Seminars and Events 2018
Seminar on February 1st, 2018
In Search of the Hyksos: Research Track 7 - Human Remains
Dr Christina Stantis and Nina Maaranen
Department of Archaeology, Anthropology and Forensic Science, Bournemouth University
The Subject: Manetho called a group of people who invaded Egypt in about 1650 BC ‘the Hyksos’. Evidence of their rule was largely erased by later Egyptians. With funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020, a multi-disciplinary and multi-national research program has been established to investigate who these people were. The speakers will describe the eight research tracks that are being pursued before focussing on the Bioarchaeology Research Track that has brought them to Melbourne to take samples from the Jericho skulls held by the Australian Institute of Archaeology.
The Lecturers: Christina is post-doctoral researcher at Bournemouth University and has expertise in stable isotopes chemistry, anthropology, and osteoarchaeology. Nina is an osteoarchaeologist and a postgraduate researcher at Bournemouth University, assessing biological distance using non-invasive techniques.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 1 February, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Seminar on March 1st, 2018
Investigating rural complexity after urban collapse: new excavations of a 3rd millennium BC olive oil production site at Khirbet Ghozlan, Jordan
Dr Jamie Fraser
Senior Curator at the Nicholson Museum, at the University of Sydney.
The Subject: When large, fortified, mounded settlements were abandoned in the mid-3rd millennium BC, the economy of the southern Levant is thought to have reverted to agro-pastoral subsistence. However, the appearance of several small, enclosed sites in upland areas suggests that post-collapse communities maintained a complex rural economy through
the exploitation of different environmental zones. In early 2017, a new project by the British Museum commenced excavations at Khirbet Um al-Ghozlan, Jordan, to test the hypothesis that these sites were processing centres for upland fruit crops, such as olive and grape, which were enclosed to protect seasonally-produced caches of oil and wine. Although Khirbet Um al-Ghozlan is less than 1-ha in size, the knoll is enclosed by a monumental circular wall. Excavations in four trenches uncovered the remains of at least two Early Bronze Age IV architectural complexes. The nature of these complexes, and their associated finds, suggest that Khirbet Um al-Ghozlan served as a specialized storage site possibly associated with the
production of olive oil in the late 3rd millennium BCE.
The Lecturer: Jamie Fraser completed his PhD on dolmens in the Levant at the University of Sydney in 2015. As Curator for the Levant at the British Museum, Jamie established the Khirbet Ghozlan Excavation Project, which had its first season in 2017. Jamie was recently appointed Senior Curator at the Nicholson Museum, at the University of Sydney.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 1 March, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking
restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Seminar on April 26th, 2018:
Godin Tepe II: Manor or Meeting House?
Dr Hilary Gopnik
Director, Centre for Ancient Cultures, Monash University
Co-Director, Naxçivan Archaeological Project, Azerbijan
The Subject: Godin Tepe is an archaeological site situated in the Kangavar Valley of western Iran. The site was excavated from 1965 to 1973 by a Canadian expedition headed by T. Cuyler Young Jr. and sponsored by the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada). Godin was occupied for over 4,000 years, but it is the latest period of occupation, Godin II, that will be discussed in this talk. Godin II was a massive building constructed in the 8th-7th centuries BCE when the Medes occupied this region. It is one of the few sites that can give us insights into this enigmatic community.
The Lecturer: Dr Gopnik received a BA in Anthropology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and her MA/PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral research focused on Godin Tepe. She was Senior Lecturer/Principal Scientist at Emory University, Atlanta, and this year was appointed director of the Centre for Ancient Cultures at Monash University. She excavates at Oglanqala in Naxçivan, Azerbaijan and Pasargadae, Iran.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 26 April, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Seminar on Thursday 23 August, 2018:
Khirbet Qeiyafa Retrospective: The excavator’s view of the controversy
Professor Yosef Garfinkel
Yigael Yadin Professor of Archaeology
Hebrew University, Jerusalem
The subject: The site of Khirbet Qeiyafa, which a year earlier was unknown, became world-famous in 2008 when The New York Times dedicated a full page to describe its excavation and the preliminary results. The paper referred to the figure of King David, who is well known from the biblical tradition but is archaeologically and historically elusive, because Khirbet Qeiyafa was the first time a fortified city from the time and locale of King David had been exposed. The date of the site was determined by accurate radiometric measurements and it is located in the Elah Valley, the place of the biblical tradition of David and Goliath. Khirbet Qeiyafa has become the point of contact between archaeology, biblical studies, ancient history and mythology, but this engagement has not been smooth. Prof Garfinkel will reflect on the subsequent controversies.
The Speaker: Yosef Garfinkel is the Yigael Yadin Professor of Archaeology of the Land of Israel at the Institute of Archaeology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was originally a prehistorian, excavating Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites, including Yiftahel, Gesher, Neolithic Ashkelon, Shaar Hagolan and Tel Tsaf. Since 2007 he is conducting a regional project in the Judean Shephelah, excavating in Khirbet Qeiyafa (2007-2013), Tel Lachish (2013-2017), and Khirbet er-Rai (since 2015). Prof. Garfinkel has over 200 publications, including 30 books.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 23 August, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
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Seminar on Sunday 26 August 2018:
Akhenaten, Moses and the Origins of Monotheism
Professor James K. Hoffmeier
Pharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned for seventeen years in the fourteenth century B.C.E, is one of the most intriguing rulers of ancient Egypt. His odd appearance and his preoccupation with worshiping the sun disc Aten have stimulated academic discussion about monotheism. The lecture describes how Akhenaten was a genuine convert to the worship of Aten, the sole creator God, based on the Pharaoh's own testimony of a theophany, a divine encounter that launched his monotheistic religious odyssey. Through a careful reading of key texts, artworks, and archaeological studies, it also provides compelling new insights into a religion that predated Moses and Hebrew monotheism, the impact of Atenism on Egyptian religion and politics, and the aftermath of Akhenaten's reign.
