eNewsletters
Volume 13 December 2006
Editor: Madeleine Regan
Madeleine@ideasandwords.com.au
Contents:
1. Executive News
2. WAC News
3. News from WAC Members
4. Forthcoming Conferences and Events
· 2007 Conferences
· Call for papers
5. News Items
· Publications
· Other news items
6. Excerpts from other archaeological associations’ newsletters (used with permission)
6(a) SALON (two editions from December and November 2006)
6(b) ICOMOS (Australia) (six editions from December and November 2006)
1. Executive News
The Executive is delighted to announce that the sixth World Archaeological Congress will be held in Dublin, Ireland from June 29th to July 4th 2008. Professor Gabriel Cooney is the Academic Secretary for WAC-6, which will be held on the campus of University College Dublin. Further information is detailed a short report by Professor Cooney (see below), and on the WAC web site.
The Executive would like to thank Michael Ashley, Timo Bishop and other members of the WAC web team. Our website has had 11289 unique visitors for November, representing a solid 20% over October, and an 89% increase since August. In the last few months we have had over 38,000 visitors, over 501,536 hits, with an average of 8.74 hits per visit for the year.
The WAC symposium ‘Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property’, was held in Burra from the 3-5th December 2006. The symposium was attended by people from Canada, South Africa, the USA, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, and had a very significant participation from Aboriginal Australians. It included a dedicated community program, which included a schools program for 250 local children. Further information is below and on the web site for the symposium:
This has been a big year for WAC and we would like to thank all the people who have volunteered their time and expertise to assist others and to advance a vision of an archaeological community that actively seeks to redress global inequities, as an integral part of the process of the development of the discipline. We wish you all the very best for the season,
Claire Smith, for the Executive
2. WAC News
WAC-6 in Ireland 2008
Information from Gabriel Cooney, Academic Secretary, WAC-6 Ireland Ireland will have the honour of hosting the sixth World Archaeological Congress to be held in Dublin from June 29th to July 4th 2008. The WAC-6 in Ireland congress will be held on the campus of University College Dublin. The background to this is that the UCD School of Archaeology had been in contact with the Executive of the World Archaeological Congress earlier in the year with a view to putting forward a bid to host WAC-7 in 2011. But in September word came through that the proposed plan to hold WAC-6 in Jamaica in 2007 had changed and that WAC-6 would now be held in 2008 (a more focussed, Inter-Congress meeting is now being held in Jamaica in 2007). The School was asked if it was interested in making a bid with this much shorter timescale in mind. After some deliberation we decided to go for it! This meant a very quick development of our proposal, with the help of the Conference and Events Office of University College Dublin. In September Professor Claire Smith, the President of WAC, was able to come to have a look at the suitability of the UCD campus in between her participation at the conference of the International Union of Pre- and Protohistoric Sciences (IUPPS) in Lisbon and the annual meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) in Cracow. Professor Smith’s visit was very helpful in talking about the hard realities – and the real excitement – that would be involved in terms of organising a congress if the bid proved to be successful.
The School was delighted with the warm support that the bid received from colleagues across the archaeological profession. In November we heard that the bid was successful and now have to start planning in earnest with a real-time deadline. We are committed to ensuring that while UCD will be the main venue for the congress a wide range of institutions and colleagues will be fully involved to really make this occasion WAC-6 in Ireland. We plan to make this a memorable event, actively building on the success of TAG in Dublin in 2001 and EAA in Cork in 2005 and other recent successful international conferences which have created a very positive impression of Ireland as a conference venue. WAC- 6 is also coming to Ireland at a key time for Irish archaeology. It provides an opportunity to highlight the character and significance of archaeological research in Ireland and it will foster an engagement with the social context and role of archaeology and its significance to the wider community.
We will be keeping members fully informed and updated on plans for WAC-6 in Ireland.
Gabriel Cooney, for the WAC-6 Organizing Committee, UCD School of Archaeology
WAC-InterCongress, Jamaica
May 2007
Reminder:
The deadline for the submission of sessions has been extended to the end of January 2007. The deadline for individual papers remains the end of February 2007.
Submitted abstracts will be available on the WAC IC Jamaica website – asjam.com by the end of January 2007.
Andrea Richards
Programme Coordinator
WAC IC Jamaica 2007
Email: wacicjamaica@gmail.com
Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights
The WAC symposium ‘Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights’, was held in Burra from the 3-5th December 2006. The symposium will be held in the recently restored historic Burra Town Hall, built less than 20 years after the British colonisation of South Australia. The ICOMOS Burra Charter originated in Burra, and in 1994, the township of Burra was declared a State Heritage Town, in recognition of the integrity of the township as a whole and its historic buildings. Today, it is thriving, based largely upon the successful and strategic promotion of its historic heritage—a small economic wonder in a world where the populations of country towns are shrinking and the economies depressed. However, so far, little has been done to promote the Indigenous heritage of Burra, and the WAC symposium was designed to draw attention to this oversight.
This symposium emerged from a collaboration with the Ngadjuri Heritage Committee as a result of earlier work on Indigenous sites in the Burra region in 2004. The symposium was attended by people from Canada, South Africa, the USA, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, and included a dedicated community program. All parts of this symposium were open to the public, and were free for all members of the mid-north region of South Australia.
The public program began with a free barbeque at Thomas Pickett Reserve, on Sunday 3rd, December, and included cultural workshops by Indigenous artists, classes for schoolchildren and tours of Indigenous archaeological sites in the region. The workshops were offered as part of a schools program for 250 local children on art and culture, run by Indigenous participants of the symposium and Flinders staff and st
udents. This symposium was hosted collaboratively by the Ngadjuri people who celebrated their returning to country, and there was a particular focus on the cultural and intellectual property issues they face as part of this process.
A number of motions were passed unanimously at the Plenary session of the symposium, and are now being acted upon by the Executive. This, and other information, is available on the web site for the symposium:
3. News from WAC Members
from Alexander Herrera
Profesor Investigador
Departamento de Antropología
Universidad de Los Andes
Colombia
The recovery of indigenous technologies: a debt with our people
(CLACSO – 2007)
This research project will address the recovery of indigenous technologies, understood as complex webs of relations between people about their surroundings, as a strategy for alternative development based on the reevaluation of archaeological heritage in the Andes. Archaeo- anthropological field study of recovery projects and potentialities on ancient farming, herding, architecture and silviculture in Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia and Argentina is geared to understand how we may begin to repay the historical debt with our people, pinpointed by Eduardo Galeano, by strengthening traditional identities and subsistence practices in Latin America. We are interested in exchanging experiences with people working on similar topics in other parts of the world.
Contact: Alexander Herrera alherrer@uniandes.edu.co
from Tom King
News of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR)
The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), a U.S. based organization that does aviation-related archaeological and historical research and promotes responsible preservation of historic aircraft, recently completed a project on Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, documenting World War II Japanese aircraft wrecks for the Yap Historic Preservation Office with a grant from the U.S. National Park Service. The numerous wrecks around the old Colonia airport on Yap have become a management issue, as they deteriorate and lose parts to collectors. TIGHAR performed an initial documentation project and developed options for management. The contract was overseen by WAC member Tom King, directed in the field by Gary Quigg and John Clauss of TIGHAR.
More or less simultaneously, TIGHAR conducted a planning and documentation project in Jaluit, Republic of the Marshall Islands, to help determine the feasibility of recovering a rare TBD Douglass Devestator torpedo bomber for conservatin by the U.S. Navy. Conducted under a permit issued to King by the RMI Historic Preservation Office and directed in the field by TIGHAR’s Van Hunn, the project was carried out in cooperation with Jaluit landowners and the U.S. Naval Historical Center’s Underwater Archaeology Unit. The Unit’s head, Dr. Robert Neyland, took part in the fieldwork, which was supported by Navy divers from USS Safeguard. The two TBD wrecks on the bottom of Jaluit lagoon were documented in detail, and samples were recovered from detached aluminum panels for chemical testing by Texas A&M University, where conservation planning is being carried out.
