Theme:
1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Prestige and Luxury Goods: A Material Approach to Gift Giving as a Tool for De-Escalation
Content:
In the field of conflict archaeology, research has mainly focused on material traces of violent encounters, leaving the quieter, but equally crucial, narratives of peaceful conflict resolutions on the sidelines. As mechanisms for alliance-building and peace negotiations, various de-escalation strategies have been used to stabilize relations by past societies. One of the strategic tools was the mutual exchange of valuable luxury goods, which has already been traceable in the early Middle Ages and is still observable today as the diplomatic gift exchange.
These gifts can be defined by certain characteristics, like uniquely styled artefacts, a high intrinsic value of materials, and high-quality craftsmanship. In this context, some groups of objects such as arm and neck rings, exotic animals, as well as precious textiles, among others, were particularly suitable as gifts. Gift-giving in intercultural contexts, often intertwined with the art of negotiation, holds the power to soothe tensions, foster goodwill, and engender peaceful coexistence between diverse entities, be they kingdoms, nations, or individuals.
This session explores the material perspective of social processes of negotiation, such as the practice of mutual gift exchange in past societies, by examining objects and/or places suitable for those collective actions of de-escalation.
As organisers, we warmly invite speakers with contributions from various epochs, backgrounds and geographical spaces, offering insights into peaceful conflict resolutions and their material traces.
Keywords:
conflict resolution, peace making, peaceful coexistence, diplomatic negotiations, value of materials, gift exchange
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:
Anna-Theres Andersen (Germany) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Jens Schneeweiß (Germany) 1,3
Matthias Hardt (Germany) 2
Valentina Zovko Sostaric (Croatia) 4
Julie Lund (Norway) 5
Affiliations:
1. ROOTS Cluster of Excellence, Kiel University
2. Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO)
3. Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA)
4. Department of History, University of Zadar
5. Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo
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