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Colloquia
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C01 – Status of Prehistoric studies in the twenty first century in India back to programme / list of sessions per main areas / print page India has amassed a wealth of data on prehistory in the last century. Still major part of it is with focus on regional characters. Vital information on dates are sparse. So is about the makers of the cultures in the subcontinent. A colloquium with the participation of both senior and young prehistorians from India will bring into proper perspective the work so far done. This will point out the limitations and throw light on the methodology and future programme for clearer understanding of the situation. The colloquium will be open to other participants who may like to take up work in the subcontinent in future and those who would share their experiences. C03 – Theoretical Trends in South American Archaeology This symposium will present an overview of the theoretical trends at the basis of South American archaeology from the second half of the 20th century until the present days. Counting with the participation of archaeologists from several South American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela), we intend to discus topics such as the European influence in South American archaeology, the strong penetration of North American theory, and the independent thought of South American's Social Archaeology, opening the debate for an analysis of the theoretical consistency of the archaeological production in South America. C04 – Technology and Methodology for Archaeological Practice: Practical applications for the past reconstruction New methods arise everyday, as technology goes further and new opportunities of analysis are given. From Statistics to Artificial Intelligence, from GIS to 3D, today’s archaeological practice has changed, as computers become more and more included in our lives. This is the space of innovation, were we invite the presentation of new ways of being archaeologist. C05 – Re-construction, simulation, reconstitution – How real is our real, how fake is our past? As Computer methods are developed, new means are used to present the message: Multimedia, Hyper-text, or interactive Documentaries. Following McLuhan (1994) ideas that the mean is the message, and Baudrillard philosophy that in our time all is simulation, we are challenged through the idea of what is our Past: a today’s construction or a scientific result through defined methods. This world in which we are living allows us to jump into new paradigms in which technology has an important role. The challenge that we invite you in is to think on this new opportunities that arouse on this world, which take us a little bit closer to the most real reality: a hiper-reality. Sub-colloquium: Emergence of cognitive abilities (organised in the context of C05) The cognitive abilities of the ancient hominids seem to appear very progressively in so far as the material evidences that they left behind them are taken into account. In fact, their technical productions, which appeared more than 2 million years BP, improved very slowly. On the other hand, the evidence of non utilitarian practices, such as the burial of deaths or the first graphic expressions, made their appearance much later, not before 100 000 years BP. Besides, the human fossils themselves indicate a gradual evolution with in particular an uniform growth of the brain size. We can query about the emergence conditions of these material and “symbolic” productions and ask oneself why only the human species could develop it. If we admit that they reflect a modification of the cognitive skills, then it is advisable to wonder what these capacities consist of? We could thus question the capacities of anticipation of the biface makers or the capacities of abstraction and symbolization of the first men having buried their deaths. We could also seek to understand the conditions which led to the installation of a variety of cognitive processes during the evolution. Are they answers to the requests of a changing environment? Or the result of an evolution of the neurophysiological organization of the brain? Or a better use of anatomical and cerebral structures already installed there at the beginnings of the hominisation? It is also possible to consider a more active role of hominoids on their own development and query about the impact of their activity in the emergence of new cognitive abilities. One can also ask whether there is something specific to the human species that could explain why the nearest parents of the hominoids, the apes, do not seem to have access to such cognitive aptitudes, at least not in so developed and systematic a manner. Are these differences the result of simply diverging process in species with equivalent potentialities at the beginning? Are there neurophysiologic differences important enough to explain these ability differences? Or is it the aptitude to transmit their knowledge to the following generations that would distinguish the human primates compared to the non human primates? All these questions and many other deserve to be debated. This is the reason why it seemed to us that it could be profitable to rassemble specialists of different disciplines – paleoanthropologists, prehistorians, neuropsychologists, neurophysiologists, cognitivists, ethologists – all interested in the question of the emergence of cognitive abilities in the first hominoids, so that they could confront their points of view and their knowledge. C06 – History of Human populations, palaeoecology and ancient DNA In the last few years, genetic studies on past human populations have developed considerably and ancient DNA became an indispensable tool in those. Either studying the history of Human populations, the kinship relations within necropolis, epidemiology or Man/animal relations, palaeogenetic studies provided spectacular insights. This colloquium aims at producing a global synthesis of these works and to explore new perspectives. All teams working in this domain are invited to participate in it.
C08 – Bioarchaeology from the Midst of Shells The growing field of bioarchaeology has focussed primarily on methodological as well as local or regional issues during the last few years. However, certain archaeological sites scattered around the world do share some common features, a fact that opens the opportunity of better understanding human adaptation and adaptability in the past. This colloquium will focus on Mesolithic shell middens of Portugal and shellmounds from Brazil, aimed at shedding light on biarchaeological differences between fluvial and maritime/lacustric settlements regarding four main subjects: a) type and degree of bony manifestations of disease and stress; b) degree of the association of anaemia to infectious diseases; c) occurrence and expression of occupational stress, considering technological variation and adaptive strategies and d) dental diseases and wear in the light of prevailing subsistence patterns. C09 – Land snails as food: past and present Land snails are a frequent, often abundant, component in a few Late Pleistocene and in hundreds of early to mid Holocene archaeological deposits throughout the circum-Mediterranean region. The most spectacular examples are the Capsian escargotières of eastern Algeria and southern Tunisia, but archaeological sites containing abundant land snail shells that represent food debris are known from Cantabria, the Pyrenees, southern France, Italy, southeastern Europe including the Balkans, Cyprus and the Levant, the Zagros region, Ukraine and Cyrenaica. Outside the Mediterranean area the occurrence of land snails as food debris in archaeological deposits is less common, but nonetheless present in a number of regions, including Brazil, Peru, Texas, the Caribbean, East Africa, Nigeria and Sudan. There is also evidence for past and modern use of amphibious fresh water snails as food amongst the Maya, while fresh water snails are known from Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in several regions of China. What is the significance of land snails as prehistoric food? Do they represent a signature for the period just prior to the adoption of food producing economies? Were they a starvation food or are they evidence of feasting? Were they, in some cases, domesticated? What is the nutritional contribution of land snails to prehistoric and ethnographically documented diets? These are all questions that remain to be answered, and it will be the goal of this colloquium to bring together a group of interested scholars to develop means to answer them. C11 – Ancient Cultural Landscapes in South Europe - their ecological setting and evolution The workshop intends to contribute to an overview on the new research perspectives, strategies, disciplinary contributions, and results on the ancient mediterranean human territories. Theoretical, methodological and practical aspects will be considered. Emphasis is made on the ecological settings of these very ancient cultural landscapes, namely on the synchronous distribution of their (explored and potential) resource pools, their spatial (discontinuous / continuous) partition and organization, and their (ecological / economical) functioning. In what concerns diachrony focus will be made on the origin of the anthropogenically-induced eco-territorial sub-systems, their cultural and ecological (stability / instability) dynamics, their short-term trajectories, and long-term evolution and heritage. Finally, inter-regional regularities and/or discrepancies across the entire Mediterranean Region in their South-North and West-East gradients will be discussed. C12 – Symbolic Wars We live in a globalised world, in which the media are embedded in military undertakings, ensuing an increased commodification of war. One aspect of this is that more and more, battles are being fought through symbolic, rather than military, means. This process is exemplified in the events of September 11th and the consequent war against terrorism. These events can be interpreted in terms of a war which is being fought through symbols as much as through arms. In symbolic wars such as this the aim becomes that of destroying the cultural icons which communities use to establish and nurture their identities and alliances, rather than that of destroying traditional military targets. This session will consider the manner in which people use symbols to wage war, negotiate social position and undermine rivals. It will consider not only the uses of symbols within the context of war but also the manner in which symbols are used to jockey for position in everyday life. C13 – The earliest inhabitants in Europe Several recent discoveries have renewed our knowledge on the earliest inhabitants of Europe. We know now, thanks to the findings made at Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3, that they occupied the Mediterranean coasts since 1,3 Ma. Several fundamental problemns remain unsolved : C14 – Modern Humans origins in Eurasia The modifications impended into European Prehistory on the origins of modern Man have various origins, probably related to different cultural environments that were crossed and modified by this general process, having an external origin. At the same time, Humankind was changing in