TIGHAR is planning and seeking to raise funds for its next expedition to Nikumaroro Island in the Republic of Kiribati, seeking to solve the mystery of the 1937 disappearance of pioneer aviators Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. TIGHAR’s prior 18 years of research into this mystery are documented in Amelia Earhart’s Shoes, the 2004 AltaMira Press book by King and his colleagues Karen Burns, Randall Jacobson, and Kenton Spading, which won the 2004 Society for American Archaeology’s book award for explaining archaeological science to a lay audience. The U.S. Naval Institute Press has just published Finding Amelia, a detailed historical study of the events surrounding the Earhart disappearance, by TIGHAR Executive Director Ric Gillespie. The evidence organized by Gillespie points toward Earhart’s landing and survival for a time on Nikumaroro, a conclusion supported by several other lines of archaeological, historical, and other evidence summarized in Shoes. 2007 being the 60th anniversary of the disappearance, TIGHAR is hopeful of raising the upwards of US$600,000 necessary to support a month’s work on Nikumaroro, investigating the remains of a British colonial village that has produced aircraft parts and an apparent campsite thought to be where a partial human skeleton was recovered by a British colonial officer in 1940. Nikumaroro is uninhabited today, and is part of the recently designated Phoenix Islands Protected Area
For more information contact: TFKing106@aol.com
The website address is: www.tighar.org
from Dan Hicks
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Bristol
Publication of the second volume in British Archeological Reports series
News is announced of the publication of the second volume in the new British Archaeological Reports series “Studies in Contemporary and Historical Archaeology”.
Dan Hicks & Joshua Pollard
Series Editors, “Studies in Contemporary and Historical Archaeology”
Dan.Hicks@bris.ac.uk
Or
Joshua.Pollard@bris.ac.uk
Ajay Pratap
Banaras Hindu University
India
New appointment
One time regional rep. Dr. Ajay Pratap, has recently been appointed Reader in the Department of History at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Additionally he will be teaching one full paper in fieldmethods in Archaeology to MA final students.
Bob Muckle
Professor of Archeology
Capilano College, Vancouver
New publication
Canadian WAC member Robert Muckle’s ‘Introducing Archaeology’ was released by Broadview Press in September, 2006. The text was designed primarily for introductory level courses in North America, but covers many things of international interest as well, including the social relevance of archaeology, ethics and the management of heritage resources.
It is a concise and economical text designed for first-year archaeology courses, with materials presented in a straightforward and clear manner. The text situates archaeology historically and in the contemporary world, contextualizing the discipline within academia, industry, politics, popular culture, and social movements. It also addresses the national and international regulations and codes of ethics that govern much of archaeology today. Archaeological methods comprise the core of the text with a focus on reconstructing culture history, ecological adaptations, and the social and ideological aspects of culture.
The publisher’s web site, www.broadviewpress.com
contains the table of contents, reviews, and information on how to order from around the world. The book is 257 pages and sells for 39.95 (USD), 60.00 (AUST), 22.99 (UK), and 45.00 (CDN).
4. Forthcoming Conferences and Events
· 2007 Conferences
· Call for papers
CALL FOR PAPERS
SYMPOSIUM HERITAGE EDUCATION AT IV TAAS/WAC – CATAMARCA,
ARGENTINA, 2007
SYMPOSIUM The Multiple Voices of Heritage Education: approaches from
Archaeology
Abstracts Deadline: 15th February, 2007
Marcia Bezerra (Symposium Chair) invites papers:
We believe that education through Archaeology can effectively contribute towards the recognition of conflicts, the understanding of the process through which difference is constructed, with the elaboration of cultural inclusion policies and with a strong notion of community.
In this sense, we tend to consider that the implementation of activities, projects and programs that connect Archaeology and Heritage Education (HE) contribute to the valorization of the cultural heritage, to the legitimation of identities, to the strengthening of the sense of citizenship, and to the perception of the ‘other.’ But is it true that such projects have indeed been able to reach such objectives? Have these projects been worrying about exposing conflicts or merely with the display of distinct cultural manifestations? Are they betting on a national history made out of a network of threads with nuances and shades, or are they perpetuating the idea of the supremacy of one group over the other “contributors” to the nation? Do they perceive cultural diversity from the standpoint of an interdependency relationship, or do they reproduce a split vision of domination and dependency? Do they reinforce a sense of community or perpetuate a notion of unity?
After all, what is “Heritage Education?” Of what Education and of what Heritage are we talking about?Whose Education? Whose Heritage? Whose Archaeology? What is its role in the legitimation of identities? Is diversity the difference or is it the different?Are we transforming the exotic in familiar? Could it be that we are, somehow, reproducing the “competent discourse” proclaimed by Chauí? Paraphrasing the author: aren’t we creating the cultural incompetents?How many voices are represented in these projects?
We encourage papers that contribute to answering some of these questions and that will bring about several others. This process will make it possible for us to deepen the discussions, to better analyze specific situations and, above all, to point towards paths to a Heritage Education that includes cultural diversity of the archaeological patrimony not as rhetoric, but as an instrument for the constitution of cultural citizenship.
Chair: Marcia Bezerra/Universidade Católica de Goiás, Brasil
E-mail: mar.bezerra@uol.com.br
National Park Service’s 2007 Archaeological Prospection Workshop
Washington
14 – 18 May 2007
The National Park Service’s 2007 workshop on archaeological prospection techniques entitled Current Archaeological Prospection Advances for Non- Destructive Investigations in the 21st Century will be held May 14-18, 2007, at the HAMMER Training Center, Richland, Washington.
Lodging will be at the Guest House, Richland, Washington. This will be the seventeenth year of the workshop dedicated to the use of geophysical, aerial photography, and other remote sensing methods as they apply to the identification, evaluation, conservation, and protection of archaeological resources across this Nation.
The workshop will focus on the theory of operation, methodology, processing, interpretation, and on-hands use of the equipment in the field. There is a tuition charge of $475.00.
Application forms are available on the Midwest Archeological Center’s web page at http://www.cr.nps.gov/mwac/.
For further information, please contact :
Steven L. DeVore, Archeologist,
National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center,
Federal Building, Room 474,
100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln,
Nebraska 68508-3873: tel: (402) 437-5392, ext. 141;
fax: (402) 437-5098;
email: steve_de_vore@nps.gov.
Third International Seminar on Maritime Archaeology 2007 (ISMA-3)
New Delhi
August – September 2007
The International Seminars on Maritime Archeology are held every two years and the event in 2007will be jointly organized by the Indian Navy and the Archaeological Survey of India. The seminars bring together scholars and professionals to discuss topics related to maritime archaeology, and in particular, the maritime heritage of the Indian Ocean. In addition ISMA-3 will focus on recent underwater archaeological activities in the Indian Ocean and new technologies of preservation of maritime heritage.
To promote greater participation of scholars, researchers from different parts of the world, the Organising Committee has decided not to charge registration fees. The proceedings will be in English.
Scholars presenting papers are asked to send their acceptance as soon as possible. They will be provided with accommodation and local hospitality during the seminar.
For further information:
Dr Alok Tripathi
Underwater Archaeology Wing
Archaeological Survey of India
Red Fort, Delhi, 110006
alok.asi@qmail.com
uaw.asi@qmail.com Secretariat: ISMA2007@qmail.com
CHAT 2007: FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY
Sheffield, UK
Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th November 2007
FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS
This is the first call for papers for CHAT 2007 – the 5th annual meeting of the conference group for Contemporary and Historical Archaeology in Theory (CHAT).
The Theme for CHAT 2007 is “Faith, Hope, and Charity: Finding Belief, Desire, and Benevolence in Archaeologies of the Recent and Contemporary Past”
CHAT 2007 will be held in Sheffield, UK, and will be hosted by Archaeological Research & Consultancy at the University of Sheffield (ARCUS), which is part of the Department of Archaeology.
A pdf file of the call for papers – for printing and displaying in your office or department, is online here –
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/CONTEMP-HIST-ARCH/
It is anticipated that papers will explore (but not be limited to) themes arising from the colonisation of New Worlds, the clash of cultures, the consequences of violence, archaeologies of contemporary and historic slavery, the creation of diasporic consciousness, the spread of world faiths, utopian communities, ideologies of improvement, archaeologies of hospitals, workhouses, and confinement, the articulation of dissent, peace movements, mass trespass, mechanisms of technological innovation, urban regeneration, environmentalism, archaeologies of sport and leisure, and counter-cultures.
Joint contributions from archaeologists and non-archaeologists are particularly encouraged. Papers from emerging scholars, international colleagues and from archaeologists based outside Higher Education Institutions are welcomed. Multimedia or performed presentations are welcome, as well as conventional paper presentations. All sessions will be plenary.
