McDONALD INSTITUTE for Archaeological Research

9th January 2013: Cambridge Archaeology Field Group
Michael Coles: CAFG 2012: a year of activity
(7.30pm, McDonald Institute Seminar Room, Downing Site)
Open Meeting - All Welcome
Contact Michael Coles C. 871403 or Susan May C. 843121 for more detail

11th January 2013: Ancient India and Iran Trust
DR BADSHAH SARDAR (Ancient India & Iran Trust/Allama Iqbal Open University)
The Buddhist Collection of Nimogram, Swat, Pakistan: Its History, Classification, Analysis and Chronology
(5pm for 5.30pm. As usual, doors open at 5pm for refreshments)
Admission is free, and all are very welcome

15th January 2013: The Fork's Tale, as narrated by Itself
The story of a cannibal fork in the museum's collections complete with drawings from its point of view. Each month, on the 15th of the month and throughout 2013, a new chapter of 'The Fork's Tale' will be published and available from the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology shop (cost £1).
Please come to celebrate this new piece of fiction with a glass of wine and a reading of 'The Fork's Tale' by Alana Jelinek. 'The Fork's Tale' is published by LemonMelon and it is exclusively distributed through the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology throughout 2013. For 2013, subscriptions are available from LemonMelon and thereafter the complete work will be available through bookstores. The project is supported by Arts Council England Grants for the Arts. It forms the final part of an existing Arts & Humanities Research Council project.
RSVP Liz Haslemere
(5.00-6.30pm Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge)

17th January 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Kate Nichols (CRASSH), Discussant: Brian Murray (CRASSH)
Race: Greek Sculpture and 'Stuffed Natives' at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham. Defining the Classical Body in 1850s London
(1.30-3.30pm, CRASSH, Seminar Room SG1, Ground Floor, Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

18th-19th January 2013: Unravelling Human Origins
Unravelling the Palaeolithic (Southampton 2011) and HOBET 2012 (Liverpool 2012) marked the start of an extremely successful series of conferences. Their aim is to create a platform for stimulating discussion of current research on human origins and the Palaeolithic, by bringing together scholars from a wide range of disciplines including archaeologists, archaeological scientists, biological anthropologists and social anthropologists. The conference series is a joint venture between the Universities of Southampton, Oxford, Liverpool, Sheffield and Cambridge.
The University of Cambridge will host the annual conference in January 2013, under the aegis of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, which includes the Divisions of Archaeology and Biological Anthropology, the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
Queries email
Conference website

23rd January 2013:
Dr. Michael Haslam (Archaeology, Oxford): Descent from a Monkey: The Archaeology of Non-Human Primates
(4.30pm, Lecture Theatre, Biological Anthropology, Pembroke St)

24th January 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
The timing of modern humans - archaeology, fossils and genetics We are starting a new discussion group on current research topics and issues in human evolutionary studies. The idea is to provide a forum for people at all levels who are interested in research in human evolution to meet, discuss major topics, and exchange ideas and approaches. We envisage this as strongly inter-disciplinary, and welcome people from anthropology, archaeology, the biological sciences, cognitive sciences, and earth sciences.
The first meeting will discuss:
The timing of modern humans – chronological, multi-disciplinary and conceptual issues Since the development of the Recent African Origin Model, it is now conventional - in archaeology, anthropology and genetics - to talk about ‘modern humans’. While this worked well to start with, in highlighting the local and recent origin of ‘modern humans’, the concept has become increasingly problematic - as the chronology has become dispersed and diverse; as the concept has been used differently across disciplines, and as the defining traits have been questioned for their utility. We will explore the current state of play, and ways forward (if any) for this key element of human evolutionary studies. All welcome.
(1.00pm, LCHES Seminar Room, Fitzwilliam Street)
Marta Mirazón Lahr & Robert Foley (contact)
Further details

25th January 2013: ARC LAUNCH PARTY
To celebrate the launch of issue 27.2 of the Archaeological Review from Cambridge, 'Archaeology and the (De)Construction of National and Supra-National Polities', please join us in the McDonald Coffee Room at 5pm for drinks, nibbles and a chance to buy this fantastic new volume. Back issues of the ARC will also be available to buy. All welcome!
(5pm - 7.30pm McDonald Coffee Room)

