Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Cultural Heritage? A Personal Tale from Tell Mozan in Syria
2021-02-24 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Dr. Giorgio Buccellati, Research Professor and Director, Mesopotamian Lab, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLADr. Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati, Visiting Professor, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLAWednesday February 24th, 12:00pm (PT)Urkesh was one of the first cities in history, dating back to the fourth millennium. It is, today, a large cultural hill, known as Tell Mozan, in northeastern Syria, an area ravaged by war.The Mesopotamians were already aware of the history hidden in the tells which, even then, dotted the countryside. Here is a Sumerian text:Where is Gilgameš, who, like (his ancestor) Ziusudra, sought (eternal) life? Where are those great kings who came long before our own days? Above there are the houses where they dwelt, but it is below that there are the houses that last forever.And here is a Babylonian text:Go up any of the ancient tells and walk about see the skulls of people from ages past and from yesteryear: can you tell the difference?Even the word for “tell” is still the same today as it was then. We may see here, four millennia ago, the beginning of community archaeology. It is the awareness of a life hidden in the ground where our roots sink deeply.This will be both a personal tale and one about theory. Personal, because we want to share how we have come gradually to feel more and more the impact of what the question mark in the title of our talk implies. And yet theoretical, because we have always questioned this growing awareness of ours for conservation and heritage, trying to see why community archaeology is in fact, as it must be, simply and purely “better” archaeology.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Indigenous Peoples, Iberian Colonists, and Culture Contact: Architectural Dialogues at the Berry Site, Upper Catawba Valley, Western North Carolina, 1400-1600
2021-02-17 12:00
Dr. Chris RodningProfessor, Department of Anthropology, Tulane UniversityWednesday February 17th, 12:00pm (PT)During the sixteenth century AD, several Spanish conquistadors led expeditions that traversed large areas of what is now the southeastern U.S., the province of the Americas known to Iberians as La Florida, and an area of Native North America home to groups of people associated with manifestations of the Mississippian cultural tradition, and the ancestors of historic and modern Catawba, Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and other Indigenous peoples. One of the most prolonged early encounters and entanglements between Indigenous people and Iberian colonists in the northern borderlands of La Florida was centered at the Berry site, located along the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. This site represents the location of a major settlement within the Native American province and polity of Joara, and the location of the Spanish colonial outpost of Fort San Juan and its related town of Cuenca, which was founded in late 1566 but was abandoned in early 1568. Archaeological excavations at the Berry site have identified remnants of Native American occupation before the Spanish entradas led by Hernando de Soto (1539-1543) and Juan Pardo (1566-1568), the archaeological footprints of Fort San Juan and structures nearby that housed Pardo and his men, and remnants of structures and features that likely postdate the Indigenous conquest of Fort San Juan, including wood-and-earth structures and an earthen mound. This talk considers documentary evidence from the Soto and Pardo expeditions, with particular emphasis on the Pardo entradas between 1566 and 1568, as well as archaeological finds at the Berry site. My interpretive focus, and I hope the focus of some comment and conversation, will be the architectural history of the built environment at the site, and what we can learn from it about the nature and culture of “first contacts” and interactions among Indigenous peoples and Iberian colonists in the Native American South.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Networking in Archaeology
2021-02-16 17:00
Over Zoom Collaboration with Anthropology ClubDiscussion of informational interviews, networking, and how to use your network to find field school and internship opportunities

