Theme:
2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Mobility, movement and interaction in the ancient world: New Avenues of Interpretation
Content:
Scholars have long engaged in debates regarding patterns of movement and migration of past populations. The uncovering of migration routes, identification of interactions with local populations, and the evolution of social identity via shared cultural and social experiences has relyied primarily on the examination of material artefacts and historical records. Nevertheless, the precise demographic nature of these events is still hotly debated, notably in terms of mobility and interaction between incomers and local populations.
Nevertheless, the past decade has seen rapid developments in the field of bioarchaeological scientific techniques (isotopes, proteins, aDNA). Those methods have enhanced how we approach and understand the complex cultural dynamics associated with movement and mobility. With the growth of Big Data approaches, new quantitative modelling methods, and the use of multi-proxy techniques, archaeologists are gaining insights into cultural practices, genetic diversity legacies, interactions between communities, and kinship. However, we would argue the speed at which the science is moving has been impacting archaeology by creating big datasets without the 'space’ necessary for reflection and the generation of new discourses.
This session aims to engage researchers in an interdisciplinary conversation, to discuss mobility using different techniques and considering alternative ways of mobilities. It also aims to discuss interaction between communities, as well as exploring the concept of identity evidenced by material culture and biological evidence. We welcome researchers that investigate these topics using bioarchaeological techniques and are especially interested in case studies from across European contexts, from the Mediterranean world to Scandinavia and all the places in between.
Keywords:
Mobility, Isoscapes, bioarchaeology, traditional archaeology, Identity
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:
Derek Hamilton (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Aurore Monnereau (Denmark) 2
Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla (Germany) 3
Hannah James (Belgium) 4
Silvia Soncin (Italy) 5
Affiliations:
1. SUERC, University of Glasgow
2. Globe Institute, Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
3. University of Tübingen
4. Vrije Universiteit Brussel
5. Department of Environmental Biology and Mediterranean bioArchaeological Research Advances (MAReA) centre, Sapienza Università di Roma
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