CFP: 2010 European Association of Archaeologists
Meeting in the Hague, September 1-5, 2010,
http://www.eaa2010.nl/
Session Title: Aspects of Embodiment: Tattoos
and Body Modification in Antiquity
From Oetzi the Iceman to today’s full-sleeved and
pierced urbanite, it seems that body modification
has always formed an integral part of the human
animal’s relationship to its body. Some
adornments are temporary or purely situational,
such as particular body paints, jewelry or hair
treatments, while others are quite permanent and,
when we are very lucky, preserved in the
archaeological record.
The archaeologist’s arsenal in studying preserved
tattoos and other body modifications has expanded
in recent years. At the same time,
anthropological interest in "the body" and
embodiment has greatly increased theoretical
interest in practices that "inscribe" upon the
body. Few still see tattooing simply as a display
of art; they look instead for distinctions of
status, rank, age or gender, for medicinal uses,
for punitive or laudatory uses, for manifestos or
other propagandistic uses, as marks of belonging
or exclusion, as marks of transition or
transformation … As the body arts of, e.g.,
Oceania and Asia, are better understood, the
ideas have cross-pollenated with European
archaeology. In fact, the serious and scientific
attention accorded to body modification today
contrasts starkly with earlier dismissal by
Europeans of tattooed "barbarians." We feel
that, in the current atmosphere of acceptance, it
is time for a multidisciplinary session on the
archaeology of body modification.
We invite papers from all relevant disciplines,
but particularly welcome bioarchaeologists who
work with the detection and analysis of ancient
tattoos; archaeologists who work with preserved
tattoos and/or modifications; and all those whose
reconsiderations of ancient tattooing practices
promise to expand our field and contribute to
richer understanding of the ancient body and mind.
Please send abstracts as soon as possible in the following format to :
prof. dr. philippe della casa
universität zürich, abt. ur- und frühgeschichte
karl-schmid-str. 4, CH – 8006 zürich
tel. +41 (0)44 6343831, fax (0)44 6344992
<>http://www.prehist.uzh.ch
Session Papers
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Thank you very much!
Constanze Witt, co-organizer
rogueclassicism 