Stanford Archaeology Center

ARCHLGY 131: THE USE AND ABUSE OF PREHISTORY. This course examines prehistory through a thematic and critical lens. Drawing from case studies in the Mediterranean, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, we will explore various archaeological approaches to prehistory from the late 19th century to the present, as well as colonial legacies, gender dynamics, notions of time, and museum and heritage ethics. In doing so, we’ll ask how the idea of prehistory itself has evolved, expanded, or been abandoned altogether. Winter 2021, MW 10-11:20AM, Ways: All, SI.

TAG 2021 - Call for Sessions The year 2020 has brought a series of important conversations to the forefront of our discipline. In light of the ongoing acts of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous violence that testify to the immediate need for systemic social change, the TAG 2021 conference will ask how archaeology can contribute to equity and social justice. With the move to a virtual format, TAG 2021 will be structured around several plenary sessions over 3 days (4/30-5/2), eac...h followed by moderated discussion groups for all conference participants. In addition to these plenary sessions, TAG will also include a range of open sessions that may be organized in a number of formats and that critically engage with the theme of the conference or other epistemological, political, and ethical aspects of archaeological theory and practice. We are seeking session proposals and encourage submissions from individuals or groups of all backgrounds and career stages. For more information, or to submit a session proposal, see: tag2021.stanford.edu

We are delighted to have Prof. Alexander Galloway (NYU) to deliver a lecture entitled "Always Deterritorialize!" -- On the Play of Being on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 12pm PDT (3pm EST), and you are warmly invited to attend this final lecture of our fall series The Playful Archaeology. Prof. Galloway will discuss the entanglement between play and chaos, prompting us to rethink the turn from historicization to deterritorialization. For more information, see: stanford.io/3k6z4vA Image caption: Drawing by Gilles Deleuze (Source: Gilles Deleuze, Sept dessins, Chimères 21 [Winter 1994]: 13-19.)

The Stanford Archaeology Center presents Dr. Claire Stocks. Her talk, titled The Missing Dead: Reliving the Past through Digital Games at Vindolanda, discusses a digital game that she and her colleagues recently released on Android (and soon on IOS). To register for this free event see: stanford.io/34MWlye The game is based on an 2010 excavation at the Roman site of Vindolanda during which archaeologists made an unusual discovery. Buried under the clay floor of what was onc...e a 3rd century barrack room for the soldiers at the fort, was an incomplete set of bones. At first glance they seemed too small to be human, and yet they did not appear to be the bones of animals that you would expect to find at a fort. The bones specialist, however, confirmed the find: the bones are human, but they belonged to a child aged around 8-10 years old (you can read more about the find here: https://www.vindolanda.com//skeleton-tales-stories-from-th). Whether the skeleton was that of a female or male is difficult to determine (although it is most likely female), but scientific analysis of the teeth indicate that this child grew up in the Mediterranean before moving to Vindolanda around the age of 7. There is no sign of trauma or ill health, but Romans did not bury their dead within their settlement certainly not under a barrack room floor. How this skeleton came to be there, therefore, is a mystery Called ‘the Missing dead’, the game is aimed at (UK National Curriculum) Key Stage 2 students (7-11 years) and their families, and it is designed to be played in the outdoor environment of Vindolanda as well as in their museum.

The Stanford Archaeology Center Workshop Series presents Dr. Sarah Levin-Richardson. Her talk, titled New Approaches to Slavery and Sex in the Pompeian Household, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 12pm. Register at http://Bit.ly/SLRSAC3. Abstract: How can we overcome the lapses and misrepresentations that characterize ancient evidence in general, but especially evidence about enslaved individuals and other groups on the margins of societies? In this talk, I of...fer Saidiya Hartman’s (2007, 2008, 2016; cf. 2019) methodology of critical fabulationused by her to give voice to enslaved individuals on the trans-Atlantic slave routeas a way forward, applying it to the case of a homeborn slave at Pompeii named Eutychis whose sexual services were advertised in the entranceway to her enslaver’s house. Ultimately, this methodology allows us to challenge the self-professed tenderness of enslavers towards their homeborn slaves, illuminating the complex physical, social, and emotional landscapes that enslaved individuals negotiated on a daily basis. See more

You are cordially invited to a talk by Maxime Durand (Ubisoft Montréal) on 'Assassin's Creed: Behind and Beyond.' Right before the launch of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the lecture will start on Tuesday, October 27 at 12.00 PDT, followed by a live Q&A session. Zoom webinar link can be found at stanford.io/2TfuD6E. We will also try to stream this talk live here. Assassin’s Creed players have been traveling through time and space in various episodes drawn from roughly 2,500 y...ears throughout history. While each game has been built for entertainment purposes, historical and archeological research have increasingly inspired the creators of the franchise. Through the eyes and experience of the presenter, attendees will gain an understanding of the development process, including constraints and the many opportunities that arise during the production of an Assassin’s Creed game, with the newest opus, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, set to launch on November 10. See more