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Community-based Practice in Cultural Heritage Conservation: The Kamehameha I Sculpture of Hawai’i
2021-02-10 12:00
Dr. Glenn WhartonLore and Gerald Cunard Chair, UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLAWednesday February 10th, 12:00pm (PT)The community-based conservation of the Kamehameha I sculpture on the island of Hawai’i shows how local residents can engage in negotiating the meaning of cultural heritage and affect how their past is represented. Professor Wharton will discuss his three-year collaboration with residents in a semi-rural Hawaiian community to research the material and social history of the sculpture, leading to a community decision about how to conserve it. The Kamehameha I sculpture was commissioned in 1878 to commemorate Captain Cook’s “discovery” of the Hawaiian Islands and promote a western style monarchy. Modeled in the image of a Roman emperor while wearing highly symbolic feathered garments, the figure has come to function as a spiritual, economic, educational, cultural, and political object. The participatory project aimed not only to conserve the painted brass sculpture, but also to enable a process of local control over narratives of the Native Hawaiian past. Wharton’s ethnographic research reveals tensions that exist within the multicultural, post-plantation community, as local residents voiced notions of what it means to be Hawaiian and what stories should be told about the Native Hawaiian past.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Indigenous Perspectives in Chronology Building: Rejecting the Three-Age System in Philippine Archaeology
2021-02-05 11:00 - 12:00
Presented byDr. Stephen AcabadoAssociate Professor, Department of Anthropology, UCLACurrent research in Philippine archaeology is pushing back against the colonial foundations of the discipline and the hegemonic status of the Three Age System in the region, including the broader Southeast Asian archaeology. The Three-Age Model, developed for Scandinavia, was imposed on Southeast Asia through its application in Northeast Thailand archaeological record, particularly the reference to the Bronze Age and the farmer-led migration in island Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Recent archaeological data now refute these models. In the Philippines, the long-accepted Neolithic migration by rice farmers, is repudiated the absence of wet-rice in the archaeological record that predates the 16th century. Following the lead of recent scholars, Acabado stresses that Philippine archaeology, in particular, and Southeast Asian archaeology, in general, must reject these essentialist frameworks in favor of forward-facing “emergent” paradigms. Doing so allows Southeast Asian archaeologists to decolonize chronology building and devote less time to worrying about origins to focus instead on understanding process and to incorporating Indigenous perspectives in archaeological interpretation.Register in advance for this meeting:https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMlf-2qpzIuGt02NbLgx-ULeGHi1lDJWNmC After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.Stephen Acabado is associate professor of anthropology at UCLA. His research revolves around indigenous responses to colonialism, particularly in the Philippines. He is a strong advocate of an engaged archaeology where descendant communities are involved in the research process.Grace Barretto-Tesoro is professor of archaeology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Her archaeological work is focused on changing representation of various segments of society from the late precolonial period to the early Spanish period Philippines.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: The H.L. Hunley Submarine: A Project Overview
2021-02-03 12:00
Anna FunkeConservator, Warren Lasch Conservation Center, Clemson UniversityFebruary 3rd, Wednesday 12:00pm (PT)The Warren Lasch Conservation Center has been working on the H.L. Hunley submarine since it was raised from Charleston Harbor in 2000. Renown for being the first successful combat submarine, it was designed to break the blockade of Charleston, in the later years of the Civil War. The archaeological work on the submarine has provided fascinating insights into the military, social and technological history of the time. Now that the excavations are largely completed, the project is primarily focused on the complex conservation process to prepare the submarine for broader public display. This talk will give an overview of the history of the submarine itself as well as the interdisciplinary project that has been built up around it.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Introduction to the Archaeology Mentorship Program
2021-01-29 17:00
Over ZoomPanel featuring three Cotsen graduate student volunteers who described their subfields and path to graduate school followed by general Q&A

Colleagues, Communities, and Conservators: Partnerships towards repatriation and ethical stewardship
2021-01-29 11:00 - 12:00
Lylliam PosadasFriday January 29th, 11:00am – 12:00pm (PT)Register hereConservators can play a significant role in the repatriation process and in addressing concerns in the care of sensitive collections. Conservators and repatriation staff can work together with tribal and community representatives to address some of the unjust histories of museum acquisitions and develop new approaches for collections stewardship. Professional ethics in the conservation field,as well as technical knowledge and skill sets, can be a source of support for repatriationand ethical stewardship. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEAI) policies and programs are critical in building systems that encourage considerate and conscientious professional practices that can support tribal and community ownership and control of collections.This program will discuss how conservators, both students and professionals, can support the repatriation of Indigenous belongings under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). It will also explore how conservators can address concerns beyond NAGPRA that are relevant to the repatriation process and experience and to the training of future generations of conservators. Lylliam Posadas has experience with repatriation and collaborative and community-driven research within museums, universities, and community organizations. She is interested in how institutional policies support the development and sustainability of collaborative research and collections care practices. Lylliam focuses on systemic institutional change in support of repatriation, collections care and access, representation and diversity initiatives, and the use of non-destructive and non-invasive methods of investigating community-driven research questions. She received an MSc in the Technology and Analysis of Archaeological Materials from University College London and a double BA in Anthropology and Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Lylliam has participated in field research, including preservation efforts in Ghana, Peru, Louisiana, and California and also serves on several boards and committees, including the Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation. Lylliam is also involved in community-driven research, policy development, and advocacy in public health which informs her approach to heritage work

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Infrastructures of Race and War: An Indigenous Archaeology of Insurrection
2021-01-27 12:00
Dr. Tiffany FryerCotsen Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton Society of Fellows, Princeton UniversityWednesday January 27th, 12:00pm (PT)Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Ruling an Empire through Compassion: Angkorian Infrastructure of Public Health and Accommodation
2021-01-19 10:00 - 11:00
Dr. Piphal Heng, ACLS Postdoctoral Fellow, Northern Illinois UniversityTuesday, January 19, 2021 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) Zoom Webinar“Compassion” was an instrumental state’s infrastructure in building, maintaining, and expanding Angkor’s power from the 9th through 15th centuries CE. Angkorian civilization is known for its intricately carved monumental architecture, large water reservoirs, and interconnected road and canal systems. The relative importance of religion in Angkorian state governance has been debated for more than a century: to what extent can we separate Angkorian “church” from Angkorian state? This lecture provides a background to Angkor and emphasizes two rulers. The first was Yaśovarman I (889-910 CE), who established religious foundations throughout his polity to support his population and nurture religious pluralism. Attention concentrates on Jayavarman VII (1181-1218 CE), whose embrace of Buddhism and state projects were undergirded by a commitment to compassion. His many religious foundations (temples with reservoirs, etc.) housed religious specialists, hosted universities, and served as community anchors. They also expressed state power, marked its territories, and provided myriad social services to Angkorian Khmers.Dr. Piphal Heng is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University. He received his PhD degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Heng’s archaeological research themes include religious change, urbanism, settlement patterns, political economy, and sociopolitical organizational shift. He is also interested in the intersection between heritage management, collaborative/public archaeology, knowledge production, and urban development. His current project explores the transformation of urban and rural settlements in response to the demographic and political changes that took place with the adoption of Theravada Buddhism in Angkor (14th-18th century Cambodia).Registration for Zoom Link:CLICK TO REGISTER HERESponsored by the UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies

Conservation of functional objects: horological conservation
2020-12-18 11:00 - 12:00
Brittany CoxHorological Conservator, Memoria TechnicaFriday December 18th, 11:00am – 12:00pm (PT)Register hereIn conservation there is always the question of tangible versus intangible qualities. Is one more important than the other? Should form follow function, or function follow form? If a functional object is beautifully presented and preserved, but doesn’t actually work, is it successful? The conservation of dynamic objects, especially in the case of automata and mechanical magic, confront these questions head-on. We will examine these questions by looking at a number of objects and their treatments.Brittany Nicole Cox founded her private conservation practice and studio Memoria Technica in 2015. Her lifelong passion for horology has seen her through nine years in higher education where she earned her WOSTEP, CW21, and SAWTA watchmaking certifications, two clockmaking certifications, and a Masters in the Conservation of Clocks and Related Dynamic Objects from West Dean College, UK. Her original work has been exhibited at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and she is currently working on a series of bestiary automata inspired by illuminated texts and a manuscript to be published by Penguin Press.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Material, Function, and Colonialism: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Akan Copper-Alloy Gold Weights
2020-12-09 12:00 - 13:00
Marci J. Burton, Mellon Conservation Fellow, Fowler Museum; Carlee Forbes, Mellon Curatorial Fellow, Fowler Museum; Erica P. Jones, Associate Curator of African Arts, Fowler MuseumWednesday, December 9th, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTAkan-speaking communities on the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) have long been home to a vibrant brass-casting culture. From the 15th century, brass-casting focused on producing equipment for the local gold trade: boxes, scales, and weights. Weights cast from copper alloy, known colloquially as gold weights, were made in two varieties: smaller geometric ones seemingly used as the counterbalance for weighing gold, and figurative models that referenced Akan daily life, proverbs, and stories. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these weights were simultaneously used to weigh gold while also exchanged as tourist souvenirs. This presentation considers a group of 449 copper-alloy objects in the Fowler’s Sir Henry Wellcome Collection. A Fowler team has been examining these weights, their histories, material compositions, and meanings. Central to the study of these objects has been analysis with Portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to determine their elemental compositions. Furthermore, measurements of mass and analysis of modifications (additions/reductions) contribute to ongoing efforts in the field to reconstruct Akan weight-systems. The collective results provide insights to address research questions of materiality, intended use, African art markets, and colonial-era collecting.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.Image courtesy of Fowler Wellcome Team