The Lecturer: Professor Hoffmeier recently retired from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he was Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology. He is an Egyptologist and was director of excavations at Tell el-Borg, northwest Sinai from 1998 to 2008. He has written and edited over a dozen books, published numerous papers and has often contributed to television documentaries.
When: 3.00 pm Sunday 26 August, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, No parking restrictions at weekends)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Seminar on Thursday 27 September, 2018:
Ancient Knowledge Systems in Archaeology
Dr Lynne Kelly
La Trobe University
The Subject: Before the development of writing, knowledge in ancient societies had to be remembered and passed on verbally to those people considered appropriate. Some features of the archaeological record previously considered to be art and/or religious have been interpreted by Dr Kelly as mnemonic devices and aids to memory. Specific examples of this include Chaco Canyon, Poverty Point and Stonehenge.
The Speaker: Lynne completed a doctoral thesis at La Trobe University focusing on the application of primary orality to archaeology. It was published as an academic monograph entitled Knowledge and Power in Prehistoric Societies (CUP 2015) and was rewritten for a mainstream audience as The Memory Code (Allen & Unwin 2016). Her first degree was in Engineering, but she has spent much of her life in secondary education, in which she has a master’s degree. She is the author of ten educational books, five on popular science and one novel. Lynne won the 2017 Australian Senior Memory Championship.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 27 September, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Petrie Oration on Thursday 25 October, 2018:
Urban Roman Cyprus: New Evidence from 2nd Century AD Nea Paphos
Dr Craig Barker
The University of Sydney
The Subject: The Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project has been excavating the theatre of Nea Paphos and its surrounding precinct since 1995. The University of Sydney team, working under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, have studied the north-eastern corner of the World Heritage listed town during this time. The theatre was used as a venue for performance and entertainment for more than six centuries from the foundation of the town in c. 300 BC through to its destruction in the mid-4th century AD, and the architectural development of the theatre is now well understood. The Antonine refurbishment of the theatre in the middle decades of this century suggests the entire quarter of the town underwent significant remodelling, with direct Roman architectural influences on the form and decoration of the theatre and the heavy use of imported marble.
In more recent seasons of fieldwork, however, the excavations have concentrated on the study of the surrounding theatrical precinct which is reshaping notions of the urban layout of this area of the Roman city. The excavations have uncovered a paved and colonnaded road to the south of the theatre, more than 8 metres wide and dating to the 2nd century AD; as well as a nymphaeum and other evidence for key public architecture that will be explored in future seasons. This talk will explore the implications these new discoveries have on our understanding of the urban setting of the capital city of Roman Cyprus. It will discuss what is now known about the relationship of the theatre with other key Roman structures in the town, including the agora, the harbour, the domestic quarters and the north-east city gate and its significant pilgrim’s route to the sanctuary of Aphrodite at nearby Palaepaphos. The excavations also allow us to explore broader issues of the archaeology of Roman Cyprus during this century of wealth, power and prestige.
The Speaker: Dr Craig Barker is an archaeologist and museum worker. He is director of the University of Sydney’s Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project excavating the Hellenistic-Roman theatre at the World Heritage site of Paphos, Cyprus. He has published and presented lectures extensively on subjects such as the Hellenistic wine trade, ancient theatre archaeology, the archaeology of Cyprus, museum education and archaeology in popular culture. He is Manager of Education and Public Programs, Sydney University Museums, overseeing school and tertiary education activities with the museum collections at the University of Sydney. He gained his PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Sydney and has extensive fieldwork experience in Australia, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. He appears regularly on ABC Radio with Rhianna Patrick on the ‘Can You Dig It’ segment and has curated a number of temporary exhibitions at the Nicholson Museum.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 25 October, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
Seminar on 22 November, 2018:
How many afterlives can a cat have? Recent scientific analysis of a mummified cat
Carla Raymond
Macquarie University
The subject: A mummified cat held by the Australian Institute of Archaeology (IA1.2402) was analysed by established and novel techniques including, X‐ray computed tomography (CT) at Macquarie University and neutron CT at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Use of both imaging techniques allowed for dual contrast and complementary study of bones, soft tissue, and textile components. Neutron CT has not previously been applied to archaeometric studies of mummified remains and provided valuable insight into the wrapping techniques. Pigment analysis was performed for coloured markings on the wrappings, using a scanning electron microscope and Raman spectroscopy, to determine their composition and authenticity. Radiocarbon dates were acquired and provided quantitative results to compare with morphological observations and conclusions based on partiality of the contents. The analyses revealed that the mummy contains a partial skeleton of a small, juvenile cat, who appears to have had more than one afterlife as a votive offering.
The Speaker: Carla completed a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History – Egypt and Near East studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Geophysics at Macquarie University, in 2015. She undertook the cat mummy project as part of a Masters of Research program in 2017, and hopes to pursue a PhD in a similar research area, utilising neutron CT in archaeometric and cultural heritage investigations.
When: 5.15 pm Thursday 22 November, 2018
Where: Australian Institute of Archaeology, Terrace Way, Macleod
(La Trobe University, Building TER 11, Melways 873-4, University parking restrictions end at 5pm)
Contact: Christopher Davey 0421 595 966