29th January 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
The Timing of Modern Human Origins 2
We will continue the discussion of the timing of modern human origins, focusing on tracing lineages and trajectories versus assessing and measuring 'traits'.
(1.00pm, LCHES Seminar Room)
More details
All welcome

29th January 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Robyn Veal (McDonald Institute): Timber and fuel in Rome: history, archaeology, economics
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

31st January 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Oliver Hochadel (Institució Milà i Fontanals, CSIC, Barcelona) Discussant: Robert Foley (Leverhulme Professor of Human Evolution, Cambridge).
Science and Nationalism. Atapuerca, the Making of a Magic Mountain: Human-Origins-Research and National Identity in Contemporary Spain
(1.30-3.30pm, NB: Venue Faculty of Law-B16*)

1st February 2013:
The Art Group will be showing 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams,' created by the major European director Werner Herzog.
The film shows images which are over thirty thousand years old from Chauvet Cave in Southern France and would appeal to anyone interested in Heritage, Museology, the Palaeolithic and Prehistoric Art. All are invited and we encourage anyone who wants to contribute to discussion, or simply see the film, to come along.
We look forward to seeing you there!
(5.15pm in the McDonald seminar room, followed by wine, nibbles and discussion.

5th February 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
Continuing the discussion on the timing and nature of modern human origins (genetic, archaeological, anatomical):
Is it possible quantify the path towards 'modernity' (and beyond) in human evolution?
(1.00pm, LCHES Seminar Room)
All welcome
Information: LCHES Robert Foley, Marta Mirazon Lahr hesdg@human-evol.cam.ac.uk

6th February 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Dr Susan Ozanne, University of Cambridge: Understanding the impact of maternal diet on offspring health
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

6th February 2013:
Histories of Archaeology Research Network (HARN) and the Cambridge Archaeological Field Club invite you to participate in the Gender and Women in Archaeology teaching workshop. Speakers will present a short vignette about the role of women in the discipline during the early 20th century, to be followed by general discussion. It is hoped that this will be a very participatory event and discussion will attempt to contextualise individual narratives as well as to broaden the scope of dominant narratives that exist within the discipline.
Please see the attached poster for a list of participants and details.
The Histories of Archaeology Research Network, HARN, provides a cross-institutional structure to promote communication and thereby support innovative new historical work. Members of this virtual collective untangle the histories of archaeology and reconstruct the lesser-known social, political and intellectual aspects of archaeology's past. Group members investigate primary archival sources and original oral-historical evidence, to explore fine-grained descriptions and in depth historical analyses based on entirely fresh material. The resulting new research is regularly published on Antiquity's Project Gallery.
(4.30pm, South Lecture Room, Division of Archaeology)
For further information view our HARN weblog or For Further details contact Enrico Cioni (AFC President) at eac57 or Sheila Kohring (Div of Archaeology) at sek34
Event poster

6th February 2013: Cambridge Archaeological Field Group
Marcus Brittain: "The scene of idolatrous superstition and savage life" Recent excavations at Ham Hill hillfort, Somerset
Abstract: Ham Hill is Britain’s largest Iron Age hillfort, and yet in spite of almost one hundred years of excavations upon this Somerset hill there is little understanding of the character and broader significance of its archaeology. Were the hill’s Iron Age ramparts always so extensive, or is the sheer scale of the hillfort a later development? Is its size illustrative of its status, and was the hill always significant? And for how long was the hill occupied? These are basic, but hitherto unanswered questions. Moreover, the significance of the hillfort within the broader region is an issue for debate. Some of these questions are beginning to be tackled by a combined three- year commercial and research project by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and the University of Cardiff. A programme of open-area and targeted excavation with archival analysis is beginning to enlighten our understanding of the past communities who have inhabited the hill, and the results are questioning many assumptions concerning hillforts in general. This presentation outlines the results from the first two seasons’ work with a prospective view to the third, and final, season ahead.
(7.30pm, McDonald Institute Seminar Room)
All Welcome

11th February 2013: Personal Histories
Tony Robinson will include his experiences as presenter and member of 'Time Team'.
(3:30pm, in the Babbage Lecture Theatre New Museum site)
Tickets are sold out but you may add yourself to the waiting list Homemade tea will be served from 2.30 pm beforehand in the ground floor of the Sedgwick Museum
For information, contact Pamela at 07976 91908