Europe (isolating itself genetically) and the external input was significant, for its speed and its radical differences. Local populations “could” adapt to it, but the greatest impact came from a migration of technically, anatomically and spiritually more evolved people. This (non African!) migration was a choc, that had very different repercussions according to the cultural milieu where it intervened. This acculturation and mixing phenomenon was probably the most important for the whole history of the European continent. C15 – Iran Palaeolithic The Zagros mountains contain several caves, hardly explored. Certain of these have an ancient Aurignacian, crucial for the origins of modern Man in Europe. The colloquium makes the state of the art of what has been discovered and what is in process of research. C16 – Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers concept of territory How to apply hunter-gatherers concept of territory, known through comparative ethnography, to Palaeolithic populations? The methodological proposed approach consists in evidencing the areas delimited by hunter-gatherer displacements for: raw-materials procurement (flint, shells, etc.); cyclic seasonal habitats and hunting camps, looking for food required resources for the groups, life. Then, we will try to relate those displacement spaces with identified cultural areas, from the material culture structuration within a given space- time: lithic and bone industry; parietal and mobile art. Finally, we will relate these spaces with geographic spaces, structured by hydrographical basins and mountains, closing of opening with climatic variations during the late pleniglaciar, with opening and closing of passages, favouring o restricting displacements. We will then try to deduct a general organisation model for hunter-gatherer human groups, with their identification systems on one hand and exchanges on the other, in association with their territories. Participants will be invited to bring methodological and archaeological contributions for evidencing spaces and displacements, cultural areas, geographic closed spaces, etc., enabling to enrich the definition of the concept of Palaeolithic territory. C17 – Late Palaeolithic Environments and Cultural Relations around the Adriatic Similarities between Late Paleolithic/Epipaleolithic archaeological assemblages from both sides of the Adriatic have been noted several times in the past. At the same time, the area itself was undergoing major geographical and environmental changes during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The interplay between geographical and environmental changes on the one hand and cultural areas and contacts on the other must have been varied and complex. This symposium aims to bring together prehistorians and geologists who will present new data and analyses that add to and clarify our picture of Late Paleolithic/Epipaleolithic cultures and their contacts within the changing landscape of the Adriatic area in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. C18 – Mesolithic/Neolithic interactions in the Balkans and in the middle Danube basin The problem of the role of Mesolithic basis in the Neolithization process in South-East Europe is crucial for the understanding of new economy diffusion and new ways of living. This problem has been widely discussed in recent years for the western part of central Europe and in the West. On the contrary, for the South-East, since the Szolnok colloquium in 1996, this question hasn’t been approached, despite the increasing number of discoveries and the studies on early evidences of productive economy within Mesolithic technologies and the research on continuity-discontinuity of material and symbolic culture between the Mesolithic and the Neolithic. C19 – Complex hunter gatherer societies in Northern Hemisphere Holocene steppe and woodland environments In recent years our perception of prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies has changed dramatically: New dates from Siberia, China, Korea and Japan indicate the use of pottery already by the end of the Pleistocene. Also in Eastern Europe pottery seems to have appeared among hunter-gatherer groups at a much earlier date than hitherto accounted for. In Central Europe we begin to understand the complex interaction between farmers and forager-horticulturalists and in North America the dates for elaborate and monumental hunter-gatherer architecture are pushed back by several millennia. The session attempts to bring together scholars from a variety of regions in the Northern Hemisphere to discuss the implications for a transformed picture of what once has been discredited as just an intermediate stage between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic. C20 – Hunters and gatherers of the Platina region continental areas The colloquium attempts to discuss and to deepen topics on hunters of the continental areas of the South of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In those, groups of hunters of the Pleistocene and builders of mounds of the medium and later Holocene are, both, included. C21 – Mounds Construction in the Americas This symposium examines the social implications of mound construction in the Americas, exploring variability across regions and time. Central themes are: C22 – Gardeners from South America The theme of the colloquium “Gardeners from South America” will focus on the presence of the horticulturalist and ceramist Tupinambá and Guarani groups, their origin, dispersio and contribution to the biodiversity of the South American continent. C23 – Plant Use and Food Production in the Americas Plant gathering, human management and cultivation have always been important in the economy of prehistoric populations. Although food production is generally considered as relatively recent in the American continent, palaeoethnobotanical studies suggest that plant domestication might have begun earlier than it is believed. C24 – Material Mnemonics in European Prehistory Beginning in the 1990s, there has been a veritable explosion of works in archaeology that concern themselves with memory. Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, much of this literature is devoted to the prehistoric past of Europe. Archaeologists have seemingly 'discovered memory' and have been energetically devoting themselves to identifying and analyzing memory practices, memory sites, and material mnemonics. This mnemophilia is clearly related to and dependent on emerging intellectual currents in the study of agency, biography, time, nationalism, and identity politics. Whether memory studies remain a kind of theoretical horizon - broadly experienced but short lived - or matures to become part of a more enduring phase in the evolution of archaeological theory and practice is, however, unknown. This session will provide a forum to reflexively consider where memory studies in archaeology has comes from, where it is now, and where it might lead to in the future through an examination of memory practices in the archaeological past of Europe. C25 – The protohistoric iron age of South Asia The protohistoric Iron Age of South Africa is known to have started at well over 1000B.C. It comprises several culture spheres, typified by the situation in India and Sri Lanka, constituting larger culture complexes, such as the Megalithic Complex of peninsular India. Unfortunately, up to now, researchers have not coordinated cork so as to produce an integrated view of the archaeological landscape of this period. The aim of this session is to formulate such an integrated views by bringing together the results of recent investigations on the subject. C26 – Prehistoric Art – Signs, symbols, mith, ideology This Colloquium is an important occasion for bringing together researches, opinions, theories, hypoithesis and information on Rock Art, in connection with the study of Metaphisicis and Ideology. The Colloquium provides the opportunity to discuss the role played by Iconography and Myth and the aid to the study coming from the traditional cultures of people still having a living heritage. In particular, we must debate the following aspects: the relations between native groups, rock art sites and their environment; problems in studying sites that are still “cult places”; problems of archaeological excavation of rock art sites; correlations of palaeo-ethnocultural areas of different periods; iconography of rock art as a reflection of palaeo-ethnic traditions; links between ancient literature, poetry, myth and pre and proto-historic rock art iconography; ritual aspects and meaning; possible roles of rock art. C27 – Prehistoric art and ideology A worldview on the interpretation and significance of art, in non-literate societies. A multidisciplinary meeting, joining together art historians, historians of religions, prehistorians, semioticians, anthropologists, ethnologists, archaeologists. C28 – Symbolic spaces in Prehistoric Art: territories, travels and site location The colloquium will review the issues related to prehistoric art symbolic spaces, taking methodological considerations as a starting point. It aims at bringing theoretic assumptions and arguments on the concept of symbolic spaces of prehistoric art, in relation with the other parts of the upper palaeolithic system of life. C29 – Epipalaeolithic Rock Art In this Colloquium one wishes to study problems related with the rock art of Post-Pleistocene societies that still maintained hunting-gathering economies. We will try to define basically the technical, stylistic and iconographic characteristics of this artistic cycle, its geographical dispersion, the chronological limits and the possible continuity or break with regard to the rock art manifestations of Neolithic societies. C31 – Mountain environments in prehistoric Europe: What was the ecological and cultural role played by the mountains during prehistoric times? Were they mere physical barriers or they just represented cultural borders delimiting the mobility range of geographically-differentiated human groups? What were the adaptive responses in mountaneous environments adopted by nomadic vs. settled societies in relationship to the climatic and environmental changes occured after the Last Ice Age? How disappeared the last hunter-gatherers who inhabited European mountains? Why settled societies occupied mountain regions where farming activities had to face considerable disadvantage by comparison with farming ones in lowland areas? When and how was the earliest metal production introduced in the mountain habitat? This session will promote a debate over these - and more – questions. It will join all scholars interested in settlement/mobility strategies adopted by prehistoric human groups in mountained environments in Europe. The expected results will be useful for the development of an overall scientific consciousness that could be used towards a geographically-oriented common European research methodology. During the last decades, the quality and quantity of the archeological research programs concerning the past of the European mountains have been dramatically increasing. The Alps represent one of the best examples: thematic conferences (for instance, “Interpretation of Sites and Material Culture from mid-high altitude Mountain Environments”, organised by P.Della Casa & K.Walsh in EAA, Lyon 2004; “Meso’97”, edited by P.Crotti), monographies (“Les Alpes et le Jura: quaternaire et préhistoire ancienne” edited by T.Tillet, among others), periodical round tables (such as those organised yearly by M.Budja in Ljubljana University), exhibitions (such as “Methods in archeological research”, Trento, Italy, 2001) represent only the most visible aspect of this developed awareness for the cultural changes occured during the prehistory of the Alps. Elsewhere, research examples are given by the well-known Upper Paleolithic/Mesolithic human frequentation of Cantabric region, the landscape exploitation model developed by the Neanderthals in the French Grand Causses, the cultural richness of the settled societies in the Balkans and, more extensively in Eastern Europe. Neverthless, this increased awareness to the prehistoric events occured on European mountains is still lacking a pan-European epistemologycal link between modern scholars. A powerful debate about the comparison of different archeological realities, research methodologies, theoretical models should be considered one of the most interesting path to provide this link. That is the reason for this proposal which found its origin in the new-born network ALPINET – Alpine Network for Archeological Sciences (with cofinancial participation from EU Culture Commission, Culture2000 Program). C32 – Contemporary issues in historical archaeology The session addresses the main theoretical issues relating to the study of material culture in historical contexts. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between global trends and local specificities in historical archaeology. European, North American and Latin American experiences are explored in different and complementary ways. C33 – The Palaeolithic of the Balkans Since the symposium in Ioanninna in 1994 there has not been organized a single meeting about the Palaeolithic of the Balkans. From that time information about the Palaeolithic of certain regions are considerably extended. There have been conducted archaeological excavations at many important sites and analyses of archaeological and paleoecological evidences have been carried out making possible better insight into the material culture and way of life of Palaeolithic communities in this region. The session will consider the results of recent investigations and all other questions related to cultural, economic and social changes in this period. C34 - Settlement Systems of the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age The UISPP Congress in Lisbon provides the venue for the fourth symposium of Commission 27 on settlement systems of the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age. The symposium welcomes empirically based and theoretical studies of settlement dynamics during the period spanning roughly 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. This is the critical period in which fully modern patterns of cultural behaviour and modern human anatomy evolved. Papers may present social and economic analyses of all classes of archaeological data. Contributions from all parts of the Old World are welcome, and the scale of analysis can range from broad regional studies to specific analyses of single find horizons or sites. C35 - Neolithic and Chalcolithic architecture in Europe and the near east: techniques of building an spatial organization The purpose of the session is to offer a new perspective on prehistoric architecture (as constructive methods in relationship with functions and spatial organization), by comparing European and the Near East Neolithic and Chalcolithic building traditions. The session intends to analyze the process of complexity produced in the architectural technology and spatial organization from Neolithic to Chalcolithic, from the simple semi-subterranean dwellings to the large megarons surface dwellings with various secular or cultic functions. Other architectural features to be discussed would be the settlements’ enclosures, the settlements’ walls and palisades, both in open/flat and tell settlements. Currently there are three archaeological instruments to reconstruct the (today) invisible parts of prehistoric architecture: the physical experiment (very rare performed at the real scale), the theoretical experiment (i.e. the engineering studies of the mechanics of buildings) and the ethnological analogy. Both experimental archaeology and ethnoarchaeology direct to a Medium Range Theory in the archaeological-architectural reconstruction; in this respect the session intends to discuss the limits of these methods and to try to find alternative solutions. Contributors to the session are asked to discuss the following subjects:
C36 - The eastern Mediterranean in the west – impacts and influences The influence of Eartern Mediterranean in the West, along centuries, if not thousands of years, and its contribution to in the development of Europe and westernmost parts of the Mediterranean is a fact that cannot be denied. It all started with the first inhabitants of Europe, in the Neolithic and Calcolithic, in Classical times, in the Roman period, in the Byzantine and Visigoth moments, in the Muslim and Ottoman periods. They were all brought here by different reasons: natural difficulties and stress, economic interests, political power and domain, religious reasons. The analysis of these different factors and variables is an interesting one to understand the present moment and what we are or became. The flux of influences changed with time, and we see different movements and interests flowing towards the west or towards the east. Examples of this intense interaction are almost endless and interesting to discuss in a Forum like this. Today’s globalisation is attenuating these influences and a mutual interaction is taking place, in which reality is changing quickly and the adaptation to the new forms of life becoming sometimes difficult. C37 – Micoquien of Central Europe and Eastern Europe The “Micoquian” was one of the most hot theme in the Middle Paleolithic studies at the end of 60th – beginning of 70th of the last century. These were reflected not only by the discussions on the UISPP congress at Prague (1966) and conference in Poland (1968), but in numerous publications by Bosinski, Kowalski, Ulrix-Closset, Valoch, etc. In general, the discussions were concentrated on Central European Micoquian. In the coarse of time, the intense interest to Micoquian becomes calm. The last decade demonstrate the sufficient increase of discussions around Micoquian in Eastern (Donetsk, 1998, 2002), Central (Krakow, 1989 and Miskolc, 1991) and Western Europe, as well as involving in this discussion some related industries, e. g. Yabrudian (Haifa, 1996). The current field investigations expand the geographical limits of Micoquian tool-kits from Portugal to Northern Ural. Thus, Micoquian is the only Middle Paleolithic industry / techno-complex that was found in all more or less investigated regions of Europe. That is why, it is possible to state the pan-European status of this industry / techno-complex. The following topics has been proposed for discussion: 1. Micoquian and Middle Paleolithic taxonomy and evolution in Europe; C38 – European Megaliths and Black Sea hills: C39 – Lower Paleolithic: short and long chronologies, In the last decades, lower Paleolithic research efforts have allowed the questioning of the prevailing methods about the evolution of their main archaeological remains, the lithic industries. Considering the changes that occurred in the meanwhile in the analytical means of this kind of remains, either with the adoption of new methodologies in the study of this artefacts, or with the renewed analysis of their contexts and their chronologies, in this session we will try to bring together the newest contributions to these thematics. We will also try to discuss the final evolution of these industries and the way they were substituted by the Middle Paleolithic industries. C40 – The entities/identities of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Bronze age Primary this session aims to promote the debate on the concepts of “identities” and “entities”, social structures and political economies, in the geo-political values complex mosaic of the Iberian Peninsula, as well to monitor the main interactions with the Atlantic and Mediterranean Europe. Secondly, it aims to promote the analysis and interpretation of artefacts, ideas, behaviour of peninsular indigenous communities, and the processes of their restrict and overall engagement with other European societies. Finally, it seek to establish multifunctional, scientific parameters for the known regional Iberian Peninsula Bronze age diversity. Usually, this so it is defined by opinions from several scientific families and therefore divided into two regional areas: Atlantic Bronze/Atlantic Tradition, and Iberian Bronze/Iberian Tradition. Section (Block 1) – Materials and Methods Section (Block 2) - Societies of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Bronze Age C41 – Rock art motifs, informal/formal sculptures and monuments in the creation of “significant places” and “landscapes” in the Northwestern half of the Iberia, during Pre and Proto-historic times. The first aim of this meeting is to bring together an enlarged methodological and interpretative discussion about recent field “art “ research carried out during the last three decades in north-western Iberia . The second aim concerns different case studies related to its local and archaeological context. Natural carved or painted surfaces, stone-built monuments and the overall settled landscape must be joined together in an interpretative web of social, cosmogonical and political relations that extend, or change, over time. As a result, particular importance is given to local or regional studies where broader interpretative perspectives are emphasized following the concepts of landscape archaeology. No less important is to bring together researchers (and issues) traditionally constrained to their own specific field: those who investigate pre and proto-historic “art” (rock, megalithic or another kind of art), and those who make “serious” or “hard” field work (ie., excavations ), as well as ethnographers, specialists on religion and art, philosophers, and so on. Also theoretical approaches dealing with the relationship between methods of recording and interpretations are other key points of this meeting. We are sadly aware that rock art sites, monuments and a vast array of the archaeological record tend to disappear due to the introduction of heavy machinery in agricultural and forestry works. Therefore, papers containing complete recordings of art (engravings, paintings or “sculptures”) made by modern or, even, experimental methods, are welcome too. C42 – Space and place construction within stateless lineages societies – the polissemy of architecture Building space and place, societies with no formal instances of power (namely the State) negotiated ways of introducing order into the world in some way or another. What was (were) the role(s) played by architecture (in the broader sense of the word) in constructing identity and thus producing a sense of community - a particular environment? That sense was certainly vital in oral, lineage societies, where the order needed to the constitution of society and its reproduction had to the