Open call for papers EAA2024! GIAP co-organises 5 sessions

The call for papers for the EAA Annual Meeting is open! The EAA2024 will take place in Rome, Italy, on the 28-31 August 2024. GIAP (ICAC-CERCA) will co-organise 5 sessions:

• S482: ‘Past Is Not Past’. Environmental Effects of Past Land Use on Present Resources Ecology. Environmental Archaeology between Research and Application
• S598: The Archaeobotany of Cities and Urban Landscapes
• S669: Ottoman-Era/Historical Archaeology: Materials and Methods in Context
• S1009: Beyond the lens: contemporary methods and interdisciplinary synergies in archaeobotany
• S1071: Machine learning methods in archaeological research: new approaches, barriers and standardization

EXTENDED DEADLINE! 8th 12th of February 2024.
Submit your papers here: https://submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2024/

ABSTRACTS:

Title:

Machine learning methods in archaeological research: new approaches, barriers and standardization

Theme:

2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps

Session format:

Regular session

Content:

During the last years we have entered a new phase in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in archaeology. The main advances within machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have been successfully implemented in multiple archaeological case studies. However, it is easy to see that the use of these new methods comes with its own set of problems, and lack of a common procedure and standardization.

The variety of applications includes sites detection and material culture analysis, showing that these methods are able to define a wide spectrum of socio-economic aspects of the societies, such as the individual preferences of craftsmen, the technological mindset of the communities, or their exchange of ideas beyond any geographical borders.

At this session, in order to integrate the archaeological ML research into general archaeological practice, we would like to welcome every researcher who struggles with the above problems and also:

• All case studies on the application of AI, especially with the use of new algorithms and approaches to different sources of archaeological information with a clear focus on improvements.
• Analyses of how ML and DL have been implemented in archaeological research with a clear focus on the issues that have arisen and those studies that have proposed solutions to these issues. Plans for the use of these methods and the barriers researchers are encountering.
• Best practices and procedures, which can include comparative analysis, of how to approach the most common issues in archaeological research, such as the small amount of training data available.
• Ethical issues in ML-based archaeological research with a particular focus on the growth that AI has had globally during the last year.

Keywords:

Computational Archaeology, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Material Culture, Data Management, Standardisation

Main organiser:

Iban Berganzo-Besga (Canada)¹

Co-organisers:

• Michał Jakubczak (Poland)²
• Nazarij Buławka (Spain)³
• Maurizio Troiano (Italy)^4,5
• Eugenio Nobile (Israel)⁶

Affiliations:

• 1. Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA), University of Toronto Mississauga
• 2. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, Polish Academy of Science
• 3. Landscape Archaeology Research Group (GIAP), Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA)
• 4. Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications (DIET) – University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy
• 5. Research Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
• 6. The Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Title:

Ottoman-Era/Historical Archaeology: Materials and Methods in Context

Theme:

1. The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions

Session format:

Regular session

Abstract:

The various contexts of the Ottoman Empire span over 600 years and range from the Middle East to North Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe. While the same terminology is used for all regions, the impact of imperial influence among the various provinces is quite distinct, although differences and special characteristics emerge even within the same geographical or modern political units.

Although the field of Ottoman Studies and its focus on textual evidence comprises a well-established discipline, the archaeological investigation of the period is a recent development –grosso modo from the turn of the 20th century. Archaeological surveys, excavation projects and the study of relevant aspects of material culture developed recently as an outcome of systematic regional field projects in the Mediterranean but also from the postcolonial shift that rendered value to the ‘local’ or ‘indigenous’ archaeologies of the post-medieval era. Furthermore, the combination of archival research and archaeological methodologies have produced a rich databank that contributes to debates in both disciplines, History and Archaeology.

This Session invites contributions assessing results emerging from the Ottoman-era/Historical Archaeology of Eastern and Southern Europe and the coastal areas of Turkey and the Levant. We focus on a broader methodological framework, from the intersections of Archaeology, Anthropology and Ethnography to material culture studies and the analyses of organic remains, as well as from approaches to natural and cultural landscapes, rural economy and daily life. Beyond addressing a specific subject, site or micro-region, we strongly encourage contributors to reflect on the broader imperial or disciplinary framework, placing their case-studies within a larger context to promote interdisciplinary and trans-border discussions and wider syntheses.

Keywords:

Ottoman Archaeology, Material Culture, Cultural Landscape, Rural Economy, Local Interpretations

Main organiser:

Moudopoulos-Athanasiou, Faidon (Spain) ¹

Co-organisers:

Vionis, Athanasios K. (Cyprus) ²

Affiliations:

• 1. Catalan Instutite of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA)
• 2. University of Cyprus

Title:

‘Past is not past’. Environmental effects of past land use on present resources ecology. Environmental Archaeology between research and application 

Theme: 

7. Archaeology of Sustainability through World Crises, Climate Change, Conflicts and War

Abstract

The environmental effects of historical management and production systems are not confined to the past but persist in current resources ecology. Indeed, recent research is demonstrating how the present-day risk of uncontrolled fire, the loss of biodiversity and soil erosion are not solely attributable to climate change but also to changes in environmental management systems and the abandonment of agro-sylvo-pastoral practices that have occurred for centuries (or even millennia).

Past environmental management systems and land use have left specific geo- and bio-markers that are archaeologically identifiable in soils and sedimentary archives. These markers are the legacy of historical (and pre-historical) uses of environmental resources and serve as evidence of environmental effects that these management systems have had on the local ecosystem.

Studying these markers allows archaeologists to uncover the trajectory of environmental formation and transformation processes over time, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of current environmental changes.