12th February 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
The evolution of human language
What can neurobiology contribute to our understanding of the evolution of human language? A discussion led by Prof. William Marslen-Wilson (Department of Psychology).
The session takes our discussions of modern human evolution in a new direction by considering a key human characteristic, language, and looking at its neurobiological underpinnings. We will also explore how these may be visible in the past. Information (LCHES), where there is a link to a short paper on the topic. HESDG is an informal discussion group to encourage inter-disciplinary perspectives on all aspects of human evolution. This term we are considering issues relating to the evolution of 'modern' humans.
ALL WELCOME
Robert Foley, Marta Mirazon Lahr (email)

12th February 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Nick Soderberg (Faculty of Classics): The emergence of Minoan palatial society: an architectural perspective
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

13th February 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Dr Bence Viola, Max Plank Institute: Living on the edge? Neanderthals and Denisovans in the Altai Mountains
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

14th February 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology Seminar Series
Geographies of Archaeological Knowledge: a Critical View of the Relationship between Spanish and British Archaeology in the Twentieth Century Professor Margarita Díaz-Andreu (CREA-University of Barcelona))
Discussant: Dr Sheila Kohring (Division of Archaeology)
Abstract
This paper will explore the impact of geography in the production, consumption and circulation of knowledge. The analysis will be divided into two major subjects: the geographies of production and reception. The questions to be asked are, on the one hand, whether it matters where archaeological knowledge is produced and whether the archaeologists’ locations can influence the content and nature of their scientific production and have an effect on the national and international networks they form. On the other hand, an assessment will be made of the existing conditions and means by which the transmission of knowledge takes place and whether this affects reception. These different approaches will lead us to a discussion about the perception of academic authority and credibility. These issues will be discussed in the context of the relationship between Spanish and British archaeology in the twentieth century
(13:30 - 15:30 CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor)
Open to all. No registration required

19th February 2013:
Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group - a new discussion forum on current issues in human evolutionary research. Continuing our theme of the evolution of modern humans:Mixing up archaic and modern: What is the current evidence for Neanderthal and modern human admixture, and what would it mean?
A discussion led by Andrea Mania (Department of Zoology).
A couple of relevant papers are: Eriksson, A., & Manica, A. (2012). Effect of ancient population structure on the degree of polymorphism shared between modern human populations and ancient hominins. PNAS, 109(35).http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/14/1200567109.abstract
Green, R. E., Krause, J., Briggs, A. W., Maricic, T., Stenzel, U., Kircher, M., et al. (2010). A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome. Science (New York, N.Y.), 328(5979), 710–722. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/328/5979/710.full HESDG is an informal discussion group to encourage inter-disciplinary perspectives on all aspects of human evolution.(1 pm, LCHES Seminar Room, Fitzwilliam Street)
ALL WELCOME
Marta Mirazon Lahr
Robert Foley hesdg@human-evol.cam.ac.uk

19th February 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Jane Hjarl Petersen (Copenhagen): In at the deep end? Assessing expressions of identity in funerary contexts from the Black Sea region and beyond
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

20th February 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Dr Elise Huchard, University of Cambridge: Costs and benefits of mate choice in grey mouse lemurs
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

26th February 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
A new discussion forum on current issues in human evolutionary research.
Continuing our theme of the evolution of modern humans: Geographical structure in prehistoric populations In discussing the question of Neanderthal genetics and inter-breeding with modern humans, it became clear that this is a specific example of a general issue - namely to what extent were human populations geographically structured or sub-divided in the past. This week's discussion will explore the more general issues - what were the geographical patterns of human populations in the later Pleistocene? are these the same for geneticists, archaeologists and human palaeontologists? Can we find equivalencies - the archaeologcal Denisovans? gene flow among the Aurignacian - etc? Are these the same as Howell's 'palaeodemes'? Are there ecological determinants to how divided populations can become? Does culture increase or decrease structuring?
For further information:
HESDG is an informal discussion group to encourage inter-disciplinary perspectives on all aspects of human evolution.
ALL WELCOME
Marta Mirazon Lahr
Robert Foley
hesdg@human-evol.cam.ac.uk

