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Ancient Mediterranean. 116th Annual Meeting
of the Archaeological Institute of America
USA, New Orleans, 8-11 January 2015
Deadline: 20 March 2014

Since the advent of ‘public archaeology’ in the 1970s, scholarship on
the topic has moved beyond public education as effective heritage
management and protection in the context of CRM work, to debating the
active or incidental role of archaeology in the shaping of community
identities and identity imaginaries, the ethics and economics of
managing the past on behalf of communities, and even the very meaning of
‘public’ and ‘community’ to be served by archaeology, recognizing the
inherently political nature of these terms. Today, ‘public
archaeologies’ vary considerably in approach and objectives, ranging
from essentially PR and fundraiser efforts in support of continuing
projects, to disseminating, humanizing and deciphering specialist work,
to tracing connections with the past as part of community service, to
educating the public on the benefits of the discipline as a service to
the discipline itself, and to democratizing archaeology at its core by
engaging the public in all stages of knowledge production (e.g.
constructivist, experiential, hands-on, inclusive, informationally open,
crowdsourced archaeologies) in keeping pace with the multivocal,
pluralistic, information-rich societies of today.

Despite intense writing and debate along these lines in the broader
realms of archaeological thought , especially from the late 1990s,
community-friendly archaeologies of the ancient Mediterranean have been
comparatively rare, small-scale or little publicized, with most projects
undertaken by museums and governmental entities typically deemed
responsible for serving and educating the communities where
archaeological research occurs. This colloquium intends to a) explore
the role of Mediterranean archaeologists as educators, mediators and
facilitators, and the locally specific resonances (as opposed to a
priori-determined benefits) of their work in the lives of local
inhabitants, b) take the pulse of ‘public archaeology’ thinking in the
Aegean, Greek, Cypriot, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern scholarly ambits
by entertaining ways to deal with multiple, excluded, overlooked,
silenced, undesirable pasts, and c) showcase projects that actively seek
to cultivate engagement of different contemporary stakeholders with the
past, including traditionally disenfranchised ‘others’, through
excavations, site-based initiatives, community-embedded efforts, media,
virtual, online projects etc.

Please send a 200-word abstract to publarch AT gmail.com by Thursday, March
20th, 5 pm EST, along with your contact address and affiliation.

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Call for Papers: Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time
23-25 March 2015, University of Haifa, Israel

The Zinman Institute of Archaeology and the Department of Art History of the
University of Haifa, Israel, invites the submission of papers for the
conference “Terracottas in the Mediterranean Through Time”, dedicated to the
study of terracotta figurines and related objects in the Mediterranean
region from the early periods to late antiquity. The conference will take
place at the University of Haifa in Israel,23-25 March 2015.
The conference is under the auspices of the Association
for Coroplastic Studies (ACoST).

The conference aims to bring together scholars and students who often tackle
the same issues as they study clay figurines and related objects from
different periods and parts of the Mediterranean region.
Scholars who research terracottas of illiterate societies often use
anthropological and ethnographical methods, while those studying terracottas
of historical periods refer to historical sources and artistic analogies.
The various viewpoints and attitudes may enrich and deepen our understanding
of terracotta figurines and their role in society.

The scope of issues to be discussed at the conference will be wide, and will
follow the different stages of the terracottas’ lives:

First stage – the artisans or coroplasts: aspects of manufacture; typology
and iconography; production of large- and small-scale terracottas; social
status of the artisans; organization of workshops; questions of
specialization; relationships with other media and workshops; new
technologies employed in the dating and identification of workshops.

Second stage – patterns of distribution: interaction between terracotta
production and markets; local production versus imports; imitations;
trading, selling and offering.

Third stage – the users: Who used terracottas and who did not; how they were
used and in what circumstances; usage through space and time; other objects
used together with terracottas; themes and types in specific contexts
(sacred, funereal and domestic); choice of types; symbolic meaning conveyed
by terracottas; the role of terracottas in society; terracottas and gender.

Fourth stage – phasing out: How, why and when terracottas went out of use;
patterns of deposition or obliteration; archaeological context of
terracottas and its meaning.

Fifth stage – ancient terracottas today: influence of ancient terracottas on
19th- and 20th-century art; robbery and the antiquities market; museum
display of terracottas.

The official language of the conference is English. Presentations should not
exceed 20 minutes.

