EAZ – Ethnographisch-Archaeologische Zeitschrift

Practice Indiscipline: Exploring a Common Ground between Archaeology and Ethnography

Alexander Veling, Johannes Coughlan — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Archaeology and ethnography have been seen as closely related disciplines for a long time. One reason for this is that both fields introduced the concept of practice early in their theoretical development. Recently, theoretical debates on practices have undergone several conceptual shifts, enabling new interdisciplinary interactions and transdisciplinary hybridizations. We argue that contemporary theories of social practices are ideally suited to establish a common methodological ground for these fields in three main areas: the field site, materiality and temporality. We suggest using a common conceptual language for these disciplines, incorporating the notions of situatedness, participation and the simultaneous ‘archaeologization of the contemporary’ and ‘contemporization of the archaeological.’ Such a framework can enable (contemporary) archaeologists and (sociological) ethnographers to communicate their research more effectively and potentially foster closer collaborations in the future.

In Search of Traces: Women in Archaeology Since the Late 18th Century

Elsbeth Bösl, Doris Gutsmiedl-Schümann — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Historical-biographical approaches are useful ways of addressing gender issues in the history of science. We present our approaches, methods and sources and demonstrate the potential but also the limitations of historical-biographical research in its respective temporal and social contexts by examining the biographies of selected early female archaeologists. We begin in the late 18th century, when archaeology was just emerging as an independent discipline, and continue into the 21st century.

The Division of Labour in the Iron Age – On the Informative Value of Situla Art

Clara Schaller — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Distributed in Northern Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia from the 7th to 4th century B.C., Situla Art is known for its narrative depictions, which, at first glance, makes it a good subject for examining the division of labour and gender roles.
In addition to the binary understanding of gender, the analysis of the subjects and activities depicted in Situla Art shows a distinct division of labour between women and men, though men are depicted much more frequently and are assigned a broader spectrum of activities than women. However, an analysis of grave goods and contemporary works of art presents a more nuanced picture that contrasts with the narratives in Situla Art. In some instances, the division of tasks along gender lines is less pronounced, and roles not represented in Situla Art are visible. Additionally, the picture drawn from mentioned grave goods and Situla Art is incomplete, since they barely reflect the wide variety of crafts that were certainly carried out at the time. The activities depicted in Situla Art appear to be highly selective, serving more as a reflection of the ideals held by specific elite groups rather than an accurate representation of reality. Consequently, these depictions should be interpreted as an effort to reinforce particular societal concepts rather than providing a true depiction of labour division.

Ethnoarchaeology of Livelihood Practices: Report on the International Conference in Barcelona, 16–18 October 2024

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The international conference Ethnoarchaeology of Livelihood Practices: Exploring the Nexus of Food Production, Resource Management and Sustainability was hosted at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, from October 16th to 18th, 2024. This event was co-organized by Spanish and Italian institutions and funded by the project CAMP – (Re)Constructing the Archaeology of Mobile Pastoralism and the Department of Humanities of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The conference gathered a diverse group of participants, including esteemed experts in ethnoarchaeology and enthusiastic early-career researchers, who attended both in-person and online. The case studies and more general discussion papers covered four main topics: (1) reflections on the discipline, (2) Traditional Ecological Knowledge, (3) pastoralism and (4) social aspects of food and resources. A key point emphasized in several presentations was the importance of including and involving local communities, which was encouraged as a vital component for future collaborations.

Ivana Fiore and Francesca Lugli (Eds.). Dogs, Past and Present: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Archaeopress Archaeology 2023

Stefano Biagetti — Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Duncan Garrow and Neil Wilkin. The World of Stonehenge, London, The British Museum Press 2022

Berthold Riese — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Editorial: Confessions of a Middle-Aged Ethnoarchaeologist (Introduction by M. Wunderlich)

Stefano Biagetti — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100