Call for Papers for "The 4th Experimental Archaeology Conference" - University of Aberdeen, 14th & 15th November 2009

Conference Theme:
'Experimental Archaeology: Craft, Skill and Performance'

"Experimental Archaeology: The systematic approach used to test, evaluate and explicate method, technique, assumption, hypothesis and theories at any and all levels of archaeological research." (Ingersoll, Yellen, McDonald, 1977)

Archaeologists are commonly imagined to spend their time patiently scraping back layers of earth and rubble in the hope of finding the wealth of artefacts and treasures hidden beneath. However, archaeological research does not end at the site of excavation. For the discoveries made there can open the door to a range of further opportunities for experimental investigation based on skill, craft and performance.

Experimental archaeology embraces at least two approaches to research. The first, and perhaps the most widely acknowledged, is to set up structured experiments designed to test clearly defined hypotheses, involving the precise replication of archaeologically recovered artefacts or the activities known to be associated with them. This is the approach advocated by Ingersoll, Yellen and McDonald. Secondly and more recently, experimental archaeologists have sought to learn for themselves the craft skills associated with what is known from the archaeological evidence about how people lived and worked in the past, in particular places and with the materials available to them. This latter approach has been motivated in part by a desire to gain a more visceral or experiential understanding of how past people may have lived and engaged with one another, with their possessions and with their environments. But it is also driven by the growing public demand that information about the prehistoric and historic past be presented in forms that are both visible and tangible, for purposes of both entertainment and education.

Both approaches are valid. Yet the scientific value of craft and performance remains insufficiently recognised within the bastions of academic archaeology, and as a result, they do not yet receive the credit they deserve as ways of expanding archaeological knowledge. The aim of this conference is to show how by working together, experimental archaeologists and craft practitioners can contribute towards a better understanding of the past.
An opportunity on Saturday 14th November 2009 will be available for the presentation of papers not previously published. The intention is to accommodate all material relating to experimental archaeology suitable for presentation to a professional audience, so far as time and space in the programme allow. However, special consideration will be given to joint presentations that include the academic researcher and the craft practitioner, whose knowledge and skills were used as a part of their research.

Each presentation should last no more than 20 minutes which should include time for discussion. Presented papers should aim to introduce material involving recent research. There are no restrictions on the areas of archaeology and/or anthropology which papers may address. Those wishing to make a presentation should submit by e-mail attachment an abstract of no more than 250 words, together with their full paper of a maximum of 2000 words (including notes and bibliography), to cpd@abdn.ac.uk by Monday 1st June 2009. Decisions on whether papers have been accepted will be made by mid July. Authors wishing for an earlier response should submit papers as early as possible. Delegates are asked to register as early as possibly once their paper has been accepted so that the programme can be confirmed.

Papers should be typewritten in 11-point text, single-spaced throughout (i.e. including references and quotations), on white A4 paper. All pages should be numbered and any containing symbols liable to distortion in transmission should be submitted as hard copies; otherwise electronic copy is welcome. Please ensure that there are no self-identifying references in the text. Submissions should be accompanied by a separate page containing the title of the paper, the name of the author, institution and status, and email and postal addresses. Authors are advised to consult supervisors about what may be suitable for presentation to a largely professional audience. Given the tight word-limit, they are advised to give as much space as they can to the statement of their own ideas.

Papers may be considered for inclusion in the Oxbow or EuroREA journals.

Important dates/deadlines:
Paper submission deadline: Monday 1st June 2009
Delegates informed of paper acceptance/decline: Mid July
Registration deadline: Friday 2nd October 2009
A late registration fee of £25 will apply to all registration received after the deadline.

FURTHER INFORMATION: www.abdn.ac.uk/experimental-archaeology

King's College campus, Old Aberdeen