Exploration Fund. The research team would like people to transcribe the donors' names, institutional names and donation details on each page into pre-determined fields.

7% completed / 11 contributors Contribute

New Forest Setley Plain POW Camp 65 Newspaper 03

Translating a German language newspaper from New Forest Setley Plain POW Camp 65

46% completed / 8 contributors Contribute

Help transcribe financial lists of donors to the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1903-1904

Transcription of the 1903-1904 Donor List for the Egypt Exploration Fund. The research team would like people to transcribe the donors' names, institutional names and donation details on each page into pre-determined fields.

3% completed / 4 contributors Contribute

Help transcribe financial lists of donors to the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1904-1905

Transcription of the 1899-1900 Donor List for the Egypt Exploration Fund. The research team would like people to transcribe the donors' names, institutional names and donation details on each page into pre-determined fields.

24% completed / 4 contributors Contribute

Help transcribe financial lists of donors to the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1905-1906

Transcription of the 1905-1906 Donor List for the Egypt Exploration Fund. The research team would like people to transcribe the donors' names, institutional names and donation details on each page into pre-determined fields.

51% completed / 6 contributors Contribute

Help transcribe financial lists of donors to the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1906-1907

Transcription of the 1906-1907 Donor List for the Egypt Exploration Fund. The research team would like people to transcribe the donors' names, institutional names and donation details on each page into pre-determined fields.

7% completed / 6 contributors Contribute

Faces of Corbridge

Excavations at Corbridge between 1906-14 uncovered the spectacular remains of the most northerly town in Roman Britain.

4% completed / 6 contributors Contribute

Discover more

projects, users, completed tasks

Crowd produced 3D models

A statue of the goddess Taweret

Loop Bracelet 1903 6-25.1

A wooden tankard from the Mary Rose

RGS conference videos

MicroPasts: an introduction

Pybossa: an introduction

MicroPasts: Review

UCL Logo
University of Cambridge Museums logo
University of Stirling logo
British Museum logo
AHRC logo