300-500 word paper abstracts should be sent as soon as possible, and by 31st March 2007 at the latest to:j.symonds@sheffield.ac.uk
For CHAT 2007, 1,500-3,000 word paper summaries will be expected from contributors by 1st September 2007 for posting on the CHAT web pages. All correspondence for CHAT 07 should be sent to j.symonds@sheffield.ac.uk
Keynote sp
eakers will be announced in the first half of 2007.
More details on the CHAT group are on the CHAT homepage
http://www.bris.ac.uk/archanth/events/chat.html
5. News Items
· Publications
· Other news items
Publications
RUPESTRE, Arte rupestre en Colombia. Number 6, July 2006.
Rupestre is a magazine with a focus on rock that has been published by a research group in Colombia since 1970. The most recent issue, was published in July this year.
RUPESTRE: Arte Rupestre en Colombia
No. 6, July 2006
Editorial Cultura de los Pueblos Pintores
DIRECTION: Guillermo Muñoz C.
EDITION: Judith Trujillo T.
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Miguel Ángel Albadán
EDITORIAL TEAM: GIPRI-Colombia
PHOTOGRAPHY: GIPRI
Bogotá, Colombia.
www.gipri.org
This issue presents the following papers:
1. Rock Art
The debate of history and culture
Carlos Rodriguez
2. Methodologies and discussions about the study of rock art
Guillermo Muñoz
3. Rock Art in the Muisca-Panche borderland of San Francisco, Cundinamarca,
Colombia
Harry Marriner
4. Words and images: The construction of Indigenous history and the rock art in
the scholar books
Lorena Rodriguez
5. Art and Food
Natalia Muñoz
METHODOLOGICAL PROCESS
6. Visualization of data of research in rock art
Miguel Angel Albadan
DOCUMENTS
7. The enigma of rupestrian representations
Louis Ghisletti
NEWS
EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS
The website will provide more information about this and the previous issues: www.gipri.org
Two new publications from Archaeolingua Publications
1. Altkeltische Sozialstrukturen
Raimund Karl
2006.
609 pp.
ISBN 963-8046-69-4
Price € 78
Based on social complexity theory a model of locally constituted Iron Age central and western European societies is developed. Such societies evolve individually different, yet statistically similar. Using archaeological, historical and linguistic sources it is demonstrated how the individual experiences with the social environment and the constraints and necessities set by the natural environment shape similar social structures. Particularly in societies speaking closely related (Celtic) languages, similar social and political patterns emerge.
Following a short introduction to the theoretical foundations and a discussion of the current state of the art in Iron Age social history, the first part of this study discusses the immediate and wider social environment. The structure of the household and the family are examined, which will have defined the early childhood experiences. Child education, neighbourhood relations, contracts and the influence of countrymen and foreigners/guests are discussed, probably a significant part of later childhood experiences. Then, the main Iron Age ‘professions’ and how they influenced social experiences are examined. The second part of the study deals with social differentiation. It is discussed how the ‘social value’ of any person would have been determined. The status of dependent, independent and privileged (because of their abilities or social functions) members of society is examined.
The third part discusses methods to exert social pressure and means of social integration. The fourth part examines how political structures are a function of social interdependencies as deduced from the model. Finally, these different aspects are drawn together to construct an idealised general description of Iron Age Celtic social systems.
An extensive bibliography, a detailed glossary and a schematic diagram of the basics of ancient Celtic social structures concludes the study.
2. Schaf und Ziege im frühgeschichtlichen Mitteleuropa
Martin Hannes Graf
2006.
320 pp.
ISBN 963-8046-70-8
Price € 60
The book contains a series of studies which document the high value of sheep and nanny goats in the early history of Central Europe north of the Alps. Questions concerning religious and economic history, folklore, and symbolism are discussed mainly based on linguistic phenomena. Furthermore, methodological problems of linguistic-philological oriented cultural studies are critically taken into consideration. Central investigation areas form on the one hand the etymology of iE. *kaprós, the god and its theonym Gebrinius in the context of the low German ‹Matronenkult›, and prehistoric transhumance, and on the other side a reappraisal of the emblematic aspect of the germanic Cornuti. New propositions to old problems as the ‹Haberfeldtreiben›, the ‹Habergeiss›, or the ‹Perchten› are submitted. Moreover, a detailed chapter to colour symbolism, light symbolism, and weather symbolism of sheep and nanny goats demonstrates the significant role of flock beyond economy in the beliefs of people in former epochs.
For more information about the texts contact:
Fruzsina Cseh
Editorial Assistant
Archaeolingua Publications
www.archaeolingua.hu
New online journal
The Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity at the University of Birmingham are pleased to announce the launch of the new online journal “Rosetta”.
Rosetta is a journal for archaeologists, historians and classicists interested in the study of ancient and modern societies. It welcomes articles, book reviews, museum and conference reports, and other items related to its areas of interest, especially those that cross disciplinary boundaries. It is organised and edited by research postgraduates at the University of Birmingham.
The journal is free to view and Issue #01 is online now. If you would like any further information please contact the editorial team at rosetta@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
The Royal Historical Society Bibliography
in association with Irish History: Irish History Online and London’s Past Online
The Royal Historical Society Bibliography, Irish History Online and London’s Past Online launched a major update to their bibliographical database (available free of charge at http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl) on 31 October. The update includes 13,000 new records bringing the total number of records in the online database to 420,000. The update also marks the completion of the Irish History Online project to place online the entire contents of the printed and microfiche _Writings on Irish History_.
***New batch of data from Irish History Online***
This update includes over 8000 new records from Irish History Online( http://www.irishhistoryonline.ie ), mostly from the _Writings on Irish History_ for 1936-69. The online database now includes the entire contents of the _Writings on Irish History_ for 1936-2001, covering all the _Writings_ previously published in print and on microfiche, as well as some more recent material. A total of 58,000 titles on Irish history are now accessible using the “Irish material only” option on the RHS search menu (
http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/dataset.asp ), or through the “Irish History Online” search menu( http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/ireland.asp ).
***New Irish History Online project***
A new Irish History Online project commenced in October 2006 with the aim of improving coverage of the Irish diaspora, including foreign publications. Dr Frank Cullen is the editor of this new project which, like the first stage of Irish History Online, is based at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, under the direction of Professor Jacqueline Hill. The new project will also add information on new publications on Irish history more generally, with the aim of creating an online current bibliography of Irish history.
***Other new records***
Apart from the new records from Irish History Online, this update includes 5100 other new records; nearly 2900 of these cover publications of 2005-6. 379 of the new records relate to the history of Greater London, so that a total of over 41,000 records is now available using the “London material only” option on the RHS search menu ( http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/dataset.asp), or through the “London’s Past Online” search menu ( http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/london.asp ). Newly added records include recently completed theses on London history derived from information compiled by the Centre for Metropolitan History ( ).
It is possible to browse all the latest additions, including those from Irish History Online, by broad period/country categories (based on the sections previously used for the printed RHS Annual Bibliography) by going to the browse page ( http://www.rhs.ac.uk/bibl/browse.asp#sections ).
H-MUSEUM
H-Nt Network for Museums and Museum Studies
E-Mail: h-museum@h-net.msu.edu
WWW: http://www.h-museum.net
New publication
Firestone, R, West, A & Warwick-Smith, 2006
The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes: Flood, Fire and Famine in the History of Civilzation, Bear Company, Rochester, Vermont, 392 pp, ISBN 10:1-59143- 061-5.
Could the death throes of a nearby massive star during a supernova explosion have sent out debris waves that caused:
1. The extinction of millions of animals in Australia, a massive increase in global radiocarbon, and an almost-reversal of the earth’s magnetic field 41,000 years ago?
2. A large surge in global radiocarbon and another almost-magnetic-field reversal 34,000 years ago?
3. The northern ice sheets to go into rapid meltdown with consequent catastrophic flooding 16,000 years ago?
4. Extinction of Pleistocene megafauna and millions of other animals in the northern hemisphere, the disappearance of the Clovis and Cro Magnon cultures, a sudden increase in radiocarbon and wavering of the earth’s magnetic field 13,000 years ago?
Apparently so. For the solid scientific evidence that supports this hypothesis, read the text.
