Session: #486

Content:

Archaeological research in the Balkans has traditionally presented a conceptual dichotomy between funerary practices and inhabited places such as settlements, hillforts, and caves. Whilst this approach has provided a wealth and depth of data which has aided our understanding of life and death in prehistory, such studies have often resulted in a disconnect in our understanding between life and death. Where are people’s life stories? Are we separating life from death? Are we creating a separation where there is none? Can we create a holistic approach that combines life and death, in so doing providing a comprehensive understanding of how individuals and communities lived and died in prehistoric Balkans? How can prehistorians learn from archaeologists working on other periods who have embraced microhistories?

The principal aim of this session is to challenge the dichotomy between funerary practices and inhabited places. This session hopes to start discussions about ways in which archaeologists in the Balkans can begin to systematically bridge the gap between funerary practices and living settlements, thereby offering a multi-dimensional understanding of past communities.

We welcome presentations of innovative research that helps shed new light on how we can weave the life stories of individuals and communities, from everyday activities to the memorialisation of death. We invite participants to present a wide range of papers, including, but not limited to, case studies, excavation reports or critical theoretical presentations.

Session: #486

Theme & Session Format

Title & Content

Organisers