inscribed in the very setting of ordinary life in practical action. C43 – Symbolic figurations in the 4rd and 3rd millenia in the South of the Iberian Peninsula: the engraved schist plaques and their figurative and schematic counterparts Papers: Victor S. Gonçalves, Primitiva Bueno-Ramírez, Rodrigo Balbín-Behrmann, R. Barroso. Bermejo, Manuel Calado, Jorge de Oliveira, Marco Andrade, André Pereira, Marisa Cardoso, Carla Martinho, Victor Hurtado, Enrique Cerrillo, João Luís Cardoso. C44 - Ancient Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula: regional and transregional components C45 - Cave Painting among tribals: an ethno-archaeological perspective The cave paintings are found among tribals globally. The archeologists as well as anthropologist have done considerable work on them in different part of the hills. In Shilavic hills, Rajmahal hills, Baraberhill, Gonda hills, (India), Saepatinimi (China), Himalyan hill region (Nepal) and in many more places we find close correlation in living tribal art and cave arts. The cave arts have influenced the culture tradition, folk paintings of the tribal living in the close vicinity of those cave arts. The proposed session would like to share the research findings and the experiences of the other scholars working in this field. This may open a new vista in anthropological-archeological researches. It is going to be a strong domain of future archeological- anthropological researches in global perspective. This particular session will be of great importance as well as of interest for those who are working in this field. C46 – Empowerment of Man through social culture: The linkages of Archaeological institutions at village level/local level have been found in the remains of archaeological sites in the global perscpective. The contemporary global scenario of such institution present a dismal picture. The present paper aims to highlight the empowerment of local level institutions in global perspective having Archaeological linkages with the various findings at various sites. I would be concentrating mostly on South East Asia scenario from local to global perspective of artfacts and atifacts.
C 47 – Animal Representations in Prehistoric Art Animals form the bulk of identifiable objects depicted in the art of most prehistoric societies. Indeed, they are a key source for past wild and domestic faunas and their change over time, and doubtlessly constitute an important and peculiar addition to the knowledge derived from the study of animal bones (“zooarchaeology”). However, such representations do also reflect man’s perception of nature, his “spiritual setting” therein, and too his use of the environment. C48 - Postcolonialism and Archaeology: Studies In recent years, discussions on postcolonialism have had a big impact on a wide of academic disciplines as literature, history or philosophy. Taking the definition of Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin into account, postcolonial studies should be considered as the field which seeks to analyse the global effects of European colonialism. In this sense, the term “postcolonial” refers to all cultures affected by the imperial process from the moment to colonization to the present day. In recent years, discussions on postcolonialism have had a big impact on a wide of academic disciplines as history, anthropology and, more recently, in archaeology. However, there does not exist a comprehensive overview of postcolonial studies and archaeology. The present session is an attempt at partially filling this gap. A mixture of excitement and confusion had surrounded postcolonial studies, a new field which seeks to provide a critical reflection on the effects of Western colonialism on cultures and societies. Although Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) is widely considered as the founding text of the field, both the term and the discipline are product of a broad tendency in literary studies of the 1990’s. In this sense, postcolonial theory was broadly defined by The Empire Writes Back (Ashcroft, Griffiths, Tiffin 1989). In recent years, discussions on postcolonialism have had a big impact on a wide of academic disciplines as history, anthropology and, more recently, in archaeology. - Archaeology as a “colonial discourse”. Said’s Orientalism, first published in 1978, initiated a new area of studies, colonial discourse theory, which defined colonial “discourse” as its object of study. Colonial discourse is the complex of signs and practices that organize social existence and social reproduction within colonial relationships. On the assumption of the superiority of the western’s culture, archaeology can be defined as the western system of concepts, practices, knowledge and beliefs about the remote past which is imposed to colonial peoples. In other words, archaeology could be examined as a “colonial discourse”. From this view, it would be interesting to focus on the ways in which archaeology prevails over others non- western understandings of the remote past and the ways in which colonialism and imperialism stimulated the development of archaeology as a science and determined the organization of archaeological knowledge. - Archaeology as a part of the apparatus of western power which promotes and legitimates colonial control. Following Foucault and Said, in colonial discourse power and knowledge are joined together. It would be interesting to go deeply in the ways in which archaeological knowledge legitimates colonial domination. It is interesting, for instance, to explore the ways in which archeological science is used to legitimate strategies by which the western imperial power incorporates as its own the culture from colonized countries. In the same way, the ways in which archaeological discourse has justified colonial expansion should be analysed. - Archaeology as a discourse which defines colonial identities and produced subjects. As several authors have pointed out, concepts widely used in archaeology (“primitive”, “savage”, “tribal”, “archaic”, etc.) take the western values as norm and defines non- western cultures as inferior. Taking archaeology into account, it seems interesting to describe the ways in which the question of subject and subjectivity defines the identity (collective or individual) of colonized peoples. C51 – History of Archaeology in the Iberian Peninsula This session aims to document the activity of archaeologists throughout the XIX and XX centuries with relevance to the progress in the studies and knowledge in the Archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula. The analysis and publication of inedited documents (personal documents in particular) will be privileged, specially the ones that can bring new elements on the history of research relating either to relevant sites as to different Iberian regions. It will also be enhanced the scientific path of institutions that, from the XIX century onwards, have contributed to Archaeological investigations. In this point, it will be given priority to the analysis of documents kept in archives, specially if without adequate publication and / or interpretation. C52 - Cognitive archaeology as symbolic archaeology In the second half of the last century, theory began to have a great influence in archaeological research, but in the last twenty years that influence became more and more notorious. For example, according to Renfrew, “an important component of the cognitive-processual approach is to set out to examine the ways in which symbols were used.” (in,Towards a cognitive archaeology, 1994). These ideas present an useful methodology to research prehistoric symbolism with a scientific approach. The aim of this colloquium is to study the prehistoric mind and simbolism with a cognitive approach, towards a scientific symbolic archaeology. The coordinators belive that is time to apply these ideas in prehistory and, in a special way, in prehistoric iconography, in order to colect the manifestations of the past mentality hidden in different symbols that appear in schematic rock art, in pottery, in the spatial distribution of tumuli, and so on. For these purposes we call the interested researchers to submit both theoretical and applied papers. C53 - A New Dawn for the Dark Age? - Shifting Paradigms in Mediterranean Iron Age Chronology Much of our current chronological framework for the first half of the last millennium BC in the Mediterranean was established before the advent of science-based dating methods. Ultimately, this framework still rests on ‘historical’ dates attributed to the various styles of Greek Geometric pottery, which are partly based on information provided by ancient authors, and partly derived from Near Eastern chronology through imports of Greek pottery in the Levant. For several decades then, our conventional chronology has remained largely unchanged, although dendro-dates and calibrated radiocarbon dates have come into increasing conflict with our established framework. The resulting problems are thrown into particularly sharp relief where ‘indigenous’ chronologies from the non-classical Mediterranean lands, established by scientific methods, conflict with the conventional dating of Greek and Phoenician imports. Such is the case e.g. in Italy, southern France and the Iberian Peninsula, where the solution all too often has been to explain away the resulting discrepancies by resorting to ad hoc concepts such as ‘heirloom theories’, ill-defined ‘transitional phases’ or similar ruses, mostly avoiding any discussion of the underlying methodological issues. In order to address these, a broader approach is needed, which pays particular attention to the specific problems raised by the juxtaposition of ‘historical’ and science-based dates. The same problems currently plague chronological discussion at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, where fresh data in recent years have brought about a renewed and rather controversial debate concerning Levantine Iron Age chronology. As imports of Greek Geometric pottery from some of the relevant Syro-Palestinian sites in the past have been employed to extrapolate ‘historical’ dates not only for Dark Age Greece, but also for early Greek and Phoenician activities abroad, any changes in the East are bound to knock-on and affect the Iron Age absolute chronology of Mediterranean cultures from Italy to the Iberian Peninsula, and beyond. Recent discussions of chronological issues in different parts of the Mediterranean have all too often taken place in isolation from each other, rarely addressing the underlying methodological issues in a coherent manner. Thus the principal aim of this colloquium is to overcome the restrictions of regional or other specialisations and to provide a forum for a truely interdisciplinary discourse, in the broadest sense, bringing together scholars from all relevant areas of interest, be they experts in science-based dating methods, in Biblical, Phoenician and Greek archaeology, or any other field of Mediterranean Iron Age archaeology. We are convinced that by analysing and comparing the problems encountered at different points of contact between distinct regional chronologies, new perspectives for their solution will open up. C54 – On Shelter’s Ledge: Histories, Theories, and Methods of Rockshelter Research Rock shelters have played a significant role in the history of archeology; from