Other news items
Report on Conference: ‘Archaeology in Conflict’ and Ethical Conduct
November 2006
The following report was submitted by:
Sjoerd van der Linde, Centre for Applied Archaeology
Institute of Archaeology, University College London
What are the underlying ethics in archaeological site management, and how do you address the needs of the local communities during heritage projects in a wartorn present? Archaeologists, heritage managers, journalists and post-war reconstruction specialists addressed these questions at Archaeology in Conflict – Cultural Heritage, Site Management and Sustainable Development in Conflict and Post-Conflict States in the Middle East, a conference held from 10-12 November 2006 at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.
The Centre for Applied Archaeology secured speakers from Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Europe and the USA to discuss approaches to managing cultural heritage and sustainable development in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon. Over 150 participants looked at a range of case studies and debated issues such as reconstruction, heritage management, memory archival, the transferral of skills and resources, the role of the media, antiquities trade, ethical standards, and how policy decisions are made in these circumstances. The conference was supported by the British Academy, the British Council, the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, the Global Heritage Fund and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL.
To address the issues raised during the conference, the UCL Centre for Applied Archaeology is currently working on a Code of Ethics for the engagement of heritage professionals in Cultural Resource Management projects, which will be open for discussion during the WAC Inter-congress in Jamaica 2007 at the session “Localising the global”. Archaeological resource management: participatory processes and ethical codes of conduct” organized by Tim Williams and Stelios Lekakis.
The UCL Centre for Applied Archaeology encourages research, innovation and ethical standards in professional archaeological practice, building links between fieldworkers in commercial practice and colleagues engaged in more academic research. For more information see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/caa
Announcement of Indigenous Heritage Programme, Australia 2007 – 2008
The Indigenous Heritage Programme (IHP) is an Australian government initiative with A$3.5 million available in 2007 – 08 to support project that identify, conserve and promote the Indigenous heritage values of places important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Projects up to $100,00 will be funded.
The Programme may assist with identifying places likely to have outstanding Indigenous heritage value to Australia suitable for inclusion on the National Heritage List (see www.deh.gov.au/heritage/national). Projects dealing with Indigenous heritage values which have/potentially have outstanding heritage value to Australia against one or more of the National Cultural Heritage List criteria will be favourably considered. (see www.deh.gov.au/heritage/national/criteria).
For more information visit the following website: http://www.icc.gov.au/icc/default.html
Brian Prince
Director, Indigenous Heritage Management
Department of the Environment and Heritage
Tel: 02 6274 2290
Mob: 0407 948 313
Brian.Prince@deh.gov.au
6. Excerpts from other archaeological newsletters (used with permission)
6(a) SALON (two editions from December and November 2006)
SALON – the Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter
Salon 154: 11 December 2006
SALON Editor: Christopher Catling
christopher.catling@virgin.net
Selected contents
• Inquiry opens into fate of Stonehenge visitor centre
• Newly discovered view of Stonehenge in medieval manuscript
• UK museums at the bottom of the world acquisitions league
• ‘Inspirational’ 29 million extra visits to national museums
• St Paul’s grave and the trophies of Emperor Maxentius
• Community Archaeology Forum launched
• Vacancy
Inquiry opens into fate of Stonehenge visitor centre
This week’s Salisbury Journal contains an account of the opening of the twoweek public inquiry into English Heritage’s plans to build a new visitor centre for Stonehenge on land east of the Countess Road roundabout in Amesbury.
First to give evidence at the opening of the inquiry on 5 December was the chairman of English Heritage, Sir Neil Cossons, who spoke of the importance of Stonehenge and the need for the scheme. He said that opportunities to interpret at the present site are constrained, with no space for exhibitions, displays or educational facilities, and English Heritage wants the visitor centre to encourage people to spend more time at the monument and its surrounding landscape, including promoting links with Salisbury and Devizes museums. Sir Neil said: ‘This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn a national disgrace into a source of national, regional and local pride, and to create an inspiring and lasting contribution to the cultural legacy of the 2012 Olympics.’
Newly discovered view of Stonehenge in medieval manuscript
Fellow Mike Pitts conducted a survey some years ago when he was curator of the Alexander Keiller Museum in Avebury which showed that a very high proportion of those visitors questioned by Mike estimated the age of the stone circle to be about ‘100 years old’. Back in the fifteenth century, Stonehenge was such an enigma that medieval compilers of historical chronicles known as ‘Scala Mundi’ were not sure whether to place Stonehenge in a Biblical context, as a natural phenomenon (on a par with the Cheddar caves), or as the work of giants and magicians.
Now a newly discovered Scala Mundi, dating from around 1441, not only contains a hitherto unknown drawing of Stonehenge, it places the building of the monument in the later fifth century, and repeats Geoffrey of Monmouth’s tale that Merlin built Stonehenge ‘not by force but by art’ from stones brought from Ireland. The manuscript containing the vignette was discovered in the municipal library at Douai by Christian Heck, History of Art Professor at the University of Lille 3 Charles-de-Gaulle. Written in English and Latin, the manuscript probably came to France with English Catholics studying at the University of Douai, founded in 1559.
Heck made the discovery in 2001 but has only just published his find (in Tributes in Honor of James H. Marrow: studies in painting and manuscript illumination of the late Middle Ages and Northern Renaissance, edited by Jeffrey F Hamburger and Anna Korteweg, published by Harvey Miller/Brepols). Heck writes that this is only the third known medieval illustration of Stonehenge, and the first drawn by an artist who had clearly been to the site Ñü rather than the somewhat schematic depiction of the other two, this vignette shows four free-standing trilithons with tenons on the uprights, the first known depiction of this unique design feature.
Mike Pitts features the tiny drawing on the front cover of the newly published January/February 2007 edition of British Archaeology. It will also feature in the exhibition at the Royal Academy next year to celebrate the Society’s Tercentenary.
UK museums at the bottom of the world acquisitions league
A depressing report published by the Art Fund last month demonstrated that UK museums and galleries are at the bottom of the world league when it comes to finding funds for acquisitions, and that the budgets of our national museums are dwarfed by the sums spent on adding to their collections by the world’s biggest art institutions. The Met in New York spent more than £53m in 2004/5: eight times more than the National Gallery and seventy times more than the British Museum. While the Met was the biggest spender, MoMA in New York spent £20m, the Louvre £16.8m, the Getty in Los Angeles £10.5m and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam £9.7m. The biggest UK spender was the National Gallery, at £6.3m. The Tate spent £4.8m, the V&A £1.3m, and the British Museum trailed at £761,000. The Art Fund research showed that nationally 60 per cent of museums allocated no money whatsoever to collecting new work and only 13 per cent said their ability to collect met their aspirations.
The Art Fund believes the Treasury should learn from overseas tax regimes. Donors in the US can give money to museums tax free: such gifts contributed to just over half of the Met’s spending. In France companies which make donations can deduct 90 per cent of that money from their corporation tax bill.
David Barrie, Director of the Art Fund, said the Treasury tended to roll its eyes when the idea of changing the tax regime was put to it, on the grounds that ‘everyone was asking for help’. He said the figures were so comparatively small that it would be barely noticeable. ‘If Gordon Brown is trying to improve his public image then showing he cares about the arts is one way of doing it.’
‘Inspirational’ 29 million extra visits to national museums
Figures released by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell reveals the extent of the public’s appetite for serious culture, with an increase of 29 million in the number of recorded visits to England’s national museums and galleries over the last five years, an 83 per cent increase in total visits since 2001.
The Government claims credit for this increase and calls the figures ‘inspirational’, because they ‘completely vindicate our decision to put free admission at the heart of our cultural policy since 1997 when the obstacle of entry fees was swept away’. Whether free entry really is the reason for the increase is difficult to say: the figures also show that visits to the national museums that were already or have always been free, such as the National Gallery and the British Museum, also rose by 80 per cent over the same period.
In previous years the DCMS statement on visitor figures has laid great emphasis on the number of visitors from socio-economic classes C2, D and E and socalled minority ethnic groups, but this year the Secretary of State seems happy to celebrate the increase in all visitors, indiscriminately.
The figures released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) relate to the twenty-two institutions that it funds directly. Its subsidy to them is £320 million, of which £40 million is estimated to be the cost of free admission.
Visits to the V&A were up 122 per cent, the Natural History Museum 112 per cent and the Science Museum 81 per cent.