Discover famous artifacts from the Maya and Aztec world through 3D physical and digital reproductions, learn about the personal motivations of 20th-century model makers, and see the original ancient monuments and elite goods that Stanford’s models recreate. Academic Curator Christina J. Hodge will tour the interactive exhibit and explore the wider themes of authenticity and creativity it raises. The OPENING will take place on Friday, October 23, 2020 on Zoom: 2:45PM PDT - Zoo...m opens 3:00PM PDT - Talk by Christina Hodge 3:45PM PDT Q&A see stanford.io/31u6KN0 for webinar link

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day Stanford sits on the un-ceded ancestral Ohlone lands now represented by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. W...e celebrate Indigenous people and peoples today and reflect on how we at SUAC benefit from, and strive to live up to, privileges of caring for Ohlone creations and creations from across the Indigenous Americas, Pacific, and the world. As we plan new ways collaboratively to live up to this promise, we reflect on this essay written with Chair Charlene Nimjeh and Vice-Chair Monica Arrelano of the Ohlone Tribe. https://museum.stanford.edu//melan/first-inhabitants-essay We chose this mortar and pestle to represent Ohlone people in an art piece at the Cantor Center that meditates on Stanford’s history through its early collections. Because these stone creations were collected from Stanford lands for Leland Stanford Jr., they represent the indelible links between the university and Ohlone people and, more importantly, between Ohlone people and these lands and waters. To me, their durability also represents persistence, a refusal to be erased. The care of their making represents the living links between Ohlone people and this place, the stony hills and acorn oak forests of the Bay Area. The deep, textured wear on their working surfaces represents time immemorial and women as sustainers of people and cultures. The museum numbers written on their surfaces represent the ways colonial settler forms of care can also deface and appropriate. Their celebration as a foundational part of our multicultural community gives me hope for the future.

Students: Are you interested in artifacts, critical heritage, and museums? If so, the Stanford University Archaeology Collections (SUAC) is here for you! Check out this short video for information on what SUAC has and where it comes from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptn-j0FTscE&feature=youtu.be, and this short video on what SUAC does and how to get involved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Hwh8Ya5ho&feature=youtu.be.

Stanford Archaeology Center is proud to announce its Autumn Quarter lecture series, 'The Playful Archaeology,' featuring research that explores the relationship between digital play and archaeological theory, methodology, and ethics. Aris Politopoulos of Leiden University will start off the series with his talk on September 23rd at 12pm, titled The Potential of the Past as Playground: Archaeology and Video Games. For more info see https://events.stanford.edu/events/886/88666/

Join us for our first 2020-21 Distinguished Lecture Series with Tim Ingold, Emeritus Professor, University of Aberdeen. Title: In the Gathering Shadows of Material Things. October 21, 2020, 12-1pm. See https://archaeology.stanford.edu//gathering-shadows-materi for more detail. To register, see https://stanford.zoom.us//regist/WN_6-oR0fOcReCum_Gp1I-wSA

ARCHLGY 84: INCAS, SPANIARDS, AND AFRICANS. ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE KINGDOM OF PERU. Join us to explore Andean archaeology from the rise of the Inca empire through the Spanish colonial period. Examine archaeological evidence for the development of late pre-Hispanic societies in western South America, the Spanish conquest, and the origins of key Spanish colonial institutions in the Andean region: the Church, coerced indigenous labor, and African slavery. Interrogate the underpinnings and legacies of colonialism, race, and capitalism in the region. Consider the material culture of daily life and those living on the social margins, both in pre-Historic societies and under Spanish rule.

ARCHLGY 83: POTS, PEOPLE, AND PRESS: GREEK ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE MEDIA. This course explores the intersections between academic research, media narratives, and the social, political, and cultural context of Greek archaeology from the 19th century to the present. Through case studies ranging from the discovery of Bronze Age civilizations in Greece to ancient DNA analyses, we will engage with both media accounts and academic scholarship in order to examine issues surrounding archaeological evidence and interpretation, narrative formation, the reception and appropriation of the past, conceptualizations of race and ethnicity, nationalism and archaeology, and cultural heritage management. No prior knowledge of Greek archaeology is required.

"Statues humanshaped sculptures inhabit the uncanny valley that separates inert matter from living entities. For humans, statues can engender profound emotional responses, embody potent ideas, and entangle the politics of the past and present. In this interdisciplinary course, we will explore why humans have revered and reviled statues, how the statues in our own lives are significant, and what the future might hold for these relics of bygone ages. Join us and discover THE SECRET LIVES OF STATUES: ARCHLGY 96/CLASSICS 96." More information, see stanford.io/2PVWgQl

Prof. Jennifer Trimble will be the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Roman Archaeology. After thirty-three years of extraordinary leadership, John Humphrey is retiring this month as editor of JRA. The 2020 issue, volume 33, will be the last one edited by him. John has now sold the journal to Cambridge University Press (https://www.cambridge.org//journal-o/cambridge-acquisition). Jennifer Trimble's and Cambridge University Press’s top priority, is to maintain the exc...eptional scholarly quality of JRA, including its international reach. A new editorial team is taking shape; JRA will begin to appear in two issues per year rather than just one; an online system will soon make the submission and review process easier to manage. Accepted articles will be published online in FirstView as soon as they are ready, as well as being published in both the print and the digital issues of the journal. For more information on all of the above, please check the JRA home page at Cambridge University Press for periodic updates (https://www.cambridge.org//jo/journal-of-roman-archaeology). See more