being mines for artifacts, especially of perishable materials to being thought of as a panacea for developing chronologies. Rock shelters became significant sources of prehistoric data commensurate with the development of archaeology as a discipline in the nineteenth century. Few would argue that Neandertal (Feldhofer Cave), Krapina, La Madeleine, or Laugerie-Haute, were not major sources of data about early human history. Rock shelters are unique features of the landscape in that they offer naturally produced shelter lasting innumerable generations. However, shelters vary among themselves nearly as much as they vary from other (notable open air) archaeological manifestations. For these and other reasons rockshelters have always held a special place in archaeology, with the Perigordian shelters providing a catalyst for developing special analytical and interpretive techniques for maximizing the information potential from their investigations. The purpose of this session is to provide a global assessment of today’s rockshelter studies. In particularly the participants are asked to address: C55 - Romanization and Indigenous societies: rhythms, ruptures and continuities This session focus on the transformations on the indigenous communities that faced the Roman conquest. Rather than the assimilation or the resistance, it is more important to debate the rhythms of transformation for each region, that ultimately conduced to continuities or breaks that announced the end of the proto-historic societies. C56 – Archaeology of food: recovering evidences of past gastronomic heritage In the last years historians and anthropologists have developed a veritable explosion of research into foods and its consumption and social context. In archeology we are just begining. Remains of food preparation and consumption are being more valued. Bones of animals, plant remains, residues from pottery contents, lithic tools or processing areas, dental microwear,… are some of these important indicators. The new and developing scientific techniques for reconstructing prehistoric food habits can also to contribute to integrate the archaeology of food regardless of different researchers' specialisms. The experimental archeology has allowed the recreation of some of the food products and its systems of elaboration identified in archeological exvavations or mentioned in the historical sources. Some of them have beed used in museographic projects of archeological sites or even they have been marketed, i.e. some wines, beers and condiments- In this colloquium we will try to discuss all these aspects. C57 – Setting the Record Straight: Toward a Systematic Chronological Understanding of the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic Boundary in Eurasia The Middle–Upper Palaeolithic boundary marks an important turning point in human history and cultural evolution. The demographic processes underlying this “transition” throughout Eurasia is among the most debated issues in Palaeoanthropology and Palaeolithic archaeology. Two fundamental models, representing opposing perspectives, have been proposed. The first suggests that Upper Palaeolithic humans coming “Out of Africa” spread rapidly into particular regions of Eurasia and later expanded their range to include other, more peripheral areas. This later phase of population expansion is argued to have instigated the extinction of Neanderthals in their last remaining refugia. The alternate model argues for a multiregional development from Neanderthals to Modern humans and from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. These models, and others, are based not only on the interpretation of hominin fossils and material culture from specific sites, but also, and to a large degree, on stratigraphic records and chronometric age-determinations. This session thus focuses on the evaluation and re-evaluation of both existing and new regional chronometric records in the context of recent advances in radiocarbon dating and interpretation. We hope to demonstrate that both the selective highlighting of particular radiometric dates and the uncritical use of bulk collections of unfiltered data to promote one model or the other are counter-productive, and that only the development and adoption of a systematic apparatus of quality control will contribute to the spatio-temporal understanding of the demographic processes underlying the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic boundary in Eurasia. C58 – Come in … Ȃ and find out. Opening a new door into the analysis of hunter-gatherer social organisation and behaviour Intra site spatial analyses of Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites provide a wealth of information about hunter-gatherer social organisation and behaviour. Over the last 40 years the application of modern excavation techniques at sites in western Eurasia has produced an extensive body of data suitable for spatial analysis. Despite this, many interpretations of spatial patterns are pre-determined by ideas originating from ethnographic observations, and tend to disregard the full potential of the available archaeological data. Since the 1990’s several innovative analytical methods have been introduced to Palaeolithic archaeology, in combination paving the way for more detailed studies of spatial patterns. Against this background, the session seeks to evaluate and re-evaluate spatial organisation during the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic. C59 - Pressure Flintknapping: Experiment, context of emergence and development. Regarded as the apogee of knapping techniques, pressure flaking owes its recognition to the experiments of pioneers who elucidated the mystery of obsidian prismatic blades and bullet cores. Current archaeological data show it first appeared between 20.000 and 16.000 B.P. somewhere in Asia in a Palaeolithic context known for its advanced technical inventions. Found in Palaeo-Arctic industries this technique is considered as the best marker of the penetration into North America from Siberia. Between 10000 and 8000 B.P. and associated with an increased exchange of obsidian, this technique was introduced in a Neolithic context among the most flourishing societies of the Middle East. However, its appearance in the Mesolithic of Scandinavia and its adoption by Capsian groups in North Africa, in a context of hunters-gatherers outside the obsidian exchange networks, remain exceptions to the traditional currently accepted diffusionnist model. The principal aim of this session, dedicated to the technique of pressure knapping, is to bring together people working on the topic around the world to share their points of view and their results in order to expand our understanding of the contexts leading to the emergence of this technique, and the processes related to its diffusion and subsequent development. C60 - Paleopathology: Medical approach of the relations between man and environment in Prehistory Among the parameters governing relations between the prehistoric man and his environment, the medical component was essential. The modifications of the biotopes, technical progress human like the acquisition of fire and the cooking of food, the neolithisation with the proximity of the domesticated animals played a major role in the relations of the man and his in particular microbiological environment. Recent progress in paleoparasitology, molecular and genetic biology allows new approachs of the relations between Prehistoric men and its environment. This colloquium will make it possible to gather the best international teams for a new step to prehistoric paleopathology. C61 - Animal exploitation by prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies : environment, subsistance and technical behaviour Prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies have left, in their habitation sites, many kinds of remains. Some of them, whether preserved or not, can shed light on animal procurement and exploitation. These remains are of two kinds : unmodified faunal remains (food residues) and bone artefacts (by-products, finished and unfinished artefacts). These two kinds of remains have been, since the start, the subject of distinct analyses: zooarchaeozoogical studies one the hand, study of bone tool industry on the other hand. Nevertheless, whatever the purposes and the means of the procurement (hunting or collecting), the raw material is the same (antler, tooth, bone). So these remains have a part of their handmade sequence (“chaîne opératoire”) in common. Whatever the questions specific to each study, one of the main goals is the characterization of the whole animal exploitation. We have to understand its purposes connected to places and seasons of procurement, but also in relation to the procurement of other resources, such as stone raw materials. That is why this characterization is only significant in a diachronic perspective, i..e., at the scale of a year (annual cycle). So it becomes obvious that faunal remains and bone artefacts have to be studied together, in a global and integrated analysis and in an economic perspective. Nevertheless, a two-fold approach is required to connect the patterns of procurement/transformation/consumption-use of these different products. This approach is based on various separate studies of the animal "bones" (technological and functional analysis, species identification, assessment about hunting strategies and seasons) as well as a multidisciplinary study of these remains by various specialists. If this seems an ordinary approach, from a theoretical and methodological point of view, its application can be found only in some rare papers. This symposium offers to specialists of these disciplines working on palaeolithic and mesolithic sites, to share their experience (e..g. informative or methodological) in this multidisciplinary field. C62 - Coastal geoarchaeology: the research of shellmounds We intend to discuss new research on the shellmounds from Brazil and to place that research into a wider comparative framework, including new geoarchaeological and bioarchaeological work on the shellmounds of Northwest Europe, including the classic sites of the Tagus Valley (Portugal) and the Danish Ertebølle, Central and South Americas and Australia.
C63 - Transitions in the Palaeolithic This session focuses on the temporal bridges that have been used since the early days of Palaeolithic studies to link the major periods in which it is divided. Its aim is to offer a world-wide varied analysis of data-rich papers from as many regions as possible. What is meant by a 'transition' and what criteria can be used to distinguish transitions? The validity of the classic divisions is also addressed. Transitional periods open to discussion in this colloquium range from the "gaps" in between the major ages, to ideas such as whether the Middle Palaeolithic itself can be seen as a transition between the Lower and Upper Palaeolithic. What are the differences between the divisions in various parts of the world, especially in those cases where geographical areas that have seen formulae of other regions used to make sense of a record which does not fit such parameters. What are the crucial aspects of hominid behaviour during these moments, and how can they be analysed are weighed against the traditional large interest on the typological classification, the latter having turned a system to aid research into a widely accepted end-product. C64 - Space And Time: Which Diachronies, Which Synchronies, Which Scales? Recent geoarchaeological and taphonomic studies on some of the reference sites for the establishment of the general Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic chrono-stratigraphic sequence have shown that formation and post-depositional processes are complex and discontinuous through time. Reconstructions of the evolution (I would eliminate the word 'diachronic' as redundant, as diachrony means change over time) of lithic assemblages, as well as of their respective human societies, are thus dependent on our capacity to define reliable chronological assemblages, which are independent of the studied lithostratigraphic and pedo-sedimentary sequences. Having such frameworks in mind, this session will be present the results of studies based on:
C65 - Typology vs Technology The methodological shift which began in the late 1970's towards the use of the Chaîne opératoire concept for the technological study of lithic assemblages is still far from achieving some of its original goals. In fact, morpho-typological approaches still predominate in the literature and rarely integrate technological data on fundamental issues, such as the refinement of general chrono-stratigraphic sequences for both the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, and their respective behavioural variability. In this session, through presentations of the lithic assemblages of the aforementioned periods, we try to demonstrate that technological and typological approaches can complement each other, and that such an association can only contribute to improve our definitional criteria for geographic and chronological entities. Can examples of such a methodological association contribute to changes in the traditional frameworks, based solely on typological grounds, and produce more precise reconstructions of lithic production behaviours? C66 - Harvesting the Sea: current perspectives on hunter-gatherer coastal adaptations Much of the recent work on hunter-gatherer coastal adaptations emphasizes three related areas of research: Historically, archaeologists recognize early coastal research use but are limited by the destruction of paleoshorelines by postglacial sea level rise. This perhaps led to a bias against accepting any significant coastal exploitation by Pleistocene peoples. Recently, some earlier negative views on paleoproductivity in the glacial oceans have been reconsidered and many are beginning to recognize the potential of Pleistocene coastal adaptations. Relating to the dietary role of marine resources, the primary explanatory framework employed by archaeologists was the ‘Broad Spectrum Revolution’ model. This has also been revised and altered many views on prehistoric coastal adaptation. The majority of the latest studies employ at least an implicit evolutionary ecological framework to address the problem of coastal resource selection and subsequent human impacts. This symposium brings together researchers working in a wide range of time periods and geographic areas in order to show the variation in human use of coastal areas. The goal is not necessarily to build a consensus but to provide a forum for discussion of the many approaches to understanding human uses of coastal resources. C67 - Settlement dynamics and Environment Resources in the Palaeolithic of Southwest France : the case of the Quercy region Various studies on natural environments as well as technical abilities of human groups are one of the major research criterias for Prehistoric Archaeology. This should provide better details about settlement rules, survival strategies as well as a better understanding of socio-economical choices of human groups. The key role of the South-West of France in the research of palaeolithical settlements has been proven out already. This region has been overtime impacted by continuous human settlement, hence offering an incomparable source for archaeology. Moreover, this region is made of a great variety of landscapes : from plateaus to numerous valleys and alluvial plains of the Aquitain basin, onto Pyreneens montains and foot-hills of the Massif central. Quercy region is a typical example. As a result, a first analysis demonstrates its timely and cultural diversity. The numerous recently discovered and unpublished Palaeolithical sites have justified the launch of a large joint-research program. Various studies are peformed and integrated to elaborate inter- and intrasites contributions. Multitask researches are in particulary about sedimentary and climatic environments, but also about oilarchaeology, typo-technology, zooarchaeology and cementochronology. All of these build together synchronic and diachronic overviews. The results thereof provide a better knowledge about the evolution of the technical and cynegetical skills of the Palaeolithical hunters-gatherers. The proposed colloquia would focus on the presentation of the results of those integrated approaches by applying them the best possible to the large South-West aera in France, and beyond. It should aim at suggesting settlement and utilisation models for the environment in the Palaeolithic.Comparative analysis as well as patterning will be used. La confrontation des études sur les environnements naturels et les comportements techniques des groupes humains est un objectif majeur des recherches en Archéologie Préhistorique. Elle doit permettre de percevoir plus finement la gestion des territoires et les stratégies de subsistance et à terme de mieux comprendre les choix socio-économiques des groupes humains. L'importance du Sud-Ouest de la France concernant la recherche sur les peuplements paléolithiques n'est plus à démontrer. Cette région offre en effet une richesse archéologique incomparable, marquée par une relative continuité des occupations humaines au cours du temps. En outre, elle constitue une entité géographique au relief contrasté : plateaux, nombreuses vallées et de larges plaines alluviales du Bassin Aquitain, reliefs des Pyrénées et des contreforts du Massif Central. Le Quercy s'inscrit pleinement au sein de cet ensemble. Un premier bilan sur son potentiel archéologique révèle la diversité chrono-culturelle de cette région. L'abondance en gisements, couvrant tout le Paléolithique, la plupart fouillés récemment et encore largement inédits, a suscité un vaste programme de recherche collectif. Plusieurs domaines d'études sont sollicités et intégrés afin d'élaborer des contributions synthétiques intra- et inter-sites. Les approches pluridisciplinaires (non exclusives) concernent en particulier les environnements sédimentaires et climatiques, la pétroarchéologie, la techno-typologie, l'archéozoologie et la squelettochronologie. Cet ensemble autorise le développement d'une vision à la fois synchronique et diachronique, dont les résultats permettent une meilleure connaissance de l’évolution des comportements techniques et cynégétiques des chasseurs-cueilleurs paléolithiques. Le présent colloque s'attachera à présenter les résultats de ces approches intégrées, en les replaçant le plus possible dans une perspective plus vaste du Sud-Ouest de la France, et au delà. Il devra tendre à proposer des modèles d'occupations et d'exploitation des milieux au cours du Paléolithique. Les contributions synthétiques seront privilégiées. C68: Monumental Questions: Prehistoric Megaliths, Mounds and Enclosures The development of archaeology is closely tied to research on megaliths, mounds, and enclosures. In spite of this long history, archaeology is only now beginning to provide answers to long-standing questions about the most prominent prehistoric monuments. As usual, these answers suggest new research questions. Since such monumental architecture was created around the world, researchers from all continents are asked to address these questions, in order to make this meeting truly comparative. Topics to be covered include: The presentations include data from a systematic survey of the megaliths erected by hunter-gatherers in SW Portugal. Similarly, there will be presentations on huge North American mounds and enclosures, erected by hunter-gatherers between ca. 6000 and 2000 years ago. This includes new analyses of colourfully dyed textiles from the later monuments. The results of spatial analyses of hundreds of megalithic tombs, long-mounds, tumuli, and enclosures in North and Central Europe, including the oldest stone walls, will be offered. C69 - Luminescence Dating Techniques: a User’s Perspective Dating beyond the range of radiocarbon (c. 40 000 years ago) continues to be a challenge; a source of considerable frustration to archaeologists and others interested in the important events of the period c. 200 000 to 40 000 years ago. In the absence of volcanic sediments, the most successful techniques applicable to this time range are luminescence techniques: principally thermo luminescence, optically and infrared stimulated luminescence, also electron spin resonance. These methods depend on the conditions surrounding the sample during burial, and pose a number of challenges. Many archaeologists who use luminescence and ESR dates have a very limited understanding of how the techniques work, and how to use them optimally. This workshop is intended to bring together dating specialists and archaeologists and other "consumers" of dates, and to promote a critical and informed approach to the use of the techniques. The emphasis will be on understanding the limitations of the techniques, factors likely to affect the dates obtained, and how best to go about designing dating strategies for sites. C70 - Archaeometry – Characterization Of Pottery. Sampling And Analytical Protocols, And Data Interpretation Ceramic characterization – description of the ceramic and its many properties. In archaeological studies characterization studies are performed in order to inferring how the ceramic was used and determining the geographical area of origin (provenance) and techniques involved in its manufacture. Main topics: C71 - The Contribution of Archaeometry to the Understanding of Bell Beakers Phenomenon The widespread distribution of beaker finds has led to the frequent identification of a Beaker people and speculations about their origins. Theoretical positions about the Beaker phenomenon, focused on the role that this luxury pottery played as a prestige good in the social strategies of local Chalcolithic groups. The main questions posed by archaeologists are problems related with provenance, technological procedures, raw materials exploitation strategies and mechanisms of circulation. The origin of ceramic material is Geology. Clays are the major constituents when making a pot, so it is important to know how different elements make clays, what are the leftovers in the clay-making process, what are the chemical traces which can give a clue to the geographic origin of the clay and temper materials found in the finished product, etc. This methodological approach aims to obtain chemical and mineralogical features able to discriminate different pottery productions in space and time – fingerprints. C72 - Spaces, Memory and Identity in the European Bronze Age The aim of this colloquium is to gather together several experts to know and change ideas about the European Bronze