Some museum campaigners would like to see the principle of free admission extended to all collections designated as nationally important. Peter Saunders, Director of the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, wrote to The Times on 5 December 2006 to ask ‘might not the Government encourage the Lottery to support charitable trust museums by providing one-off grants as endowments with which they could fund free entry? The sums would not be huge and I believe could prove equally or even more effective in improving access than capital developments that give rise to additional running costs and thus increased entry fees.’
St Paul’s grave and the trophies of Emperor Maxentius
Two spectacular finds were reported in Rome this week. Vatican authorites are claiming to have discovered
the tomb of St Paul under an altar at St Pauloutside- the-Walls, Rome’s second largest church (after St Peter’s). Though rebuilt in 1823 after a fire, this stands on the remains of a church built by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. Archaeologists say they found St Paul’s remains in a sarcophagus marked with a marble plaque inscribed ‘Paul the Apostle, Martyr’ underneath a stone slab in catacombs dating from the fourth century. The sarcophagus is said to date from AD 390 when the Emperor Theodosius ‘saved’ the remains and moved them to the site, near the Appian Way. According to the Bible, St Paul was imprisoned in Rome and eventually beheaded in the city around AD 64.
Constantine famously used the Cross of Christ as his battle banner at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 when he defeated Maxentius, junior emperor in the imperial Tetrarchy, to become ruler of the entire Western Roman Empire. Excavation under Rome’s Palatine Hill near the Colosseum has now turned up what are claimed as the imperial insignia of the defeated Emperor Maxentius, consisting of three lances and four javelins along with an imperial sceptre with a carved flower and a globe, and a number of glass spheres, believed to be a symbolic representation of the earth. The items were buried inside wooden boxes and wrapped in linen and silk. Clementina Panella, the archaeologist who made the discovery, said the insignia were probably hidden by the supporters of Maxentius in an attempt to preserve the emperor’s memory and to prevent their destruction at the hands of the enemy.
Community Archaeology Forum launched
The Council for British Archaeology has launched a dedicated online resource for community archaeology groups across the UK, enabling them to share the results of their work online using wiki technology, which enables web pages to be built collectively (the same technology that is used to power the Wikipedia online encyclopaedia).
The Community Archaeology Forum (CAF) enables users to create pages and upload material to gain a greater profile for their project, to share ideas with others and to start discussions about the interpretation of the material they have found. They may want to look at other projects to get ideas about how to tackle their own archaeological site, building or survey, or simply because they are interested in what others have found.
Dr Dan Hull, the CBA’s Head of Information & Communications, says that ‘CAF is a developing resource and will, in time, contain advice and guidance pages helping community archaeology projects to achieve high standards of research, fieldwork and interpretation. Useful links, suggested reading and other resources can be added. It is not, however, meant as a formal and final repository of archaeological data Ñü rather, it is a forum for displaying and discussing work in progress.’
As well as viewing the CAF website, you can also follow the ‘Discussion List’ link to stay in touch with the latest events and opinions in community archaeology.
Vacancy
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge, Deputy Director Salary £43,638 to £46,295; closing date 12 January 2007
Applications are invited for the post of Deputy Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. The role of the Deputy Director is to support the Director in overseeing the administration and research activity of the McDonald Institute, the latter including its grant, monograph publication and conference programmes. The post-holder will be actively engaged in research in any field of archaeology and will contribute to graduate research and supervision and teaching programmes in archaeology.
Further particulars and an application form (PD18) may be obtained from Sara Harrop: slh30@cam.ac.uk
SALON – the Society of Antiquaries of London Online Newsletter Salon 153: 27 November 2006
Selected contents
• Making and Preserving American History in 2006
• Antiquity makes a bold attempt to change the way we structure time
• Proposal to close God’s House Tower Museum in Southampton
• Journey to the New World: London 1606 to Virginia 1607
• Scammers target archaeologists
• Third Annual Ename International Colloquium: call for papers
Making and Preserving American History in 2006
Our Fellow Ian Burrow, Vice-President of the New Jersey-based historical resource consultancy, Hunter Research, has news of two recent events that seem likely to have a positive effect on historic preservation in the US.
Ian writes: ‘Fellows may recall reports in Salon last year on the strenuous efforts made by the US historic preservation community to protect key provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act under threat of repeal. The significant change in the political landscape of Washington DC as a result of the November elections bodes well. With Democrats now in the majority in both Houses there is good reason to expect an end to the shameless and relentless attempts to weaken or rescind all the major environmental and historic preservation statutes.
‘Of key importance for the future is the Republicans’ loss of control of the congressional committees where the real work is done on legislation. This, combined with the steadily growing bi-partisan Historic Preservation Caucus in the House of Representatives, means that prospects are much better than a year ago. Particularly satisfying in the rout of the Republican ideologues was the ousting of Congressman Richard Pombo of California, the prime mover behind these efforts and an extreme property rights advocate.
‘While the Congressional majority has been hostile Ñü or at best indifferent Ñü to historic preservation, the Executive Branch, paradoxically, has been vocal in its enthusiasm for history. The White House’s “Preserve America Initiative” has, as a prime focus, the use of historic assets to promote economic development.
‘That program has now taken on a wider significance. In October 2006 over 450 people, all invitees from a wide range of historic preservation backgrounds (including myself), met in a still-battered New Orleans for the first Preserve America Summit. The objective of the meeting was to assess the effectiveness of the Federal historic preservation program on the fortieth anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act.
‘This was a high-profile event. Keynote speakers included First Lady Laura Bush (who also participated in some workshop sessions), John Nau, Chair of the crucial Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, senior members of Congress and the leaders of several Federal agencies. While cynics might point to both the location and the timing of the Summit as being politically determined, the fact remains that senior political figures made ringing endorsements of the importance of historic preservation in the US.
‘The main work of the Summit was to review the recommendations of eleven panels that had met in the previous months. The final plenary session presented a consolidated list of sixty specific proposals. These fell under five main headings: Identification (better and more inclusive documentation of the nation’s patrimony); Enhancement (better management of resources); Sustainability (highlighting the economic benefits of preservation and promoting best practices); Education (more history in the school curriculum, better training for historic preservation practitioners); and Leadership (stronger commitment to implementation of current law, and a strong recommendation that the US reengage with the international community over such issues as the World Heritage Sites program).
‘The draft reports covering all th
ese issues are now available for public comment on the Preserve America Summit website. Comments are invited by 16 January 2007. The final report will be submitted to the February 2007 meeting of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, who will then approve and present it to the President and Congress.’
Antiquity makes a bold attempt to change the way we structure time
The new Antiquity to be published on 1 December 2006 takes the bold step of dividing human time on earth into ten chronological periods. The old three-age system, argues the editor, Fellow Martin Carver, originally invented to describe Danish National Museum collections in the nineteenth century, are still useful, but don’t happen everywhere at the same time. In his Editorial, Martin Carver proposes that the common chronology provided by radiocarbon dating means we can all participate in a common prehistory back to 26,000 years ago and beyond. An integrated world prehistory now seems possible, he says, and ‘a neutral taxonomy of time could help to link prehistoric fragments that we can now begin to suspect were never totally isolated from each other’.
The new scheme is suggested by a key paper on radiocarbon dating published in Antiquity by Christopher Bronk Ramsey of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, and colleagues from the universities of Sheffield, Reading, Belfast and Leiden. They show that radiocarbon dates can be calibrated with calendar dates using tree rings back to 12,400 years ago. Between 12,400 and 26,000 cal BP, the calibration curves are based on marine records, and thus are only a best estimate of the atmospheric concentrations that control the quantity of the 14C isotope. Earlier than 26,000 cal BP, there is no calibration and dates have to be based on comparison (rather than calibration) from a variety of sources. Radical variations are thus possible in this period, a matter highly significant for the dating of middle and lower Palaeolithic art, artefacts and animal and human remains.
Here are Antiquity’s ten periods (along with some of the discoveries reported in the journal during 2006 that fall into each of these periods):
1. Before 24,000 BC: hunter-gatherers in the Sahara; use of beads for ornament in Australia; horse and rhino images on the Margot Cave, France
2. Twenty-fourth to thirteenth millennia BC: earliest pottery in east Asia; male and female hand stencils in cave art
3. Thirteenth to sixth millennia BC: seed processing in America; rice cultivation in China; migration to Taiwan; wells and water-management in Israel; flint mining in Iberia; salt production in France
4. Fifth millennium BC: sea travel in Persian Gulf
5. Fourth millennium BC: class distinction at Abydos, Egypt; mound burials in the Urals
6. Third millennium BC: fortified settlements in Greece; Beaker Age stone bracers in England; copper industry in south-western Iberia; ceremonial centre on the Euphrates
7. Second millennium BC: first chariot burials in Eurasia; early settlement in the Pacific; megalithic burial rites on Menorca; Biblical radiocarbon dates in Jordan; stone circle astronomy in Ireland
8. First millennium BC: warrior stelae in Spain; olive cultivation in Egypt; cave painting in New Caledonia; mummification and pyramidal cairns in continental east Asia; Indian traders on Bali; settlement in the Florida Everglades
9. First millennium AD: geoglyphs in Peru; settlers of Iceland; vegetation at Angkor, Cambodia; auroch bones in France; Maya murals from Guatemala; Tang pottery in Sri Lanka
10. Second millennium AD: ritual road on Rarotonga; mound burials of the Golden Horde; tree cults in Russia; taro cultivation on Rapa, French Polynesia; images of anthills in Zimbabwe; burial in medieval Mongolia; Aztec irrigation systems; sites and monuments on the moon (think about it: Ed).
A full list of all articles published in this issue, including those published in the open-access Project Gallery, is available on the Antiquity website.
Journey to the New World: London 1606 to Virginia 1607
This new exhibition at the Museum of London’s Museum in Docklands marks the 400th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America at James Towne, Virginia. It will run until 13 May 2007, 400 years to the day since the London adventurers landed in America with a charter from James I to ‘make habitation, plantation and … deduce a colony of sundry of our people’ between the French-occupied lands to the north of the St Lawrence river and Spanish territories in Florida.
The museum is located a short distance from the Blackwall dock from where the Virginia Company of London’s ships departed for America in three small merchant ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery in 1606, and a replica of the Discovery will be moored in the West India Quay outside the Museum in Docklands for visitors to explore.
The objects in the exhibition include recently excavated seventeenth-century finds from Jamestown which have never been exhibited before as well as material drawn from the Museum in Docklands’ own permanent collection. They include bodices and beads, coins and cups, prints, charts, maps, astronomical and maritime instruments and they are used to provide evidence about the colonists’ diet, health and lifestyles, their relationship with the local indigenous peoples and their early attempts to manufacture goods for trade, leading to the eventual prosperity of the colony based on tobacco.
Scammers target archaeologists
It doesn’t seem to have occurred to scammers who seek to extract money from people by fraudulent means that most archaeologists are far too poor to have money to give away. But just in case you are one of the minority with cash to spare, you need to be aware that email scammers are becoming more sophisticated in their methods and are targeting people by asking for donations to fictitious charities, inventing names that are likely to appeal to the interests of the email recipient.
Our Fellow Vincent Megaw, for example, has been informed that the ‘Archaeological Society Foundation’ in conjunction with the ‘United Nations Environmental Protection Commission’ has selected him for an award for his work as a ‘worldwide environmental expert, practitioner, teacher and consultant’. The ‘Archaeological Society Foundation’ was up, apparently, to encourage ‘programs that help the local environment, heritage, and natural resources. It provides support to organizations and individuals that focus on preservation of the natural environment and support conservation in a noteworthy manner [sic].’
Needless to say, no such bodies exist, though there is no doubt a Nigerian bank account in the Foundation’s name that happily accepts donations.
Third Annual Ename International Colloquium: call for papers
The Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in the Belgian Province of East Flanders was founded in 1998 out of the experience gained by the Ename 974 Project, a comprehensive programme of archaeological excavation, architectural restoration, and public outreach based in the village of Ename within the municipality of Oudenaarde in the Province of East-Flanders. The Ename Centre’s continuing goal is to develop a wide range of heritage presentation techniques and programmes based on high scholarly standards of archaeological and historical research.
The Centre’s Third Annual Ename International Colloquium will be held in Ghent, Belgium, on 21 to 24 March 2007 and papers are now being sought on the theme of The Future of the Heritage: changing visions, attitudes and contexts in the twenty-first century. The organisers are seeking innovative contribution from heritage administrators, cultural economists, archaeologists, historians, educators and cultural policy specia
lists under the following four themes: Philosophy and Public Policy, Economics, Technologies and Community Participation.
Abstracts for poster presentations, short papers (10 minutes) and research papers (20 minutes) on these themes (maximum of 300 words, in English) will be accepted until 1 December 2006 by email to colloquium program co-ordinator Claudia Liuzza. For additional information, see the Ename Center website.
6(b) ICOMOS (Australia) (six editions from December and November 2006)
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 261
15th December, 2006
Selected contents
· Extreme Heritage
· New Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage Management at Flinders University in 2007
Extreme Heritage:
Advance Notice of the 2007 Australia ICOMOS Conference
The 2007 Conference will be held in Cairns, Tropical North Queensland in conjunction with James Cook University from the 19th -21st July 2007. Extreme Heritage: managing heritage in the face of climactic extremes, natural disasters and military conflicts in tropical, desert, polar and off-world landscapes; will provide the perfect forum to bring together researchers and practitioners grappling with some of the most topical issues in heritage today. Sessions already proposed include
Off world heritage: the heritage of space exploration
People, climate change and heritage
Heritage and Identity
Managing disaster and risk preparedness
War of attrition: environmental effects of extreme climates.
Managing heritage in the wake of war and conflict
Pacific Heritage
The Conference organising committee is calling for expressions of interest from people interested in co-coordinating sessions. If you have a great idea for a session that you would like to organise that is consistent with the conference theme please email the session title and a short 150 word abstract describing it to susan.mcintyretamwoy@jcu.edu.au. Closing date for submission of session topics is 15th December 2006.
New Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage Management at Flinders University in 2007
Flinders University is very pleased to announce the introduction of a Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage Management which will commence in Semester 1, 2007.
Flinders University is one of the few universities in Australia to bring a combination of archaeological and tourism expertise to the issues of cultural heritage management. The course is run jointly by the Department of Archaeology and the Department of Cultural Tourism, with assistance from experts in legal studies, professional studies and environmental management. A key facet of the course is the input from industry partners, such as the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc., the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), the Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH), the History Trust of South Australia, and the South Australian State Branch of the National Trust. The program has been specifically designed to offer a creative and relevant pathway to cultural heritage management practice and to provide the best possible combination of theoretical, practical and applied knowledge.
The Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage Management has been designed to meet the needs of graduates with an interest in managing all forms of cultural heritage. It aims to increase your theoretical knowledge and research skills, as well as the practical skills required to develop an appropriate depth of understanding of issues in cultural heritage management across a number of specialisations. Students will undertake core topics in cultural heritage management, project management, and legal issues relevant to cultural heritage. You may also select elective topics based on your specific interests.
Further information about the programs can be seen by accessing the Flinders University website at
http://www.flinders.edu.au/courses/postgrad/cult.herit.mgmt.htm
or by contacting the Course Coordinator Dr Lynley Wallis (Lynley.Wallis@flinders.edu.au)
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 260
8th December, 2006
Selected contents:
· International Symposium on “Studies on Historical Heritage-SHH07”
· Call for Papers Third International Architectural Paint Research Conference 2008
International Symposium on “Studies on Historical Heritage-SHH07”
Antalya Turkey, September 2007
Dear Colleagues,
Yildiz Technical University, Research Center for Preservation of Historical Heritage is pleased to announce the organization of the International Symposium on ” Studies on Historical Heritage-SHH07″ to be held between September 17- 21,2007 in Antalya, Turkey. The symposium will be as a continuation of the previous International Symposia entitled “Studies in Ancient Structures-SAS” held in 1997 and 2001 in Istanbul.
INTRODUCTION:
Research Center for Preservation of Historical Heritage, established in 2005 in Yýldýz Technical University, organizes an International Symposium on “Studies on Historical Heritage” in Antalya. The symposium will be as a continuation of the previous international symposia entitled “Studies in Ancient Structures” held in Istanbul in 1997 and 2001.
Antalya, known as Pamphilia in history, was inhabited 50 thousand years ago and housed Hittites, Phyrgians, Lydians, Greeks, Romans, Seljukians and Ottomans. From 2nd century B.C. on the name of the place has been known successively as Attaleis, Adalia, Adalya and finally Antalya. Housing many historical remains from these periods, Antalya is one of the most suitable places to communicate the rapid advances made in theoretical and applied aspects of studies in preservation of historical heritage.