Dealing with historic environmental management involves addressing issues directly related to food production, and more broadly to foodways and their connections with local environmental resources ecology and situated landscapes (foodscapes).

How can these results be applied to improve environmental conservation and regeneration policies, promoting more sustainable management of resources?

How can these research findings be leveraged to raise social awareness about environmental issues related to food (e.g. food production/consuming/discard, food-taboos, food identities, food sovereignty)?

Our session welcomes Environmental Archaeology investigations embedded in interdisciplinary frameworks, where research results have been applied in the following areas: 1) improvement of environmental management policies 2) bio-cultural heritage enhancement 3) re-discovering of local gastronomic heritage and 4) foodways and foodscapes characterisation. 

We invite contributions involving expertise from fields such as Historical Ecology, Geography, History, Anthropology, Ethnography, Gastronomy; we also encourage collaborations with non-scientific audiences, including policy-makers, local stakeholders, inhabitants and producers.

Keywords:

Environmental archaeology; research application; environmental and cultural heritage conservation; foodways and foodscapes; historical sustainability assessment

Main organiser:

Valentina Pescini (Spain) ¹

Co-organisers:

• Veronica Aniceti (Norway) ²
• Roberta Cevasco (Italy) ³
• Nicola Gabellieri (Italy) ⁴

Affiliations:

• 1. Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA), Tarragona, Spain
• 2. Department of Natural History – University Museum, Bergen, Norway
• 3. University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG), Pollenzo, Italy
• 4. University of Trento (UNITN), Trento, Italy

Title:

Beyond the lens: contemporary methods and interdisciplinary synergies in archaeobotany

Theme:

2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps

Abstract:

Archaeobotany, the study of plant remains from archaeological contexts, used to be exclusively performed in a lab; isolated individuals sorting out and identify seeds through a stereoscope’s lens. The traditional analytical approaches to study plant macro- and micro-remains are usually focused on the reconstruction of plant exploitation, as well as past landscape and footprints of human activities.
In the last decades, innovative protocols have been developed to investigate past environmental conditions, agronomic practices, and the past exploitation of plants. Morphometry, stable isotopes and organic residues analyses, and the recovery of ancient DNA have highlighted the role(s) of plants in the daily activities of ancient communities. The simultaneous advance of digital humanities, the spread of social media and the introduction of AI tools in various inter- or cross- disciplinary project collaborations have forced the discipline to move fast-forward.
As a result, the agency of past individuals and/or communities and their interaction(s) with plants is being re-visited by many researchers and professionals across Europe. These attempts re-frame archaeobotany as a discipline that can be conducted outside the lab and is relevant to its age and era by utilising cutting edge technology.
In this session we aim to explore contemporary methods and synergies attempting to re-visit old questions in archaeobotany with new digital tools, re-use of botanical collections, agricultural archives and/or ethnographic records, perform ambitious experiments inside and beyond the lab, and re-introduce the wider audience to ancient agriculture and cuisine through inclusive remote and/or participatory actions.
We welcome contributions from researchers and professionals associated with archaeobotany, anthropology/history of food, ethno-archaeology/botany, and experimental archaeology to share experiences illustrating how contemporary inter- and/or cross-interdisciplinary methods in archaeobotanical research can bridge the gap between archaeology and the modern natural and physical sciences, as well as ordinary people of the 21st century and their past.

Keywords:

Archaeobotany, contemporary methods, inter-/cross-disciplinary projects, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, ancient diet and cuisine, fieldwork

Co-organisers:

Title:

The Archaeobotany of Cities and Urban Landscapes

Theme:

2. Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital era: Bridging the Gaps

Session format:

Regular session

Content:

Urban centres are focal points of multicultural, interactions and connections. They are dynamic sites, oftentimes the driving forces of changes of broader socio-economic settings. Their archaeological context is usually altered by cultural processes associated with their development, which poses a series of difficulties in disentangling the taphonomic processes of their archaeological assemblages. Archaeobotanists are increasingly aware of the potential of urban contexts, as large concentrations of organic material are being recovered, representing important archives for different types of environmental and cultural data. Urban archaeobotany focuses on the analysis plant materials from these environments and includes the examination of both macro-remains (seeds, wood, and other visible parts), and micro-remains (pollen, phytoliths and starch). The archaeobotany of urban centres and landscapes can shed light on a multitude of aspects, from the dietary habits of their inhabitants to trade, exchange, urbanisation, infrastructure development and environmental and sustainability issues. 

This session offers the opportunity to discuss all aspects of scientific research related to the archaeobotany of urban centres, stimulating further development in this field. Detailed analyses of archaeobotanical remains and palaeoenvironmental data of urban centres have the potential to significantly improve our understanding of their origins, socio-economic, political and religious functions, but also of their relationship with other types of settlements and their agency in the creation of connections between all these different types of sites, between individuals and societies. 

Topics that will be considered, include (but are not limited to):
• how and why the urban environment and/or local ecosystems have changed over time 
• how and why people in urban settings managed and utilized plant resources for food and fodder
• insights into trade networks and the exchange of plant products within or between urban centres and other types of sites 
• urban identities through the study of food plant remains

Keywords:

archaeobotany, urban centres, cultural identities, food, trade, environmental change

Main organiser:

Federica Riso (Spain) ¹

Co-organisers:

Alexandra Livarda (Spain) ¹
Aldona Mueller-Bieniek (Poland) ²
Núria Rovira (France) ³
Patricia Vandorpe (Spain) ¹

Affiliations:

1. Istitut Català de Arqueologia Classica, Tarragona
2. University of Warsaw
3. Université Paul Valéry – Montpellier