Age ritual places. Assuming that these places were sceneries where power were negotiated and the social identity was reforced upon certain mechanisms of memory transmission, it will be interesting to know the different kinds of places built by distinct communities and to understand the different ways who memory and identity was maintained trough the Early/Middle Bronze Age and the Later Bronze Age. C73 – Aesthetics and Rock Art III Symposium Our previous two symposia on aesthetics and rock art (at the 1998 IRAC in Vila Real and the 2000 IRAC in Alice Springs) gathered a number of wonderful papers on the aesthetic perspective in rock art research. Since then we have been successful in publishing a number of them in our volume Aesthetics and Rock Art (Ashgate 2005). Presently we invite rock art researchers to help us to discuss the relevance of aesthetics for the understanding and study of rock art. We hope to take stock of the practical value that the aesthetic perspective can have. This may include its value as a heuristic in explaining societal structures or cultural institutions, or as a way to increase for understanding of the life world of the makers of rock art. Contributions from a diversity of disciplines, including archaeology, sociology, anthropology, art history and philosophy, are welcome. Some of the issues that might be addressed include the following: · What can the aesthetic perspective in rock art research contribute to explanation of particular societies by archaeology and anthropology? · Can the aesthetic perspective in rock art research contribute to the understanding of the life world of other societies? · How is aesthetic appreciation across cultural and temporal divides possible? · What constitutes aesthetic appreciation in the rock art experience? · What contribution does aesthetic appreciation make to the explanation of why people like to visit/see rock art sites? · How does the aesthetic achievement of rock art compare with other aesthetic achievements? Can they be compared? · What has been said about rock art aesthetics at other times, and, can we learn something from those claims? C74 - Methods of art history tested against prehistory Since the end of the XVIIIth century, art history has developed several methods to approach figured representations, focusing in particular on the Middle Ages and on the Renaissance. Study of style as a support to chronology, identification of artists’ hands, but also iconographic interpretation of the works in the light of textual or other sources had a dominating role in research ever since the XIXth century. Formal description and technological study of the work of art were added in the XXth century. If the first one aims at understanding the image as an aesthetic realisation, the second one endeavours to reconstitute the stages of the process of its genesis. The methods elaborated by art historians have more particularly been picked up by classical archaeologists, specialists of arts of Pre-Columbian America or of the Far East. On the other hand, prehistorians continue to demonstrate, vis-à-vis these methods, a scepticism that has been even more reinforced by the inrush of laboratory sciences in their discipline. Yet, considering the results obtained in some research fields that are quite remote from the Italian Renaissance – let us think, for instance, of the use of attribution in the field of Cycladic idols –, it is definitely tempting to examine what some traditional art history tools could bring to prehistorians. Therefore, we propose to gather papers relating to the following aspects of prehistoric arts: - stylistics considered as a possible base for dating and attribution, C75 – “Archeologues sans frontieres". Towards a history of international archeological congresses (1866-2006) C76 - Antiquarians at the Megaliths Megaliths are among the most dramatic and enticing prehistoric structures. They feature in mediaeval documents and chronicles as well as in fairy tales and stories about giants. It is hardly surprising that from the earliest times scholars were attracted to the study of these monuments. From the 16th century onwards we find antiquarian descriptions of megalithic tombs, illustrations, notes on excavations and learned speculations about their significance; frequently such records are the only source of information on long destroyed monuments. The session proposes to examine the antiquarian contribution to the study and interpretation of the megalithic tombs of Europe from the Atlantic coastline to the Baltic. Indeed, some of the European antiquarians were not merely investigators of megaliths but, rather, flamboyant characters who contributed in a more general way to the development of arts and sciences. The session will consider the nature of antiquarian approaches in different megalithic regions, from the earliest antiquarian activities until the end of the 19th century, their concerns with the investigation, recording, illustration, preservation and protection of the megaliths, as well as their interpretations of the function of the monuments. C77 - Non-flint Raw Material Use in Prehistory: Old Prejudices and New Direction The study of raw material is now a central concern in the analysis of prehistoric and archaic lithic production in the Old and New World. In Europe, attention has focused almost exclusively on flint although non-flint raw materials were used as a major component on many prehistoric sites. The main research questions related to the current study of non-flint raw materials are the reasons for non-flint raw material use on one hand, and questions related to methodological problems associated commonly with the technological characteristics of the different raw materials on the other hand. This colloquium aims to give an overview of current non-flint raw material studies in different prehistoric periods and geographical areas, thereby stimulating a further debate about the central issues and increasing the dialogue among researchers in this neglected area of lithic studies. C78 – Modern Human dispersals, environments and cultural change in the Late Pleistocene of Northwest Africa and adjacent areas One of the most keenly debated issues in human evolutionary research concerns the African origins and dispersal of Homo sapiens. Until recently, Northwest Africa has been a much neglected region despite the occurrence of early Homo sapiens with the “Middle Palaeolithic” finds at Jebel Irhoud. In this region, several sites contain stratified sequences with exceptionally well-preserved organic remains offering rich sources of multi-proxy data for palaeoenvironmental and chronological studies. The Northwest Africa is of key interest in the understanding of human evolution and behavioural development. A broader theme identified and could be discussed in the session concerns the nature, chronology and human associations with the cultural sub-division of the Aterian. New radiometric data move the Late Upper Palaeolithic back in time to more than what it was known in North Africa. From calibrated record of AMS dates, the data of this region are compared with the global marine isotope record. Amongst the key issues to be identified so far are: How early is the Upper Palaeolithic in this region, does its appearance signify the arrival of new populations, is there any relationship between the Upper Palaeolithic and Aterian, what is the environmental context of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. The aim of the session is not to answer all of these questions but to stimulate further discussion and to act as an introduction to other contributions that will cover the themes described above in more detail. C79 - Archaeological evidences of the Neolithic Demographic Transition Using cemetery data, the signature has been detected of a new demographic process, which is associated with the transition from a forager to a foragers to horticulturist/farmer economy. The process is characterized by a dramatic increase in the birth rate, and consequently of the population growth rate over a period of less than a millennium. It has been named the Neolithic Demographic Transition (NDT). The pattern of this NDT has been identified in data from North America, Mesoamerica and South America. The aim of this colloquia is to present and discuss new archaeological evidences (biological on health, emergence of new social pratices as inferred from the data, indicators of economic intensification) in order to better understand its multidimensional aspects and their relationships. C80 - The Pleistocene palaeoart of the world Recent advances in the study of human evolution have shown the need for greater attention to the cognitive and cultural development of humans. In the Pleistocene record, cognition and culture are primarily accessible through the study of palaeoart, which consists of rock art and portable art-like productions. Cognitive evolution, informed by recent advances in neuroscience and psychology, is increasingly becoming relevant to the understanding of Pleistocene palaeoart. The potential for gaining new insights into the significance of these items from the perspective of cognition is therefore immense. Correspondingly, archaeological finds from this period can provide evidence that may help substantiate particular models as to how human cognition may have eventuated. Collaboration between these disciplines can be viewed as mutually beneficial and sustaining. As research into cognition and brain functioning continues apace, the need to assimilate the various findings in relation to palaeoart becomes all the more imperative. Where Pleistocene artefacts are the subject of controversy, cognitive studies can supply useful suggestions as to interpretation, thereby providing the proper context for the determination of such items. It can also help to disentangle the complex ways by which culture and evolutionary factors interact so that a clearer understanding of their respective roles and influences can be gauged in relation to Pleistocene artefacts. To render Pleistocene palaeoart scientifically useful, evidence needs to be studied as global rather than regional phenomena. Underlying principles and universals need to be identified, and the material of the Middle and Early Upper Pleistocene requires much more attention than has been evident in the 20th century. This symposium is intended to bring together much of the new evidence deriving from the archaeological record, cognitive studies and neuroscience to reflect the change from traditional preoccupations to new approaches. It will endeavour to place Pleistocene palaeoart into the context of cognitive evolution, explore its semiotic dimensions, consider implications for technology and culture during the Palaeolithic periods, present new empirical evidence of Pleistocene palaeoart from several continents, and review the methods of investigating this kind of evidence scientifically. Papers are invited on all aspects of Pleistocene palaeoart, including cognitive perspectives, and on palaeoart that has not been shown to be of such age but is considered likely to be so. C81 - Spirals: The most common rock art element in the world? Spirals may be the most numerous non-representational rock art symbol in the world. They are found throughout the world. Interpretations for spirals may be almost as numerous as there