European Archaeology Days

by Pascal Ratier (pascal.ratier@inrap.fr)

The European Archaeology Days are approaching, and we are only two months away from the event! In view of the health situation in Europe, we would like to remind you of the objectives we have set for the event:

The aim is to encourage the public to visit places devoted to archaeology and to meet professionals. The aim is to encourage the public to visit places devoted to archaeology and to meet professionals. For this reason, face-to-face activities are the primary objective of the event. Of course, the possibility of programming depends on the health conditions.

New audiences, especially younger ones, are using networks and the Internet for their activities. In order to follow this evolution of cultural practices, it is possible to programme on the EADs website in the "Digital Offers" section, digital events created specifically for the EADs, which will only take place during the EADs, such as live conferences, live or recorded visits of an archaeological site, webinars, etc.

Finally, the health situation and regulations may prevent us from carrying out these objectives. In order to bring the event to life and to raise public awareness of archaeology, it is possible, under the heading "Digital Offers", to programme digital resources of all types: reports and videos, virtual 3D, games, etc. We hope that the health situation will evolve favourably and we thank you for your participation in the European Archaeology Days.

 		  

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Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy

by Rebecca Jones (Rebecca.jones@hes.scot)

Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy has now launched its Five Year Review.

First launched at the EAA’s annual conference in Glasgow in September 2015 by Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary, Fiona Hyslop MSP, the review celebrates five years of achievements in making Scotland’s Archaeology Matter. You can download the review (free) at https://bit.ly/3umqVcN and follow @ScotArchStrat on Twitter.

Rebecca H Jones (2021) What Divides Us Also Connects Us: Roman Frontiers, World Heritage and Community, The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17567505.2021.1916703

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10th Meeting of the Italian Association of Archaeozoology

Scotland’s Rock art project is hosting monthly talks by international experts on themes relevant to Scotland’s rock art. Talks are running throughout 2021, and will be held on the last Monday of each month. The final presentation will focus on the research findings of Scotland's Rock Art Project.

The 10th meeting of the Italian Association of Archaeozoology (AIAZ) will take place on 3rd-6th November 2021 in the Santa Chiara Lab building, University of Siena, Italy (https://santachiaralab.unisi.it/). The meeting is a result of the collaboration between AIAZ, the Department of History and Cultural Heritage Studies in Siena, and the nEU-Med Project (Prof. Giovanna Bianchi and Prof. Richard Hodges). Depending on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the event might have to be moved to a virtual platform, or be held as a hybrid meeting.

Contextualised site-specific analyses, regional reviews, as well as methodological original papers are welcome, although they have to be related to Italy and/or nearby regions of the central Mediterranean.

Oral (20-minute slots) and written (poster) contributions are welcome, in Italian or English. If interested in participating, you can submit your abtract and register to the conference through our new website (www.aiaz.it). Abstracts must contain between 150 and 300 words with five key words. You can choose to contribute to one or more of the following thematic sessions (session abstracts are available in the website):

  1. Methods: new applications and research perspectives
  2. Human-environment interactions: ecological and environmental analyses
  3. The contribution of archaeozoology to the study of chronological transitions: socio-economic, cultural and environmental aspects
  4. Animal products: origins, purposes, and distribution
  5. The analysis of faunal remains from high-status contexts
  6. Taphonomic studies
  7. Animals in ritual and funerary practices (in memory of Elena Bedini)
  8. The wider picture. The inter-regional integration of archaeozoological data: opportunities, methods, and problems
  9. Archaeozoology and history: comparison and integration of the evidence
  10. Special thematic session. The role of animals in recreational activities and in social display

The deadline for abstract submission is 10th June 2021. You will have to register for the conference by 31st August 2021. For more information on the venue, conference fee categories, accommodation waivers, related events, publication of the proceedings, and updates on how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact on the conference, please visit www.aiaz.it; important updates, including potential extensions to the deadlines, are also regularly posted on the AIAZ Facebook Group page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/242070452550616). For any questions, feel free to email us at segreteria@aiaz.it. We look forward to welcoming you in Siena!

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Fig. Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy © Stefano Ricci

Cultural Heritage and New Technologies 2021, and CHNT - ICOMOS Austria



We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for CHNT 26, and a newly founded association – CHNT-ICOMOS Austria, a branch of ICOMOS Austria.

After 25 years, the organization of the "International Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies" is under partly new management. From 2021 onwards, the conference will be organized by CHNT-ICOMOS Austria, in cooperation with the Vienna Municipal Department for Cultural Affairs. We extend heartfelt thanks to the Museen der Stadt Wien – Urban Archaeology Vienna for facilitating the past 25 years, and promoting the continued growth of CHNT.

The Call for Papers, Posters, Apps, and Science Slam opened on 19 April 2021, with a deadline of 30 July 2021. This year’s theme is “The World's Heritage in the Digital Age: New Technologies towards sustainable research, conservation and communication”. The conference will be hybrid format, hosted at the City Hall, Vienna, Austria from 2-4 November 2021.

Management of the conference is only partly new because a familiar face, Wolfgang Börner, will continue his participation in the leadership group, and the scientific and organizing committees will continue with only minor changes. The definitely new part is the addition of the ICOMOS Austria Vice President (currently Ulrike Herbig) and General Secretary (currently Irmengard Mayer) to the CHNT leadership group.

Some of the contact details are also new this year. If you need further information, contact us at our new email: info@chnt.at.

Submissions to CHNT 26 are made by downloading the form and sending it to submission@chnt.at

Subscribe to the NEW CHNT Newsletter at https://www.chnt.at/newsletter-sign-up/

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CfP: Theoretical Approaches to Computational Archaeology


Conference dates: Tuesday, 19th–Wednesday, 20thof October 2021

Conference venue: Department of Archaeology and Museology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Past two decades brought us a growth in use of computational methods and big data in archaeological research. This resulted in a significant shift in the research of human past and an increasing number of publications covering a broad spectrum of topics from remote sensing applications to site distribution or network analyses. Simultaneously, a strong countermovement from the humanities part of archaeology appeared and criticized these research approaches for lacking theory or even ‘dehumanization’ of the discipline. This gives an impression of two camps in conflict with each other –mostly based on the prejudices of ‘cultural emphases’ by one group and the ‘gloss-over-culture attitude’ by the other. However, both research approaches are much needed to be used together. After all, the ‘third science revolution’ in archaeology is defined by such collaboration. How effectively do we combine the archaeological theory with computational techniques? Are there any pitfalls? Which practices should we avoid? Is computational archaeology really without theory?

In the 7th annual CE-TAG meeting at Brno 2021, we want to explore the theoretical potential of quantitative and digital archaeological research to contribute to a modern and comprehensive archaeology, which aims at understanding past human behavior and environmental and socio-cultural transformations. This year's logo expresses our approach to understand the past as realistic as possible, using a minimum of information and excluding overinterpretation. The Villa Tugendhat in Brno, chosen for this purpose and built in the functionalist style by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, represents not only simplicity of the exterior but also, in a model-like way, the concentration of form on the interior and its actual function.

We consider communications of 15 minutes with a subsequent 5 minutes discussion that contribute to sharpening the outlook of a theoretical and methodological approach to quantitative and digital archaeology.

Organising committee: Michael Kempf, Jan Kolář, Petr Pajdla, and Jiří Macháček; Institute of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Arne Nováka 1, Brno 60200, Czech Republic

Please send abstracts (up to 250 words) of your paper proposals including your contact information and affiliation details by the 15th of July 2021 to kempf@phil.muni.cz.The official language of the conference is English.

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