Society for Medieval Archaeology Newsletter Issue 38 September 2007 ISSN 1740-7036 EDITORIAL 2. Medieval landscapes, buildings and material All comments, reports and news to Gabor culture (12.00-13.00; 14.00-15.15) Thomas, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AB, This session outlines developments in approaches to Email: [email protected] medieval landscape, buildings and material culture, addressing themes of daily life, the household and ‘Fifty Years of Medieval Archaeology’ landscape reconstruction. 12.00: Steve Rippon (University of Exeter): Culminating a year-long series of events to Understanding the Medieval Landscape mark the 50th anniversary of the Society for Medieval Archaeology, a one-day 12.30: Else Roesdahl (University of Aarhus): Housing symposium is to be held at The Society of culture in Scandinavian perspective Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, on Saturday 8th December. 13.00-14.00 Lunch Attendance at the conference, lunch and the 14.00: Geoff Egan (Museum of London): Material evening reception are free to members of culture: household and daily life the Society, and to graduate students; otherwise there is a conference registration 14.30 David Hinton (University of Southampton): fee of £20.00 (to include lunch and Medieval people and their identities attendance at the evening reception) for non-members. 15.00 Discussion A booking form is included as an insert in 15.15-15.45: Coffee/tea this edition of the Newsletter; it can also be downloaded direct from the website. 3. Medieval health and diet (15.45-17.15) Places at the conference are limited to the first This series of papers reviews recent scientific 100 applicants so book early to avoid developments in the study of human and animal remains, disappointment! DNA and isotopes to address new evidence for medieval health, diet and migration. Preliminary timetable 15.45: Charlotte Roberts (University of Durham): Health 1. Fifty years of Medieval Archaeology (10.00-11.30) and welfare in Medieval England: the human skeletal remains contextualised This session will address key developments over fifty years of medieval archaeology, taking a comparative 16.15: Gundula Müldner (University of Reading): regional perspective. Reconstructing medieval diet by stable isotope analysis of human remains 10.00: Chris Gerrard (University of Durham): Understanding traditions and contemporary approaches: 16.45: Naomi Sykes (University of Nottingham): the development of medieval archaeology in Britain Animals, the bones of medieval society 10.30: Andrea Augenti (University of Bologna): 4. Plenary lecture: (17.15 – 18.00) Medieval archaeology in Italy David Wilson: Fifty years of the Society for Medieval 11.00: Florin Curta (University of Florida): Medieval Archaeology archaeology in south-eastern Europe 18.00 Wine reception: award of first John Hurst 11.30- 12.00: Coffee/tea dissertation prize www.medievalarchaeology.org COMMENT with Duncan Brown The winners of each separate league might A while ago I submitted a costing for a then come together to slug it out for the small pottery job, only to be told that my annual title of champion archaeological day rate was higher than that quoted for a specialism! report on the iron objects. My natural response was that the iron specialist was There will be a myriad of details to work under-valuing himself, and I still hold this out of course, in order to remove potential to be true – he is eminent in his field and bias and so forth. I envisage some sort of should be asking for a lot more. The manual with which project managers would episode set me thinking along different have to become familiar, akin to the lines, however, because there seemed to be Duckworth-Lewis method of calculating an implication that working on iron objects the runs required in rain-affected one-day was more important than working on the cricket matches, and an independent panel pottery. This may, of course, be related to of adjudicators may also be needed from the relative scarcity of those who specialise time to time. The technicalities would mean in iron, while we ceramicists are obviously little to avid supporters of this new pastime far more common. There may be league however, and the actual benefits in terms of tables of specialists, at least subliminally, driving down project costs, albeit at the but I really don’t want to speculate on this, expense of some people’s livelihoods, make if only because I’d rather not discover how this a sure-fire hit. Now then, what do I dangerously I might be flirting with need to know about gold and silver? relegation. More interesting, I think, is the possibility CONFERENCES & EVENTS of a league table of specialisms, where iron seems to be higher than pottery, and coins “The Very Best Sort of Earthenware”: perhaps higher still. If such a table were to Cistercian and Midlands Purple Ware be constructed, one could then work out from Ticknall, South Derbyshire how much each specialist deserved to be 27.10.07 remunerated! What a fabulously simple Sharpe's Pottery Museum, West Street, system for the exploitation of