Session: #110

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
5. Theories and methods in archaeology: interactions between disciplines
Session format:
Regular session

Title & Content

Title:
Beyond Cave Archaeology: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Human-Cave Interaction in Europe
Content:
Several major publications over the last decade, such ‘Caves in Context’ (2011), ‘Sacred Darkness’ (2012), ‘The Archaeology of Darkness’ (2016) and ‘Between Worlds’ (2019), have all highlighted the cultural significance of subterranean natural spaces for human societies across diverse regions and periods. Indeed, human groups have frequently occupied selected natural cavities throughout Europe, from prehistory right up to the present day, for a variety of reasons.
This session aims to capitalise on this recent progress made by archaeologists in interpreting caves and to help set the agenda for the study of the human-cave interactions for the third decade of the 21st century. The scope is to go beyond the established norms of Cave Archaeology and to bring together provocative new theories on human-cave interaction with cutting-edge methodological and technical applications for the study of subterranean environments. We particularly welcome ideas that incorporate current theoretical perspectives (e.g. on their sensorial dimensions of caves and their landscapes, their affordances, their ritualization, the multiple uses of these natural spaces and so on), with new methodologies for the study of caves and of the cultural remains found within them (e.g. computational modelling, terrestrial and geophysical survey, creative narratives, performance studies, bio-chemical and bio-engineering approaches, amongst others). The session is not restricted to these topics; it is open to any provocative, novel, and experimental way to study the underworld beyond traditional archaeological approaches.
Keywords:
Cave Archaeology, Human Uses of Caves, Subterranean Archaeology, Sensorial Archaeology, Archaeological Method and Theory
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:

Organisers

Main organiser:
Konstantinos Trimmis (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Sonia Machause López (Spain) 2
Robin Skeates (United Kingdom) 3
Affiliations:
1. Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol
2. Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Universitat de València
3. Department of Archaeology, Durham University