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: From the Canopy to the Caye: Two of Britain's Colonial Ventures in Nineteenth-Century Belize
2020-12-02 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Tracie Mayfield, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, University of Southern CaliforniaWednesday, December 2nd, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTDuring the nineteenth-century, Latin America was a hotbed of trade and commerce driven principally by extractive industries such as agriculture (principally sugar) and hardwood collection. Such ventures required large injections of capital into the creation and maintenance of productive landscapes as well as for hiring, housing, and feeding the workers who provided labor and management. This presentation will explore two such sites in Belize. Lamanai, an inland site, which is located in what is now the Orange Walk District of northwestern Belize and San Pedro Town, which is located off the coast of Belize on Ambergris Caye. During the nineteenth-century British colonists established settlements at these sites: at Lamanai, to plant sugar cane and harvest logwood and mahogany and, on Ambergris Caye to cultivate a coconut plantation. Along with wild fauna, chicken, beef, and bottled, canned, or barreled products such as soda water, salted pork, and potted meat, the residents of nineteenth-century Lamanai and San Pedro Town were also active consumers of tobacco and bottled alcoholic beverages. In addition, earned labor money was used to purchase bottled medicines, health and hygiene products (e.g. chamber pots), and wearable objects such as buttons and boot heels. Here we compare and contrast these two contemporary sites, situated in very different landscapes, but both within the Latin American, British colonial-industrial complex. Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Getty Conservation Institute Field Projects: 3 cases: Tutankhamun, Mosaikon, Peru
2020-11-20 11:00 - 12:00
Jeanne Marie TeutonicoAssociate Director, Strategy and Special InitiativesGetty Conservation InstituteFriday November 20th, 11:00am – 12:00pm (PT)Please note, this talk will not be recorded.Register hereThe Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) is best described as a private, international research organization that is part of a larger philanthropic enterprise dedicated to the understanding, conservation and enjoyment of the visual arts. In this, the GCI is somewhat unique in the constellation of not-for-profit organizations operating in the heritage sector. The presentation will provide an introduction to the Getty Conservation Institute – its mission, strategic priorities and methodological approach to heritage conservation. Select examples of GCI field work (in Egypt, Peru and the Mediterranean) will be used to illustrate diverse conservation contexts and challenges, and to reflect on the evolution of conservation practice over the last twenty years.The presentation will conclude with some consideration of future challenges –both global concerns and specific issues facing the heritage conservation field.Jeanne Marie Teutonico is currently Associate Director, Strategy and Special Initiatives,atthe Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) in Los Angeles where her responsibilities include the development of strategic priorities for the Institute and oversight of GCI publications. An architectural conservator with over thirty years of experiencein the conservation of buildings and sites, she holds an A.B. (Hons) in art history from Princeton University and an M.Sc. in historic preservation from Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Prior to joining the GCI in 1999, Jeanne Marie was a conservator and educator on the staff of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in Rome and, later, of English Heritage in Londonwhere she led a large technical research and publications program. She is published widely and maintains research interests in the conservation and sustainable use of traditional building materials. She was an invited Resident at the American Academy in Rome in 2008 and is a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology, the Society of Antiquaries, and the International Institute for Conservation.Figure 1. Conservation of the wall paintings in the burial chamber of the Tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. The Getty Conservation Institute, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, has recently completed a multi-year project that included study and conservation of the tomb’s wall paintings, environmental and infrastructure improvements, and training for future care of the site.Figure 2. Training regarding the conservation and management of archaeological sites and mosaics at the ancient site of Paphos in Cyprus. Over the last ten years, the Getty Conservation Institute has collaborated with the Getty Foundation, ICCROM and the International Committee fortheConservation of Mosaics(ICCM) in an initiative known as MOSAIKON with the aim of improving the conservation, presentation and maintenance of archaeological mosaics in the Mediterranean region. Activities have included education and capacity building, the development of locally sustainable conservation practices, model field projects, and the dissemination of information in a variety of forms.Figure 3. The church of Santiago Apóstolin Kuño Tambo, Peru. This seventeenth century earthen building, located in a remote village high in the Andes, is richly decorated with wall paintings and has been in continuous use as a place of worship since its original construction. As part of its Earthen Architecture Initiative, the Getty ConservationInstitute, in collaboration with the School of Science and Engineering at the Catholic University in Lima and the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, has developed and implemented seismic retrofit techniques that will enhance the building’s performance without negatively impacting the significant decorative finishes.

Panel 10: Tying Ends Together: Translating Engagement and Empowerment
2020-11-18 18:00
Panelists: Georgina Lloyd (UNEP); Khylee Quince (Auckland University of Technology); Marcelle Burns (University of New England); Neyooxet Greymorning (University of Montana)Moderator: Dada Docot (Purdue University)November 18, 2020, 6:00 PM (PST) / November 19, 2020, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentVarious examples of community engagement from multiple regions in the Asia Pacific were discussed in this webinar series. Collaboration between researchers and community members highlighted the empowering nature of such partnership. This panel will discuss the lessons learned from these examples and propose means to translate the outcomes of community involvement in research/development projects into concrete programs that will further enable Indigenous/local communities to take control of their heritage and intellectual properties. In addition, the panel will discuss how these collaborations can influence curricular development, policy changes, and institutionalizing of community involvement. Panelists provide examples from their respective works in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand.For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: An Authenticity Study of an Egyptian Bronze Cat: Modern to Ancient
2020-11-18 12:00 - 13:00
Almoatz-bellah Elshahawi, Conservator, Grand Egyptian MuseumWednesday, November 18th, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTAcquired in 1955 by the J. Paul Getty Museum an Egyptian bronze cat was thought to be a fake. Authenticity questions initially arose from the presence of several odd repairs on the cat’s tail. Additionally, the surface appeared stripped and was very glossy giving it an artificial look and contributing to its suspicious appearance. Removal of the bronze from its historic wooden base revealed the signature of a 19th century British restorer. Comparisons of the interior to the exterior bronze surface indicate that the cat had been aggressively cleaned leaving a smooth and atypical corrosion pattern on the surface. A technical study of the cat using visible and microscopic examination, x radiography, metallography, x ray fluorescence spectroscopy and most significantly, thermoluminescence dating of the core material within the head, confirmed the cat’s authenticity.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Panel 9: Preserving Textiles: Indigenous Knowledge and Methods
2020-11-11 18:00
Panelists: Julia M. Brennan (Senior Consulting Conservator, Caring for Textiles); Annissa M. Gultom (Director, National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE); Lilian García Alonso-Alba (Conservation Scientist/Professor, Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía, Mexico); Mohd Syahrul bin Ab Ghani (Curator, Division of Research and Documentation, Department of Museums Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia)Moderator: Linh Anh Moreau (SEAMEO SPAFA)November 11, 2020, 6:00 PM (PST) / November 12, 2020, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentSoutheast Asian traditional textiles are world renowned and valued as expressions of cultural identity, from the weaving and dyeing processes to the symbolism of their aesthetics and uses. However, local knowledge and actual methods to preserve such deterioration-prone organic material is an under-studied field. To identify tropical-climate appropriate, locally sourced, sustainable, and cost-effective methods that can be adopted by local practitioners working in the preservation of traditional textiles, SEAMEO SPAFA collaborated with local researchers on a region-wide project to collect, document, and compile invaluable indigenous knowledge on caring for textiles. Data collected includes plant materials and methods for wet cleaning, dry cleaning, stain removal, insect mitigation, storage, and associated spiritual beliefs. A first study of its kind, it brought together a dynamic group of textile professionals, museum experts, conservators, historians, scientists, and anthropologists, eager to research, chronicle and learn more about their own national and indigenous practices – before the knowledge is lost.For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

Black and Indigenous Storytelling as Counter-History
2020-11-11 13:00 - 15:00
For untold centuries, storytelling has been foundational to the ways Black and Indigenous people understand and connect to the world around them. However, knowledge systems upheld in academic settings continually disavow these narratives and those who hold them as valid sites of intellectual production. For BIPOC heritage professionals, storytelling taps into historically marginalized ways of knowing. It offers ways to reclaim and retell histories that often counter the harmful and one-sided narratives told about Black and Indigenous peoples through archaeology, museums, and heritage sites. In this webinar, we explore storytelling through artifacts, cultural landscapes, comics, graphic novels, and video games as a means of counter-history, illuminating news ways of imagining pasts, presents, and futures for Black and Indigenous people. Panelists will discuss how they engage storytelling as an intellectual entryway to interpretations of the material evidence of Black and Indigenous histories November 11th from 4-6 pm ET / 1-3 pm PT Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HXSihZjSSP2AgkgFCz1y2w

New Light on the Neolithization of the Armenia and beyond: Data from the recent excavation at Lernagog - 1 site and Areni-2 Cave in Armenia
2020-11-06 12:00
Artur PetrosyanArchaeologist, Researcher, Department of Early ArchaeologyInstitute of Archaeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences Republic of ArmeniaNovember 6th 2020 12:00pm PT (contingent on the developing situation in Armenia)Register here Until recently the Early Holocene sites of the Kura and the Araxes river basins were not known and the question of Neolithization in the region were based on the study of Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic settlements grouped into the “Aratashen-Shulaveri-Shomutepe” tradition, located in valleys and plains. Fieldwork activities implemented during last 20 years led to the discovery of series of Old and Early Holocene sites in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan including a stratified cave and rock-shelter as well as open-air sites and settlements, filling the gap between the 10th and early 6th millennium BC. While excavations and research of the Early and Middle Holocene sites continues, the accumulated information to date allows us to look at the process of Neolithization in the Kura and the Araxes river basins from a new perspective. The data suggests dividing the Early Holocene archaeological sequence into two chronological groups or steps. Group 1/Step 1 with chronometric dates between 10.000 – 7300 Cal BC is described by seasonal hunting and habitation camps on higher elevations organized inside caves and rock-shelters in combination with built structures in front of them as well as short-term open-air activities. Some shifts in the economic lifeways and technological production of tools (so-called “apnagyugh” tools) is obvious even though many similarities can be noticed with the lifestyle of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. Group 2/Step 2 span between 7300 – 6200 Cal BC, when the first settlements and sites with ritual function appeared, in parallel with the cave sites. New data indicate that the origin of the early farming culture in the Araxes River valley is local even though there is noticeable influence from the southern cultural centers.Artur Petrosyan received his PhD at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of NAS RA in 2010, where he has worked since 2007 as an Archaeologist and Researcher. He has participated in a number of archaeological expeditions in Armenia, Italy (Calvatone, Sassofortino) and UAE (Vadi al Hello). Currently he is the co-director of Armenian – Italian, Armenian – Japanese, Armenian – German and Armenian – Chinese expeditions in Kotayk, Vayots Dzor, Ararat and Armavir regions of Armenia. Petrosyan has published extensively.

Panel 8: Indigenous Rights and Heritage Laws
2020-11-04 18:00
Panelists: Teddy Baguilat (Indigenous Conserved Communities Areas); Awi Mona (National Taiwan University); Claire Charter (University of Auckland)Moderator: Marcelle Burns (University of New England)November 4, 2020, 6:00 PM (PDT) / November 5, 2020, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentThe United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was ratified in 2007. It was a product of a long and slow process that started in 1982 with the establishment of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. A draft declaration was submitted in 1994, which became the basis for several state parties establishing statutes on the rights of Indigenous populations. In the Asia Pacific, countries that have a long history of colonialism adopted measures to provide some form of redress to the injustices received by Indigenous groups. These statutes were based on the 1994 draft declaration, which predated the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as local regulations. In this panel, we discuss various issues that Indigenous groups have experienced since the ratification of Indigenous Peoples rights laws in different countries. We provide examples from Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, and Cambodia. The panel discusses how these laws have empowered Indigenous groups and how the lessons from the last 20 years could help strengthen these statutes.For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Immigration Politics in the Ancient World: Accommodation Strategies and Xenophobia in Second Intermediate Period Egypt
2020-11-04 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Danielle Candelora, Assistant Professor, History Department, SUNY CourtlandWednesday, November 4th, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTThe Hyksos are often set up as the boogeymen of ancient Egypt – after a violent invasion, these foreign despots ruled the North of Egypt with an iron first, while a native Egyptian family in the South fought for Egypt’s liberation. However, archaeological investigation and the reanalysis of ancient texts shows that this narrative is simply political rhetoric created by the Egyptian kings to legitimize their own rule. In reality, the Hyksos were creatively strategic about the display of various aspects of their identities. To become fully Egyptian was never the goal; instead they actively maintained and advertised elements of their origins in order to support their ties to kinship and trade networks in West Asia. These kings were cosmopolitan diplomats who corresponded with much of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean, and whose capital city was a titan of trade. They adopted and adapted elements of traditional Egyptian kingship, but negotiated these traditions with a West Asian spin, creating a rule uniquely suited to the eastern Delta. Further investigation of the social memory of these kings has even demonstrated that they were considered legitimate kings and the major power in Second Intermediate Period Egypt. In fact, the Hyksos and the West Asian immigrants of the period had a massive impact on Egyptian society, culture, and conceptions of kingship. The archetype of New Kingdom Egypt, considered the apex of ancient Egyptian society, would not have been possible without the influence of these West Asian immigrants or the rule of the Hyksos.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

Conservation of the Stone Monuments of Petra: An Ongoing Research Project of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University
2020-10-30 11:00 - 12:00
Dr. Ziad Al-SaadPhD, Professor of cultural heritage conservation and management at the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology Yarmouk UniversityFriday October 30th, 11:00am – 12:00pm (PT)Register herePetra has been classified as being of World Heritage standards and is included on the world heritage list.The entire site of Petra, with its 2000 listed rock-carved monuments of outstanding cultural and historical importance, is in real danger. Over the last decade the process of deterioration of the Petra monuments has dramatically increased. The destruction of the monuments is induced by a combination of natural and human factors. Weathering and erosion caused by environmental agents have caused a lot of severe damage to the monuments. The impact of weathering and eroding factors on the monumentshave been exacerbated by natural faults in the rock; infiltration of water and growth of plants in rock fissures. In addition to natural damage, cultural and socio-economic factors represent a principle threat to the integrity of the site. It is quite obvious that the monuments of Petra need an urgent care. If the deterioration processes are allowed to continue, this irreplaceable heritage will disappear and tourism, which centers on these monuments, will diminish. It is of no doubt that the conservation and preservation of Petra monuments is a very challenging and difficult task. The complexity of the situation is apparent and the efforts needed are tremendous. Different types of preventive and remedialmeasures are needed to be adopted and executed in order to control the fast growing threats faced by the monuments. Although preventive measures to arrest the principal causes of weathering by adopting certain actions such as repairing the ancient Nabateans hydrological system, certain remedialsteps seem to be inevitable. The fragile monuments are in bad need for consolidation to be able to resist the threat of the natural weathering. This task is the main aim of a research project that has been conducted by the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University in cooperation with the Bavarian State Conservation Laboratories. Prof. Ziad Al-Saad, Professor of cultural heritage conservation and management at the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology Yarmouk University; Obtained Ph.D. in conservation and archaeometry from University of London in 1992. He served as Chair of Department of Archaeology in the period 1994-1999 then became the Director of the Insitutue of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University which he managed to transform into a full-fledged faculty in 1999 and became its first Dean for two terms until 2007. He then moved to the newly established German-Jordanian University as Vice President for Academic affairs for two years and led the university strategic planning and quality assurance programs for two years. In 2010 he returned to Yarmouk University as Vice President for Research and International Affairs. He was then appointed by the Cabinet as Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan until the end of 2011 when he returned to Yarmouk University.Prof. Al-Saad’s research interest generally is in the areas of conservation and scientific analysis of archaeological materials with a particular interest in the conservation and stabilization of archaeological finds especially metallic artifacts and stone monuments. Has been actively involved in the preservation and conservation of spectacular stone-carved monuments of the Nabatean city of Petra.

Panel 7: Indigeneity, Identity, and Empowerment
2020-10-28 19:00
Panelists: Oona Paredes (UCLA); Eulalie Dulnuan (Ifugao State University); Sayun Simong (Sqoyaw, Taiwan); Andrea Malaya Ragragio (University of the Philippines-Mindanao); Margaret Palaghicon Von Rotz (UC Hastings College of the Law) Moderator: Justin Dunnavant (Vanderbilt University)Wednesday October 28, 7:00 PM (PDT) / Thurs October 29, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentIndigenous Peoples have struggled to define their identity amid the increasing pressures exerted by the larger society that aims to assimilate local cultures to develop a national identity. This is exemplified by the experiences of Indigenous groups in the Philippines and Taiwan where centuries of colonization have influenced the way they feel about themselves. In this panel, we discuss how Indigenous groups in the Philippines and Taiwan have instituted programs to define their ethnic identity in relation to the larger society. Examples that will be highlighted in the panel includes “reinvention” of culture among the Higaunon (Mindanao, Philippines), working with elders to revive traditional knowledge systems (Ifugao, Philippines), and filmmaking to document Indigenous identity (Tayal, Taiwan).For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: Trade and Trauma along the Silk Road, the evidence from the western frontier of China and Mongolia (700 BC-420 AD)
2020-10-28 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Christine Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, California State Los AngelesWednesday, October 28th, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTFour archaeological sites along the western frontier of China and Mongolia were analyzed for cranial trauma patterns. These patterns were then used to determine levels of violence, who were the participants, and if certain individuals were singled out as specific targets. In ancient times all of these sites were connected by the Silk Road. The sample from Yingpan (206 BC-420 AD), Yanghai (475 BC-220AD), Nileke (550-221 BC), and Chandman (700-400BC) totaled 275 individuals. Yingpan and Yanghai were agricultural oasis states in the Tarim Basin. Nileke and Chandman were nomadic pastoralists located along the Altai mountains. Trauma was recorded for location on the skull, type (blunt force, sharp force, or high velocity), and cause (interpersonal, warfare, or other). The total population percentages for trauma were Yingpan 27%, Yanghai 23%, Chandman 15%, and Nileke 20%. However, this does not give an accurate picture of the level of daily violence experienced. The likelihood of an individual experiencing a violent episode causing death or disability was highest at Chandman and the lowest at Yingpan. So how a population and it’s individuals were the perpetrators or victims of aggression needs closer examination. One site has an unusual pattern where men, women and children have broken noses. Two sites have evidence of trephination or surgery after devastating sword blows or high velocity projectiles. There is one incidence of scalping. Finally several individual had their noses cut off. This intentional mutilation of the face was a capital punishment at the time. This talk will explore what were the social and cultural factors which could have caused these specific patterns.Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

The Gods of Urartu: The Religious beliefs of the Urartian Empire
2020-10-23 12:00 - 13:00
Miqayel Badalyan Director of the “Erebuni” Historical & Archaeological Museum-Reserve, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia.Friday, October 23, 2020 – 12:00pm PT (contingent on the developing situation in Armenia)Register hereBased on archaeological data, as well as philological and visual art sources, the presentation focuses on the religious beliefs of the Urartian kingdom. In this regard, the role of religion in Urartian royal ideology, the cultic activities, symbols, and iconography of the gods of the Urartian pantheon will be discussed as well.

Panel 6: Pacific Histories
2020-10-21 19:00
Panelists: Tarcisius Kabutaulaka (University of Hawaii-Manoa), John Peterson (University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines); Britton Shepardson (Terevaka Archaeological Outreach 501(c)(3)); Beno Atan (Metropolitan Touring Ecuador)Moderator: Jason Throop (UCLA)Wednesday October 21, 7:00 PM (PDT) / Thurs October 22, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentThe histories and identities of Pacific Islanders have been drastically supplanted by Euro-centric narratives because of centuries of colonization. Archaeological work and community stories are helping to rethink these narratives through Pacific historiography. Using examples from the Solomon Islands, Easter Island, and Pohnpei, the panel discusses how community stories are helping to regain what was lost because of colonial imposition.For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

VIRTUAL PIZZA TALK: “The Will to Adorn”: A Black Feminist Archaeology of Sartorial Choice in Post-emancipation Texas
2020-10-21 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Ayana Omilade Flewellen, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, UC RiversideWednesday, October 21st, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PTAmid racialized servitude, sexual exploitation, and economic disenfranchisement, that marked the post-emancipation era in the United States, African American women were styling their hair with combs, lacing glass beads around their necks, dyeing coarse-cotton fabric with indigo-berry and sweetgum bark, and fastening buttons to adorn their bodies and dress their social lives. Through an analysis of material culture and documentary data, Dr. Flewellen’s work examines the complex interplay between structural forms of oppression and agency by focusing on the ways African Diasporic women used dress to negotiate racism, sexual exploitation, and exploitive capitalism from slavery through freedom. This talk will outline the flesh and texture of Black Feminist Archaeology, as a theoretical and methodological framework that centers on the lived experiences of enslaved Africans and their descendants as a means for the production of knowledge. Focusing on Dr. Flewellen’s research on gendered African Diasporic sartorial practices, this presentation aims to articulate Black Feminist Archaeology at the interstices of digital humanities, historical archaeology, and Black feminism. Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering.

