Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Materialising Meaning. Centering the Role of Social Interactions in Archaeomaterials Studies
Content:
With this session we seek to stimulate discussions on the broader implications of materials research in archaeology, and share diverse methodological and theoretical approaches and perspectives exercised across the discipline. Even though investigation of the smallest fragment can produce new knowledge about the past, material studies become more impactful when they incorporate archaeological narratives. Here, we take upon the increasing integration of science and archaeology over the last decades to create a platform for discussing enquiry-driven archaeologically contextualised research in order to contribute to a more nuanced, rounded view of past people's lives. The study of materials is conducive to understanding details of social differentiation and transformation, labour organisation, and the mechanisms and implications of long-distance exchange of both materials and knowledge, all of which unravels important worldviews of past societies. Recent transformative research in the field has resulted precisely from multi-disciplinary and multi-material studies that investigate technological development, innovation, cross-craft and cross-cultural interactions.
We welcome contributions that explore, but are not limited to: 1) cross-craft interactions; 2) innovation; and 3) knowledge transmission in material culture investigations. We encourage the integration of methodological and theoretical frameworks that are applicable in multiple case studies and hence more prone to cross-cultural application and comparison.
We wish to highlight the role that materials played in the weaving of the social fabric and the importance of comprehensive material studies that stem from social inquiry in archaeology. We hope that this session will provide ideas for impactful enquiry-driven archaeomaterials research, through examples of collaborative efforts or innovative approaches, which will foster the development of a more comprehensive investigation of material culture.
Keywords:
Archaeological science, Materiality, Cross-craft interaction, Innovation, Knowledge transmission, Social change
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:
Main organiser:
Agnese Benzonelli (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Catherine Klesner (United Kingdom) 1
Vana Orfanou (Germany) 2
Ana Franjic (Belgium) 3
Ann Brysbaert (Netherlands) 4,5
Affiliations:
1. University of Cambridge
2. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
3. KU Leuven
4. Leiden University
5. Netherlands Institute at Athens
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT