February 2024 – Page 2 – Archaeology News and Announcements

On February 7, 2024

Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions African Americans have made to the United States and the world at large, both in the past and present. This February at the Joukowsky Institute, we are highlighting resources created by and for African American scholars of archaeology and anthropology. This will be a three part series with each blog post focusing on different aspects of contemporary African American archaeology: Associations and Archives, Resources and Funding for Black Students, and Field School Opportunities. This week’s post will focus on the intellectual spaces Black and African American scholars have made for themselves within the field, as well as the archives of invaluable knowledge they have maintained and preserved.

Associations and Archives

African Diaspora Archaeology Network (ADAN) | ADAN is an online platform that hosts current news on archaeological studies of the African diaspora. They have archived hundreds of texts relating to the material culture and heritage of the African Diaspora, as well as publish a quarterly online Newsletter. ADAN’s goal is to build an intellectual community for researchers of the African Diaspora, including interdisciplinary studies of African-diasporic material culture.

Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage | This journal publishes peer-reviewed articles on the archaeology, history, material culture, and heritage of African descendant populations. Work published in this article spans across the globe, and features topics ranging from the foodways of the African Diaspora to urban archaeology, and more. They publish a compiled volume of work three times a year, including special issues. Their archive of all past issues may be found here.

The World Wide Web of African Archaeology | This site is an archive of archaeological studies and projects pertaining to the heritage of Africans. The website includes a bibliography of work done in Central Africa, a list of institutions and universities pioneering studies of African archaeology, and a list of ancient maps/documents important to studying African archaeology.

Society of Black Archaeologists (SBA) | The SBA was founded in 2011 with the goal to uplift Black and African communities related to the field of archaeology, as well as build a network for Black and African scholars. They host webinar series related to racial equity, community archaeology, and socially-responsible archaeology, and send out a monthly newsletter highlighting opportunities for Black and African archaeologists.

The Association for Black Anthropologists (ABA) | The ABA is a flagship society founded in the 1970s with the intention of making space for Black/African American scholars to enter the field of anthropology. Their members include sociocultural anthropologists, medical anthropologists, biological/physical anthropologists, and archaeologists of various disciplines. They publish work that critically engages with how the discipline of anthropology can better serve Black communities around the world. This year, they are hosting a conference in Senegal entitled “Anthropology and the Black Experience.”

We encourage you to explore more of the amazing work Black and African American archaeologists pioneering today. Please stay tuned for next week’s post: Resources and Funding for Black Students.

*Compiled and written by Christina Miles (`25)

Conference poster featuring Cheerful Skeleton mosaic

Call for Posters: FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE – Deadline Feb. 28, 2024

By JIAAW

go.brown.edu/jiaaw2024

In CFP, Exhibits, News and Events

Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World invites poster proposals for the 2024 Joukowsky Institute Spring Conference, titled, “From the Cradle to the Grave: The Life Course Approach in Archaeology.” The conference will take place April 5th-6th, 2024 at Brown University, in Providence, RI. For more information, including speaker lineup, please visit our website:

We aim to showcase recent archaeological and bioarchaeological research, especially posters that touch on conference themes, including but not limited to:

Life history
Osteobiography
Childhood
Maternity (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
Identity formation and boundaries
Ancestordom and death

Online Submission Form

We anticipate accepting up to 10 posters that will be presented in a dedicated session held on the evening of April 6th. Poster presenters should also plan to attend the full conference, and assist with installing their posters on the afternoon of Friday, April 5th. If presenters would prefer to have their posters printed by the Joukowsky Institute, complete posters must be provided to the conference organizers by March 26, 2024.

The Joukowsky Institute can offer up to $100 towards travel costs, on a reimbursement basis. The Institute will also provide lunch on Saturday, April 6th for all presenters.

Please submit your abstract by February 28th, 2024, using the online form, for full consideration. Conference organizers will review abstracts and get back to speakers by March 5, 2024.

List Visiting Artist Talk: Summer Wheat

The Department of Visual Art at Brown University is presenting a Marjorie Cutler sponsored lecture by Summer Wheat.

Summer Wheat (b. 1977, Oklahoma City, OK) is known for her vibrant paintings, multifaceted sculptures, and immersive installations that weave together the history of materiality, figuration, and abstraction in both fine art and craft milieus. Each series engages individual and collective human experiences drawn from historical and contemporary sources, mediated through a variety of references ranging from ancient art and medieval tapestries, to etchings from the Renaissance, to modernist abstractions. Wheat’s work examines various manifestations of labor, leisure, commerce, and class through the depiction of numerous figures and archetypes such as farmers, hunters, beekeepers, gardeners, weavers, bankers, and movie stars. The artist’s densely populated “scapes” envision worlds where time seems to have collapsed and every person, regardless of social status, occupies a shared/equal space, in which both labor and leisure are paths to healing humanity. Using a tongue-in- cheek type of humor inspired by comic strips, Wheat subverts conventional hierarchical structures and stereotypes to create more expansive depictions of daily life throughout history.

Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Time: 6:00pm

Location: List Art Building, room 120 at 64 College Street, Providence, RI

ARIT Summer Program in Advanced Turkish Language Studies

The American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) is pleased to invite applications to the summer program in Turkish, Istanbul 2024.

ARIT Summer Fellowships for Advanced Turkish Language in Istanbul offers intensive advanced study of Turkish at Bogazici University during the summer 2024. For intermediate-level learners, participants must have completed two years of Turkish language study or the equivalent. The fellowships cover round-trip airfare to Istanbul, application and tuition fees, and a maintenance stipend. The application deadline is February 16, 2024, by 5 pm. For additional information please see the program webpage.

Summer Gastronomic Heritage Workshop in Puglia, Italy

In Fieldwork Opportunity

Messors Art Restoration & Cultural Preservation is hosting a Summer workshop on Gastronomic Heritage in Puglia, Italy. The workshop is led by Puglian native Tonio Creanza, the Founder and Director of Messors and 6th generation olive oil and durum wheat producer, along with his colleagues of local farmers, cheese makers, shepherds, historians, restauranteurs, etc.

Tonio grew up on his family farm tending to durum wheat, vineyards and olive tree cultivation in the historical and archeological rich setting of Puglia. As a cultural heritage conservator and 6th generation olive oil producer, his knowledge and passion for food and history is echoed in the workshops he has been running for the past 25 years. The hands-on and in-situ approach of the workshops creates an enriching living school model and culturally connecting experiences for travelers and locals.

The workshop lasts over 8 days and includes:

The fundamentals of southern Italian cuisine: olive oil, wine, durum wheat flour, cheese, and seasonal produce. How it is grown, harvested, produced, and cooked. Cook, eat and enjoy it with the community who makes sitting down for meals an important part of their everyday.
Olive oil tasting and talk on “The origin and evolution of olive oil extraction; distinguishing a true extra-virgin olive oil and demystifying supermarket labelling definitions. In the olive orchards – talk on cultivars, pruning, tending, harvesting.
Drink the unique regional wines made from autochthonous grapes preexisting the ancient Greek colonization.
From Gravina, walk to the summit of the hill rising above town. Hike through the archaeological site of Botomagno (6th- 2nd century B.C.E.) and discuss how ravine caves and trade routes have shaped food culture.
Cheesemaking at 3rd century B.C. Fornello Cave site, meet with the shepherd and his family to bring in the flock from pasture and be part of his daily life. Learn about the cheeses of Puglia, traditional rennet, and aging. Participants will make pecorino, mozzarella, bocconcini, treccia, burrata, scamorza.
Visit and talk about the evolution of Matera and its Sassi, the unique cave-dwelling settlement inhabited for millennia and a UNESCO heritage site.
Get up at dawn to be on time with fornaio Giuseppe at Antico Forno Santa Caterina (15th-century) and learn about the mother dough of Altamura DOP bread.

Lecture and walk through the historical town of Altamura: “The urban evolution and rural settlement of Altamura – centro storico from Neolithic to Medieval era: the historical connection of food, social structures, and celebratory customs”.
White & sparkling wines and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, on the Ionian beach where Pythagoras used to teach ancient Greeks.
Local farm- talk on Durum wheat crops, seeding, and harvesting. Learn to make durum wheat flour pasta with different shapes specific to the region.
Take to the streets of the old town and put your acquired knowledge and skills into practice- prepare and cook dinner with and for locals.
Excursions to: Matera, Altamura, Ionian Sea, Calanchi region, historical sites of Botromagno, Jesce, Fornello.

*Field trips and projected itinerary are subject to changes depending on weather conditions, museum and third parties operating hours, and unforeseen circumstances.

To find out how to register and the available dates, click this link here.

ARCE Monthly Update

2024 Annual Meeting: Registration Opens this February

The American Research Center in Egypt has released their monthly update! See more below:

Each year, ARCE hosts the preeminent Egyptological conference in the world. During this annual three-day meeting, scholars and expedition leaders present their research and discuss their latest project developments. Additionally, the meeting brings together hundreds of scholars who present on Egyptian history and heritage, recent fieldwork, technological advances, and much more.

The 2024 Annual Meeting will welcome Egyptologists, members of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, archeologists, and researchers from across the globe to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from April 19th to the 21st.

Topic Article: “Nefertiti: Egyptian Wife, Mother, Queen and Icon”

“Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was the great royal wife of King Akhenaten and, in contemporary Western culture, is perhaps ancient Egypt’s most famous queen – as the iconic bust in the Berlin Museum evinces. She and Akhenaten produced six daughters, a female royal contingent that enjoyed unusual prominence during Akhenaten’s reign. In fact, Nefertiti holds the position as the Egyptian queen with the most surviving appearances on monuments and other artistic mediums…” (Laura Taronas)

Discover the captivating story of Nefertiti, the enigmatic queen of ancient Egypt! From her undeniable beauty to her influential role alongside King Akhenaten, this historical figure is truly spellbinding.

ARCE Conservation Project Updates

The conservation program at Khonsu Temple commenced its Spring Campaign this January with the target of completing work on the raised portico on the north side of the First Court as well as the roof and staircase.

A project to connect fragments of the granite barque shrine was also initiated after Dr. David Anderson’s work of last year revealed at least 15 joins that could be made from fragmented architectural and decorative elements. In parallel, the construction of the new USAID-funded Talatat magazine has started.

This two-storey structure, occupying approximately 700 m2 in plan, is concealed by a six-metre-high reconstructed section of the mudbrick enclosure wall of Nectanebo I to the west of Khonsu. The building envelope is expected to be completed by Ramadan, with fit-out following at the end of April.

The Osireion project, substantially funded in 2023 by the World Monuments Fund, will continue through 2024 with additional funds from the same source. The focus of the project is physical conservation, site management, and the completion of excavations that revealed in 2023 the remarkable transport ramp north of the main hall that was used for moving monumental blocks down into the construction pit of the structure.

For more information on the ARCE and how to become a member, view their website here.

Blackfriary Archaeology Field School

In Fieldwork Opportunity

The Blackfriary Archaeology Field School is hosting a summer session partnered with the Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) in Trim, Ireland. They are offering two course in summer 2024 (BAFS Summer courses). They are:

A four-week course which combines an introductory course with a 2-week advanced course, running from May 7 – 31 and from June 4 – 28.
A five-week course, from July 2 to August 2, has a significant bioarchaeology component taught by Dr. Rachel Scott of DePaul University, Chicago.

Both courses give training in excavation and post-excavation methods. The four- and five-week courses are fully accredited through DkIT. Six semester credits (12.5 ECT credits) are offered for the four-week course and 7 -8 (15 ECTs credits) for the five-week course. The May option may be of interest to students whose courses are finished by late April/early May. There is also an unaccredited two-week course which runs throughout the summer.

For students with previous field and/or lab experience, the field school offers internships for a minimum of six weeks in the areas of excavation, post-excavation, and community outreach.

To learn more about the field school and how to apply, access this brochure.

Black History Month at the Choices Program: “African Americans and the Arts”

February is Black History Month and the 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts.” One of the most popular Choices Teaching with the News lessons, An Interactive Timeline: Black Activism and the Long Fight for Racial Justice, utilizes an interactive, multimedia timeline to provide an overview of many individuals, organizations, and movements that have advanced the push for racial equality in the United States, from the 1950s into the twenty-first century. The timeline includes information on the Black Arts Movement; songs by James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Tupac; the Roots TV miniseries; Spike Lee’s debut film; and the poetry of Maya Angelou, along with many other important events.

In the free lesson, students review the timeline to identify themes and patterns during different eras of activism and collaborate to consider accomplishments of civil rights activists and the enduring obstacles to racial equality. Explore this lesson, along with the materials below, as you consider ways to incorporate the contributions of Black Americans in your history classes throughout the year.

Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies This unit provides a wide-ranging overview of racial slavery. It examines the slave trade and life in America as well as the Black abolition movement, the legacies of slavery, and racial justice movements’ responses to these legacies.

The Civil War and the Meaning of Liberty The readings in this unit explore antebellum American, abolitionist movements and their key actors, and legacies of the war. Lessons include Who Were the Abolitionists?; The Black National Conventions, Abolition, and the Constitution; and Letters from Black Soldiers and Their Families.

Civil Rights Now: The Freedom Movement in Mississippi This unit traces the history of the Black freedom struggle from Reconstruction through the 1960s and explores the roles of everyday people in the fight for justice and equality. Lessons cover Ida B. Wells, oral histories, nonviolence, and more.

American Museum of Natural History 2024 Internships Open