The Early Cycladic Site at Skarkos on the Island of Ios
2020-10-17 10:00
Marisa E. Marthari, Director Emerita Of Prehistoric & Classical Antiquities For The Cyclades And SamosSaturday, October 17th, 10:00am PST The site of Skarkos, the largest of all known Early Cycladic II sites, stands on a commanding hill overlooking a coastal plain and one of the largest sheltered harbors in the Cyclades. The excavations conducted by the author brought to light a multiperiod prehistoric site and, most significantly, a settlement of the mid-third millennium BC. More than one-third of the settlement has been excavated over the last fifteen years. The walls of the buildings are preserved to a maximum height of four meters. This unique preservation provides a clear idea of the layout, architecture of settlements in the Cyclades during the peak of the Early Cycladic world. Skarkos has a well-organised plan, with wide streets and squares, two-storey rectangular buildings (at least 55 have been uncovered) and a complicated drainage system. The inhabitants developed agricultural, craft, and trading activities, and especially prominent were masons, marble-carvers (two early marble workshops were excavated), and potters. Skarkos has also produced evidence of seals and sealing, including a large number of clay sealimpressed objects marking ownership or personal identity. Marisa Marthari is a graduate of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (MA and PhD in Aegean Archaeology: “Akrotiri, Thera: The Pottery of the Volcanic Destruction Level.” Dr. Marthari is Ephor of Antiquities (Emerita) of the Greek Archaeological Service, Director of the excavations at Skarkos on Ios, and Kastri on Syros. She was formerly Director of the Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities for the Cyclades and Samos, where she conducted numerous excavations and museum exhibitions. Her presentation on Skarkos was the winner of 2008 Grand Prize for the European Union Europa Nostra Award. This talk will be offered on Zoom. Please RSVP by clicking here to receive the link.

Dragon Stones of Armenia: Recent Research and Protection Works
2020-10-16 12:00
Arsen BobokhyanPhD, Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences Republic of ArmeniaFriday, October 16th, 12:00pm PT (contingent on the developing situation in Armenia)Register hereIn the high mountains of Armenia, exist unique monuments called by the people “vishapakar” – dragon-stone. Although vishapakars were discovered more than a century ago, their secrets are far from being deciphered. Much like the khachkars (cross-stones) of Medieval times, vishapakars are typical for the prehistoric landscapes of the Armenian Highland. The centres of their distribution are Mount Aragats and the Geghama mountains. Today we know approximately 150 examples of these monuments. Vishapakars are 150-550 cm high and made, as a rule, of grayish basalt. They had been widely used during the Bronze Age, especially within the 2nd millennium BC. Among the many questions vishapakars raise, one of the most important is the problem of their protection. Two kinds of dangers exist – destruction and dilapidation in their original places, and removal to the lowland. Both destruction and removal took place as early as the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, in the Urartian period, increased during Middle Ages and unfortunately continues today. The lecture will present recent works to investigate and protect these monuments. Arsen Bobokhyan is the Vice Director, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Armenian Academy, where he has worked since 1998. He received his Pd.D. from the Institute of Prehistory, University of Tubingen, Germany, with the topic ”Communication and Barter in the Highland between the Taurus and the Caucasus, ca. 2500-1500 BC.” His areas of research include Early Archaeology of the Caucasus, the Near East and Asia Minor, Cultural Relations, Ancient Barter and Weight Systems, History of Urbanism, Identity Problems, Ancient Religion and Cult, Sacred Landscape. He has taught at Yerevan State University since 2007.

Panel 5: History and Heritage
2020-10-14 19:00
Panelists: Peter Lape (University of Washington); JB Chevance (Archaeology and Development Foundation, Phnom Kulen Program, Cambodia); Wiwik Dharmiasih (Universitas Udayana, Bali, Indonesia); Rasmi Shoocongdej (Silpakorn University, Thailand)Moderator: Grace Barretto-Tesoro (University of the Philippines-Diliman-Archaeological Studies Program)Wednesday October 14, 7:00 PM (PDT) / Thurs October 15, 10:00 AM (TWN)Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and EmpowermentArchaeological practice in Southeast Asia has recently shifted to active engagement with local stakeholders. A growing number of investigations are actively seeking the involvement of communitiesas both contributorsand as active and involved research participants. This undertaking humanizes our community partners and counters the exclusivity often associated with the authority of scholarship. In this panel, we forefront examples from Southeast Asia where heritage conservation and management involved community inputs. Works by colleagues in Indonesia, Cambodia, Bali, Indonesia, and Thailand underscores the importance of involving communities in heritage issues. REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK:https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7WeK98dKQEmQa9PpLRLMHQFor more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.