This symposium is aimed to provide an international and multi-disciplinary meeting for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss past, present and future of historical art and architectural heritage and their environments. It will bring together historians, art historians, archaeologists, architects, engineers, scientists, building surveyors, urban planners, and other specialists to exchange their analytical, experimental, historical and constructional experiences and studies in preservation of historical heritage.
VENUE:
Dedeman Resort, Antalya ( www.dedemanhotels.com)
PRESENTATIONS:
The official language of the symposium is English. All papers should be written and presented in English. Simultaneous translation will be provided only into Turkish. Both oral and poster presentations will take place. Proceedings will be available at the registration desk.
CALL FOR PAPERS:
The abstract of two pages should include;
• a brief description
• experiments or technical developments
• results
• relevant conclusions on the topics outlined above.
Figures can also be included in abstracts. Abstracts should be submitted to the Organizing Committee not later than January 26, 2007 via e-mail.
TIME SCHEDULE :
• Submission of Abstracts January 26, 2007
• Preliminary Acceptance March 09, 2007
• Final Submission April 27, 2007
• Final Acceptance June 15, 2007
• Last Date for Early Registration July 13, 2007
REGISTRATION FEE :
The symposium fee will include participation in all technical sessions, lunches, coffee breaks, reception, technical t
our and symposium dinner.
Yýldýz Technical University
Research Center for Preservation of Historical Heritage (TA-MIR)
34349 Yýldýz, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel : + 90 212 2612004
Fax : + 90 212 2585140
E-mail : shh07@yildiz.edu.tr
Web : www.shh07.yildiz.edu.tr
Call for Papers Third International Architectural Paint Research Conference 2008
The Third International Architectural Paint Research Conference is sending out a call for papers for the January 17-19, 2008 Conference to be held in New York City at Columbia University. In addition to paint, we will also be including relevant papers on stains, varnishes, glazes, gilding, and wallpaper.
There will be five sessions covering the following topics:
· Cultural Significance. The examination of finishes as a social, economic and cultural component of material culture. Papers can address issues such as color taste and history.
· Paint materials and their development. This is a history of technology session.
· Health and safety as related to finishes which can include possible alternatives to historic finishes that no longer meet health and safety requirements or issues that arise in the recreating of historic finishes or handcrafted finishes.
· Analytical and instrumental techniques used in architectural research and standards for these techniques.
· Replicating, recreating and conservation of historic finishes. Papers should address the context of the finish and how the work is being physically reproduced.
All papers that discuss case studies should address one of the topics and the presenters are encouraged to demonstrate how the case study contributes to the field of architectural paint research by providing in-depth analysis of what was learned in the course of the study or project. Presentations are to be 30 minutes in length and are to be in English.
Abstracts should be 250 to 300 words, in English and must include the title, the name of the speaker or speakers, the address of the speaker and any institution they are representing, email address of the speaker and the speaker’s resume.
Abstracts are due March 1, 2007 and should be sent to maj152@columbia.edu or if you are sending by regular mail, Mary Jablonski, Historic Preservation Program, GSAPP, 400 Avery, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 259
1st December, 2006
Selected contents:
· Pésame Freddy Guidi
· ACHP Forum: Heritage Tourism and Archaeology Challenges and Opportunities
· News from ICCROM
Pésame Freddy Guidi
Australia ICOMOS is saddened to learn of the recent loss of Freddy Guidi, President of ICOMOS Argentina. We join colleagues worldwide in acknowledging his valuable contribution to ICOMOS and offer our condolences to those close to him and to our fellow ICOMOS colleagues in Argentina.
Peter Phillips,
President
Australia ICOMOS
ACHP Forum: Heritage Tourism and Archaeology Challenges and Opportunities
Society for Historical Archaeology
2007 Annual Meeting
Williamsburg, VA
Abstract: What is the public importance of the story that archaeological resources can tell? What are the current and potential uses of the archaeological resources? What are the financial and social costs associated with making archaeological resources available for heritage tourism? Are there costs associated with not making them available through tourism? These are a few of the questions this forum will explore in the context of the Preserve America initiative and Executive Order 13287, which call for Federal leadership in the preservation and use of the nation’s heritage, and which provide ideal vehicles for the promotion of archaeological information to the public. Given that the majority of archaeological excavations in the US are conducted pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and much of it with public funds, interpretation and tourism programs are crucial in providing the public with a return on its archaeological investment. This interactive forum identifies some of the public and private challenges of promoting archaeological tourism as a part of historic preservation. Panelists include perspectives from Federal, tribal, state, and local managers and a cultural economist.
Some issues to explore:
The resource what are the physical manifestations of the archaeological resource or resources, and how do their physical features lend themselves to being viewed and understood by members of the public?
What are the ascribed values associated with the archaeological resource?
What implications do site location and ownership have on its potential for tourism?
What are the general and particular management needs and potential for the archaeological resource, and what are the optimal solutions for providing such management?
What is the potential market and audience for tourism use of this archaeological resource?
Southeast Archeological Center
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
2035 E. Paul Dirac Drive
Johnson Building, Suite 120
Tallahassee, Florida 32310 USA
– – – – – – – – – –
Phone: 850-580-3011 extension 243
Fax: 850-580-2884
E-mail: john_jameson@nps.gov
http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/
News from ICCROM
ICCROM e-News provides updates on what is happening in and around ICCROM. To visit the web site, http://www.iccrom.org/index.shtml
COURSE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cultural Impact Assessment and Maritime Archaeology
28 November. Applications are now open for the Cultural Impact Assessment and Maritime Archaeology, 2007 Field School of the UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy for Heritage Management (AAHM), to be held in Sri Lanka from 1 9 April 2007
Application deadline: 31 December 2006
http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=4944
Reducing Risks to Collections 2007
28 November. Applications are now open for the Reducing Risks to Collections 2007 to be held in Romania from 1 8 June – 6 July 2007 .
Application deadline: 29 January 2007
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/01train_en/announce_en/2007_06risksROM_en.shtml
SOIMA 2007: Safeguarding sound and image collections, Brazil.
19 September. Applications are now open for the Course on Safeguarding sound and image collections to be held in Brazil from 6 31 August 2007.
Application deadline: 10 January 2007
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/01train_en/announce_en/2007_08SoimaBRA_en.shtml
NEWS
Events, grants, job opportunities, websites, etc.
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2006_en/field_en/12misc_en.shtml
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation concludes in Canada
24 November. The international course on Preventive Conservation: Reducing Risks to Collections concluded at th
e Canadian Conservation Institute.
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2006_en/events_en/11_23courseRisks_en.shtml
ICCROM 72nd Council meeting
23 November. The ICCROM Council met in Rome from 13-18 November for its 72nd ordinary session.
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2006_en/events_en/11_21eventCouncil72_en.shtml
PUBLICATIONS
Introducing Young People to Heritage Site Management and Protection
14 November. The second edition of ‘Introducing Young People to Heritage Site Management and Protection: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers in the Arab Region’ is now available.
http://www.iccrom.org/eng/news_en/2006_en/various_en/11_13pubATHAR_en.shtml
ICCROM
iccrom@iccrom.org
http://www.iccrom.org
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 257
17 November, 2006
Conference Report
Annual conference in Fremantle: Challenge and Change in Ports, their Towns and Cities
The conference was held last week in Fremantle and attracted a large number of delegates (including many non-ICOMOS members) to the Fremantle Town Hall to hear some fascinating papers by local and overseas speakers, on port cities including Gdansk, Capetown and Portsmouth as well as Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle itself.
Among the highlights of the conference was the speech at the conference dinner by Dr Carmen Lawrence, MP, on the Burrup Peninsula, followed by a surprise visit from the Prime Minister (or possibly not) and a hugely successful raffle that raised over $1,000 towards our Indigenous and Pacific Training funds. The minute of silence on November 11, in the atrium of the Town Hall with the Last Post floating through the door from the ceremony outside, was another memorable moment.