Abstracts of 200-300 words should be submitted by 30 September 2014 to Dr.
Adi Erlich,aerlich AT research.haifa.ac.il in Word format including surname,
first name, position, affiliation, phone number, email address and title of
paper.

We invite proposals for panels and individual papers on these and related
topics.

The scientific committee:
Dr. Adi Erlich
Dr. Sonia Klinger
Prof. Tallay Ornan
Consultant: Prof. Jaimee Uhlenbrock

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The UK Ancient Historians’ Annual Meeting (the ‘Norman Baynes’ meeting) will be held from May 17/18 in Stevenage, Herts.
(Spaces are limited; reserve yours now to avoid disappointment!)

The ‘Baynes meeting’ is the annual opportunity for all UK ancient historians, whatever their specialism, and whether in post or retired, to meet for both formal and informal discussion. Early-career ancient historians have particularly appreciated the chance to get to know other members of the profession and to exchange ideas, and are particularly encouraged to attend.

The event is open both to those with university posts and to others at post-doctoral level. As well as an opportunity to hear and discuss two papers, the meeting provides an excellent opportunity to learn about research projects, forthcoming publications and publishing initiatives, and to discuss other developments and concerns in teaching and research.

The cost (Dinner, bed and breakfast, lunch) will be £96.25. The cost for non-residents (i.e. only Saturday or only Sunday) will be £10.00 for Saturday (£30 including dinner) and £15 for Sunday. There will be a £10 registration charge. No advance payment is required.

Please let me have the earliest possible indications of interest
(to );
firm booking (to me) MUST BE MADE by 9 a.m. on Thursday May 8th.

PROGRAMME
Saturday 17 May
3.00 to 4.30 p.m. Achieving interdisciplinarity: Classics boasts that it is the original interdisciplinary subject, but how do we actually achieve that – either for ourselves, or in our students? How does one balance specific skills training with a breadth of interdisciplinary vision?

4.30 pm Tea
5.00-6.30 pm Dr Mirko Canevaro (Edinburgh) ‘How to make (and change) laws in ancient Athens: a developmental perspective’.
7.30 pm Dinner

Sunday 18 May
9.30-11.00 am Dr. Koen Verboven (Ghent) ‘Merchant and shipper associations in the Roman world: the problem of formalization’.
11.00 am Coffee
11.30 -12.30 Information exchange/business meeting/discussion of sourcebooks
12.30 pm 3-course lunch

The meeting will be held at the Novotel Stevenage, Knebworth Park, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2AX. This is a short taxi ride from the railway station (on the East Coast mainline), and readily accessible from junction 7 of the A1(M). For directions see:
http://ift.tt/1iBXoBX

Robin Osborne

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Here’s the first call for papers for the next Women’s History Network Annual
Conference, deadline 1 April 2014.

HOME FRONTS: GENDER, WAR AND CONFLICT
On 5-7 September 2014 at the University of Worcester

Offers of papers are invited which draw upon the perspectives of women’s and
gender history to discuss practical and emotional survival on the Home Front
during war and conflict. Although the term Home Front was initially used
during the First World War, and the conference coincides with the
commemorations marking the centenary of the beginning of this conflict, we
welcome papers which explore a range of Home Fronts and conflicts, across
diverse historical periods and geographical areas. For further details
please visit the conference website at http://ift.tt/1iBXolo
fronts-gender-war-and-conflict

The Women’s History Network, which has been operating for more than twenty
years, is for anyone with a passion for researching, writing, reading and
sharing women’s history. It holds an annual national conference and a number
of regional seminars and conferences. For further information about the
Women’s History Network please visit their website at
http://ift.tt/1hA7jp2

We would also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the
Women’s History Network Prizes awarded annually by the WHN – The Book Prize
– an annual £500 prize for a first book in women’s or gender history. The
Clare Evans Prize – an annual £500 prize for a new essay in the field of
“Gender and History” and the WHN Community History Prize – sponsored by the
History Press – an annual £500 prize for a Community History Project which
has led to a documentary, pamphlet, book, exhibition, artefact or event
completed between the 1st of January 2013 and 31st May 2014. Details of all
are attached.

Forwarded on behalf of the 2014 Women’s History Network Conference
Organising Committee. Email and mail correspondence should be sent to Prof
Maggie Andrews, IHCA, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove,WR2 6AJ email
address maggie.andrews AT worc.ac.uk