are examples of them. Some of these are fanciful and not based on scientific data. This session will explore the varied examples throughout the world and/or pose possibilities for their creation based on research and substantiated studies. C82 - The dating of Pleistocene petroglyphs The estimation of the age of rock art remains one of the most problematic areas of archaeological research. Without the placement of rock art into a chronological framework, its archaeological research potential is seriously impaired. Not only is it then difficult to link it to archaeologically created cultural entities, without temporal separation of the components of sites featuring cumulative assemblages from different periods, their effective assessment is impossible. While some progress has been made with the analysis of rock paint residues for dating work, petroglyphs present very different difficulties. This symposium will endeavour to provide an overview of the methodology brought to this task so far, and it will present case studies from around the world. Pleistocene petroglyphs occur in most continents, and in at least three extend back to traditions of Middle Palaeolithic technologies, in one even to the Lower Palaeolithic. The great difficulties in estimating their ages will be explained and discussed in this session. Presentations are expected to include papers on open air sites as well as cave sites of various lithologies, a broad spectrum of the available methodologies and their relative merits under various conditions, and recent results of dating attempts from a variety of petroglyph sites. Proposals for presentations to be included in this symposium are invited from all researchers who have concerned themselves with these issues. C83 - Current Issues on Projectile Tips Studies, from the Beginning of the Upper Palaeolithic to the End of the Neolithic This Colloquium intends to bring together researchers concerned with the study of prehistoric weaponry. Most of our attention will be dedicated to projectile tips, which are our primary source of evidence relating to this topic. Participants can of course use this Colloquium to present new archaeological results. But above all, we wish it to be an opportunity for debate and exchange between specialists from different fields - lithic technology, bone and antler technology, archaeozoology, ethnoarchaeology, etc. For this reason, much time will be reserved for discussions. The papers will not be grouped by chronological periods, but organized in four thematic sessions of one half day. We selected these four themes because they reflect the main questions addressed by the current researches on prehistoric projectile tips: 1) Projectile tips: definition and identification 2) What is the use of projectile tips? 3) "Technical investment": real topic or irrelevant question? 4) Can we find out why projectile tips change over time? C84 - Place Theory in Rock Art Studies Space, place, center and boundary: rock art has been used to shape human-defined space, marking locations of memory or cultural inheritance, since time immemorial. Over the last decade, many new ideas have entered the scholarly literature on rock art, to include place theory (aka landscape theory). While individual papers have been presented at international conferences that employ place theory, there has been no focused discussion or criticism of these approaches. We invite international scholars whose research focuses on how rock art has been used to construct a cultural/ritual/aesthetic landscape, or those who critique this theoretical approach. C85 - European Cave Art Recent discoveries from the four quarters of Europe have fired the public and scholarly imagination. This symposium will focus on new findings, current research, emergent methodologies, controversies, related sciences such as dating and geomorphology, the archaological context of rock art and insights into interpretations of art found in caves in Europe. The symposium’s intention is to help current scholars in the field make new connections and to foster research. C86 – Middle and Upper Palaeolithic bladelet productions: a diachronic perspective The Upper Palaeolithic is conventionally characterized by the seemingly sudden proliferation of some of the more distinctive features of fully modern cultural behaviour. One of the most noteworthy changes in material culture is the trend towards a significant reduction in size of lithic tools, combined with their increasing standardization. It is an acknowledged fact that the Upper Palaeolithic fully expressed the global systematisation of bladelet production. However, similar productions have lately been documented for the Middle Palaeolithic of Eurasia, thus widening the temporal scope of this phenomenon. These findings thus give rise to a series of questions about the chronology of Eurasian bladelet productions and the circumstances that surround their appearance. Typological studies have already described the main characters and the large variability of bladelet tools. More recently, technological studies based on the concept of chaîne opératoire have proved fruitful for discussing the technical processes implemented in their production, as well as their techno-typological diversity and their functional purpose. Upper Palaeolithic bladelet productions in particular are known to be very fine chrono-cultural markers. In the Aurignacian and the Gravettian for instance, such productions have been efficiently used to monitor the internal diachronic evolution of these techno-complexes (XIVth UISPP Congress, Liège 2001, symposium 6.7. organized by F. Le Brun-Ricalens). The aim of this session is to investigate the significance of the wide diachronic range and highly varied facets of bladelet productions, through a series of European and Near-Eastern case studies drawn from Middle and Upper Palaeolithic archaeological contexts. The following issues are considered particularly relevant: - The specific technologies of bladelet productions We are confident that this session can result in an updated synthesis on Middle and Upper Palaeolithic bladelet productions, which clearly played a determining part in the vast changes that took place in Eurasia between 50 and 30 ka BP. C87 - Climatic Change and Social Evolution in the Arid Lands during the Holocene The Holocene is characterized by environmental fluctuations at both local and global scales. The human populations living in arid lands develop specific strategies to face this typical environmental risk and uncertainty of deserts. Furthermore, many archaeologists agree that economic and social modifications were correlated with those climatic changes. For that reason, it is absolutely necessary to study the environmental evolution as one of the main keys for understanding social and economic change, such as animal and plant domestication and social complexity. Our goal is to discuss new paleoenvironmental data in parallel with archaeological information to get an integrated panorama about resource use, land management, and technological responses that human societies deviced during this time-period. C88 – Rhythms and causalities of anthropisation dynamic in Europe between 6500 and 500 BC: sociocultural and/or climatic assumptions The period between early Neolithic and Iron age is characterized by important social and environmental changes. In several regions of western Europe, relations have been evidenced between changes affecting societies and their environment. Questions about settlement, development and impact of agro-pastoral activities on the environment, such as the evolution of agrarian systems or the exploitation of natural resources are problematic. These questions are related to a broader approach dealing with interactive mechanisms between societies and environmental systems including climate variability during the second half of the Holocene. This approach focuses mainly on the early Neolithic up to the beginning of our era. For the period considered a good knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the construction of territories is needed. The objective of this conference is to present and discuss research topics focusing on evidence and manifestations of possible links between societies and environmental dynamics. The conference will focus on topics from the western part of Europe. However presentations from other parts of Europe are welcome. C89 - Statue-menhir and anthropomorphic stelae in Europe, Asia and Mediterranean Sea Statue-menhir and anthropomorphic stelae are monuments widely diffused in Europe, Asia and Mediterranean Sea. The appearing of these monoliths in various and remote culture is for sure determined by different causes, be they linked to the Western Europe Megalithism, to the Copper/Bronze Age Mediterranean societies or to the Ancient Turkish peoples. The presence of such monuments from the Western Atlantic coasts of Portugal, to the Sardinia and Corsica Islands, in the Alps or Caucasus, until the steppes of Mongolia, needs to be better explained and studied. The symposium has the aim of introducing the state of the art on this subject. Papers discussing this matter are welcome, especially those taking in account new discoveries, distributions, cultural frames and interpretations of these particular manufacts. Particular attention will be requested to information and news regarding archaeological contexts in which these monuments are put, ethnographic sources to which they can be referred, and art history analisys to which can be subjected. C90 - Rock art in the Alps Rock art in the Alps consists of petroglyphs on open air smoothed and polished rocks, painted and engraved wall in shelters, anthropomorphic stelae and carved boulders in ceremonial sites. If Valcamonica, Monte Bego and Valtellina represent the three main zones in the Alpine Range, small sites with historiated panels are also disseminated through slopes and valleys. The chronology of this art is wide: from the end of Palaeolithic (as the figures of elks in Valcamonica rock art), through the Neolithic-Copper Age (as shown by the topographic representations in Monte Bego) to the Iron Age (as in the warrior art of Valtellina), until the historical and Christian phases (as the Eastern Alps rock engravings). The symposium will discuss the state of the art in this wide area: papers focusing on new discoveries, chronology and interpretation of already known rock art traditions, are welcome, as well as ethnographic studies and historic-artistic contributions related to alpine rock art. C91 - Transition from the Late Hallstatt to the Early La Tène Period The transitional period from the Late Hallstatt to the Early La Tène is not just a question of chronological distinction between the Early and the Late Iron Age. It is more cultural process that in different areas of Europe followed different patterns. We are especially interested in problem of initial exposure of the Late Hallstatt communities to the La Tène cultural influences and consequent mechanisms of cultural transfer that developed in different areas, which did not necessarily include influx of new population. The aim of this colloquium id to establish diversity of such patterns on examples of several case studies and offer fresh models for interpretation of this process which is crucial for understanding of later prehistory of Europe. |