At lunchtime that day, the conference delegates passed the following resolution on the Burrup Peninsula:
Delegates to the Australia ICOMOS Annual Conference in Fremantle on 11 November 2006,
· Noting the listing of the Burrup Peninsula Rock Art sites in the International ICOMOS Typological Study of Rock Art;
· Noting the listing of the Burrup Peninsula Rock Art sites on the World Monuments Fund Watch list of the one hundred most endangered sites;
· Noting that the Minister, Senator Ian Campbell, has invited comments on the proposed inclusion of the Dampier Archipelago (including the Burrup Peninsula) on the National Heritage List by the 28th November;
· Noting the assessment provided to the Minister by the Australian Heritage Council and its recommendation to add the place to the National Heritage List; and
· Noting with concern that proposed industrial development for the area may further detrimentally affect the significant values of the Rock Art sites and cultural landscape,
RESOLVED to ask the Executive Committee of Australia ICOMOS to request the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, the Premier of Western Australia, the Hon Alan Carpenter, and the Western Australian Minister for Heritage, the Hon Michelle Roberts, to act with urgency to:
· Ensure that the cultural heritage values of the Rock Art sites and their cultural landscape are retained and protected and that any activities on the sites retain and respect these values;
· Ensure that an appropriate and effective environmental and heritage management regime, in accordance with the principles and processes of the Australia ICOMOS Code on the Co-Existence of Cultural Values and the Burra Charter, is established to protect the sites and their vicinity; and
· Request that alternative sites be investigated for the proposed development, which would avoid adverse heritage impacts on the Burrup sites and their cultural landscape.
This resolution was endorsed in the form above by the Executive Committee of Australia ICOMOS, at its meeting on 12 November 2006.
As mentioned in the e-news on 20 October, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage has invited public submissions on the recommendation of the Australian Heritage Council to place the Burrup sites on the National Heritage List. The draft assessment of the sites and other documentation can be found on the DEH web site. Submissions in writing will be received until 28 November. I encourage all Australia ICOMOS members to read the material on the web site and to make a submission if they wish to do so.
We are planning to make the text of Dr Lawrence’s speech available on our own web site. There will be a fuller report from the conference once the organisers have recovered! My grateful thanks to the Conference Organising and Steering Committees and our sponsors, especially the City of Fremantle, for producing a really great event.
Peter Phillips
President
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 256
17 November, 2006
Selected contents:
· Call For Papers: “Heritage and the Environment” – Scotland
Call For Papers:
“Heritage and the Environment” – Scotland
SIN AM FEARANN CAOIN*
This is the Pleasant Land
A Conference on ‘Heritage and the Environment’ jointly organised by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye and Heritage Futures, Glasgow Caledonian University
June 20th to June 22nd 2007, with optional excursions on June 23rd Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
Landscape and the environment are critical concepts and realities of contemporary culture and politics. To be better understood requires scrutiny of ‘the past’ incorporating multiple sources of evidence and deepening insights. What are these insights and how will they inform perceptions, decisions and actions of the present and the future?
Taking as inspiration the rich and unique resource of Gaelic culture to develop innovative and challenging discourses, this conference will be held in the Isle of Skye, a setting that will provide inspiration and direction for the discussions. Gaelic culture is uniquely placed to deepen our understanding by offering important insights and fresh perspectives drawing on an enormously expanded body of evidence. Importantly this will allow the role of people to be highlighted and will locate them within their landscape. The reconsideration and reexamination of Gaelic sources offers a distinctive view of Scottish history which will seek to move away from traditional assumptions and challenge current popular perceptions of Gaelic culture.
This conference will examine the role of the environment and give fresh insights into the relationship of people and the environment. Both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary conversations will occur across traditional subject areas and in a variety of contexts. Underlying these ideas will be the consideration of how Gaelic culture, both tangible and intangible, will add significantly to larger discourses of landscape and the environment. In a departure from conventional approaches we are keen to explore these issues from the widest possible perspective acknowledging both the particular and the universal.
Call for Papers
Papers are now invited for presentation at the conference. A number of themes are offered to help direct initial thoughts, and international keynote speakers will be invited to introduce some
of the key themes and to stimulate discussion. These include (but are not limited to):
· people and livelihood;
· ownership and occupation;
· symbolism and tradition;
· language, literature and song;
· settlement and migration;
· trade;
· home and leisure;
· memory, representation and interpretation.
Papers are welcomed from a wide variety of disciplines from all areas of the arts, humanities and sciences and are encouraged in both Gaelic and English. An abstract of 500 words with contact details, should be submitted by 30 November 2006 to Fiona McLean, Heritage Futures, Glasgow Caledonian University, Buchanan House, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland, UK. Or by email attachment to fmc2@gcal.ac.uk
Authors will be notified if their papers have been successful by 15 December 2006. A preliminary programme will be available on the conference web site from 20 February 2007, with the final programme available on 1 May 2007. It is intended that the proceedings from the conference will be published online, and the best papers from the conference will be published in a special issue of the ‘International Journal of Heritage Studies’.
Venue
The conference will be held at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in the Isle of Skye, Scotland from 20th to 22nd June, 2007. On the 21st June, an excursion has been organised to the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore, where a number of the themes raised at the conference will be addressed, particularly representation and interpretation. There will also be an opportunity on 23rd June to visit some of the sites which will be under discussion, including the Isles of Canna and Raasay, the Knoydart peninsula, and locations within the Isle of Skye.
For further details about the conference please contact either Fiona McLean fmc2@gcal.ac.uk), Mary-Cate Garden (mga6@gcal.ac.uk), or Hugh Cheape (H.Cheape@nms.ac.uk). For details about the venue and accommodation and to register for the conference please go to the conference web site at:
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/mce2007/index.php
* Taken from ‘Moladh Beinn Dòbhrain’ by Duncan Ban Macintyre c1765
Australia ICOMOS E-Mail News No. 255
10 November, 2006
Selected contents:
· Call for participation to ICOMOS members: ICOMOS Scientific programme on Global Climate change
· Nominations for the 2008 World Monuments Watch list Deadline 15 January 2007
· Global Heritage Review – Fall 2006 issue
Call for participation to ICOMOS members:
ICOMOS Scientific programme on Global Climate change
Message from John Hurd, President of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee please respond to hurdcon@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Colleagues,
Global Climate Change has emerged as an important topic for discussion by Conservation professionals.
The ICOMOS Scientific Council have opened discussions towards an ICOMOS scientific programme with an exploratoryreport supported by the ISC’s , Polar Heritage, Earthen Architectural Heritage and Risk Preparedness, presented at the meeting of Scientific Council in Edinburgh, last month.
Interest in the topic is now growing.
There are many important scientists and professionals within the National Committees who are not members of the International Scientific Committee and those individuals who wish to be engaged in discussions on Global Climate Change are invited to communicate their interest to me, for forwarding to the Scientific Council in due course.
Please email to hurdcon@yahoo.co.uk in order to register individual interest in the Global Climate Change scientific topic. I will do my best to keep information flowing in this interesting research.
With best regards and many thanks,
John Hurd.
President ICOMOS Advisory Committee.
Nominations for the 2008 World Monuments Watch list Deadline for submission 15 January 2007
Received from ICOMOS International:
Dear Colleagues,
As I’m sure you know by now, the World Monuments Fund is currently seeking out (and accepting) nominations to the World Monuments Watch list for 2008, which will be selected next May. The deadline for submission of nominations is January 15, 2007. Michael Petzet, President of ICOMOS, will again be part of the selection panel.
The World Monuments Fund would like to reach out to as many people as possible to gather as many quality nominations as they can this year and they are hoping that ICOMOS could help.
You can download a copy of the nomination form from the WMF website: www.wmf.org. It is available in English, French, and Spanish. The Call for Nominations “flyer,” (in English & French), is also available.
ICOMOS has been an important partner for WMF in the Watch Program and our WMF colleagues hope that you will be able to help them to let as many of your colleagues and partners know about the opportunity to nominate sites to the list so that they can be protected.
If you have any questions please contact :
Michelle L. Berenfeld, Ph.D.
Program Manager
World Monuments Fund
95 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10016
ph: +1 646 424-9594, ext. 231
fx: +1 646 424-9593
mberenfeld@wmf.org
“Global Heritage Review” Volume 10 Fall, 2006
The Fall 2006 issue is now available contact: news@globalheritagefund.org
Australia ICOMOS Secretariat
Nola Miles, Secretariat Officer
Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific
Deakin University
221 Burwood Highway
Burwood Victoria 3125
Telephone: (03) 9251 7131
Facsimile: (03) 9251 7158
Email: austicomos@deakin.edu.au
http://www.icomos.org/australia