freelance Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 9DG archaeologists! This conference and study day aims to highlight the Cistercian and Midlands Each separate archaeological project would Purple wares manufactured at Ticknall as probably generate a separate table, because well as exploring our current state of if there are only a few bits of animal bone, knowledge of these wares. A display of then the faunal remains might be knocked Ticknall pottery will be available for down a few places, below even the pottery. viewing and attendees are invited to bring A global table might be possible, however, along examples of Cistercian and Midlands as a composite of all the site-specific ones. Purple ware for display and discussion. It could even be published every year in Speakers include: Janet Spavold and Sue Medieval Archaeology, if every project Brown, Anne Boyle, Julie Edwards, David appearing in the annual gazetteer submits Barker, Ian Rowlandson, John Hudson and an individual table to feed into the final one. Alan Vince. Tickets: £13.50, buffet lunch £6 Contact: Dr Anne Boyle, Archaeological There could also be some sort of related Project Services, The Old School, Cameron knockout competition between disciplines. Street, Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, Finds would have their own league table, NG34 9RW Details on the conference and survey techniques another and we could go venue are available at: on in similar vein for other specialist www.medievalpottery.org and activities such as illustration and www.sharpes.org.uk/ photography, conservation and so on. Sculpture and Archaeology: New will include the cultural landscape of Perspectives on Carved Stone warfare, the geographical context of civil 02.11.07-04.11.07 defence structures, military Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth communications and logistics, warfare and state formation, the social and This conference aims to open up a truly administrative infrastructure of defence. interdisciplinary approach to sculpture, Confirmed speakers include: Richard Abels; drawing upon the perspectives of John Baker; Stuart Brookes; Juan Antonio archaeologists, art historians, conservators Quiros Castillo; Julio Escalona; Peter Ettel; and those with practical experience of David Hill; Lena Holmquist-Olausson; working stone. Addressing the close Michael Olausson; David Parsons; Andrew relationship between sculpture and Reynolds; Dorn van Dommelen; Gareth archaeology the conference seeks to explore Williams; Barbara Yorke; and chairs: the diverse ways in which carved stone has Stefan Brink and Nicholas Brooks. been interpreted and posit new ideas based For further details of the conference and an upon recent research. application form, please visit: www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/beyond Papers focus on the archaeology of -burghal/conference/index.htm or contact stonecarving techniques; perceptions of Landscapes of Defence Project, Institute of sculpture within archaeology and art history; Name Studies, School of English Studies, the role of sculpture in the establishment of University of Nottingham, University Park, museum collections; sculpture in the Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom, landscape; the influence of ancient or email: [email protected] sculpture on the art and artists of the 19th and 20th centuries; the conservation of sculpture; markets for sculpture and Call for papers: The BT@ the BM: New forgeries; and new theories on medieval Research on the Bayeux Tapestry sculpture and dressed stone. An international conference at the British Museum Full programme details and further 15.07.08-16.07.08 information: University of Plymouth, School of Humanities, Department of Art The Bayeux Tapestry has attained near History website: iconic status. Although extremely well www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=7863 known, because it depicts one of the most For further information contact Dr Theresa famous events in English history and the Oakley: [email protected] or subject of numerous studies, many aspects Dr Alex Woodcock: of the Tapestry remain contentious - even [email protected] enigmatic. In recent years there has been increased Landscapes of Defence in the Viking Age: interest in the Tapestry and further Anglo-Saxon England and comparative advances in our understanding of it, with perspectives scholars examining how, where and why it 09.11.07-10.11.07 was made, questioning its reliability and UCL, Institute of Archaeology value as a historical source, and excavating Warfare and power, as we know from its hidden meanings. contemporary events, play an important role in the formation of state institutions The purpose of this conference is to and their manifestation in material culture highlight recent and new research on the and landscape. The conference will bring Tapestry, and to disseminate those findings together international experts from various to a wider audience, in the hope of disciplines to discuss key issues in the furthering discussion, debate and the defence of territories during the period of sharing of ideas about this unique textile.