26th February 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Maria Perez Ruiz (Madrid): Family, House and Gods: Picturing domestic religion in the Roman provinces Baetica and Tarraconensis
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

27th February 2013: Wolfson College Seminar Series
Dr Corinne Duhig (Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute): Not just old bones: the birth of forensic archaeology and anthropology in the UK
Abstract:
Forensic archaeology and anthropology have a long history in the Americas, but in the UK we have only recently reached maturity with a professional body and regulatory system. I will describe the growth of these two linked disciplines and explain what we do, a little of how we do it, and what it feels like to be a practitioner interrogating the ultimate Silent Witness (1.00pm, Old Combination Room, Wolfson College) As always, attendees are welcome to bring lunch and enjoy the complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits. All are welcome!
Event poster (.pdf)

27th February 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Prof Rene Bobe, George Washington University: Ecology of Pliocene hominins in eastern Africa
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

27th February 2013: Art Group Meeting
Anyone who may be interested is invited, including undergraduates, graduates, and post docs. We will be providing food and wine for everyone. Returning members will be giving short presentations about their interests, and we encourage anyone who wants to contribute to discussion to come along. We will also be planning the year's activities, including more meetings and a field trip to the new Ice Age Art Exhibit at the British Museum.
The Art Group provides a forum for the exchange of ideas about visual art, including prehistoric as well as contemporary art, and its connection to archaeology. We will also consider how our existing understanding of contemporary art influences the way we look at and construe interpretations of prehistoric imagery and vice versa.
7.30pm: please email either Jess jbc35@cam.ac.uk or Sarah sce25@cam.ac.uk for more information and the address of the meeting.

28th February 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Chris Evans (Cambridge Archaeological Unit, University of Cambridge) and Discussant: Simon Schaffer (HPS, Cambridge)
Regimentation. Proof/Discipline, and Military Influence in 19th Century Archaeology
(1.30-3.30pm, CRASSH, Seminar Room SG1, Ground Floor, Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

4th March 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Dr Michael Gumert, Nanyang University: Patterns of stone tool use in Burmese long-tailed macaques
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

5th March 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Lucilla Burn (Fitzwilliam Museum): ‘Walruses in uniform': researching the history of the Fitzwilliam Museum
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

6th March 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Dr Philip Nigst, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research: The Early Upper Palaeolithic of the Middle Danube region: Modern human dispersal or local evolution?
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

6th March 2013: P I T O T I Exhibition
Thanks to the EU Culture Programme 2007-2013, the rock art of Valcamonica (Italy) comes back to life in a multimedia exhbition. The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the McDonald Institute are pleased to invite you to the inauguration of the exhibition
P I T O T I Digital rock art from ancient Europe
(6.00pm, South Lecture Room at the MAA, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ) Open to the public 6th-23rd March (Tuesday to Saturday 10.30am-4.30pm (closed Sunday and Monday)
Free Admission
Event poster

6th March 2013: Cambridge Archaeology Field Group
Mark Hinman: Archaeological Excavations along the route of the A11 'Fiveways to Thetford Improvements' scheme
(7.30pm, McDonald Institute Seminar Room)
Open Meeting - All Welcome

11th March 2013: CRASSH
Dr Kate Hill, University of Lincoln
Women, Museums and the Development of Archaeology and Anthropology
(2.00pm Alison Richard Building, room SG1)

12th March 2013: D Caucus Seminar
Astrid van Oyen (Faculty of Classics): Pots and possibilities. Terra sigillata and 'Rhenish' wares, production, distribution and consumption
(4.30pm in Room 1.04, Faculty of Classics)
All Welcome

13th March 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Prof Wulf Schiefenhoevel, Max Plank Institute : Modern models of Neolithic life. Fieldwork (1974-2012) among the Eipo, Highlands of Papua Province, New Guinea, Indonesia
(4:30 – 5:30 BioAnth Lecture Theatre, Pembroke Street)

14th March 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Dr Amara Thornton (Institute of Archaeology, UCL) Discussant: Dr Eleanor Robson (HPS, Cambridge) NB: Different Time and Venue
(1.00pm Fac of English GR06/07)
Gender: In the Field: Relations and Relationships in the History of Archaeology
NB: Different Time and Venue
(1.00pm Fac of English GR06/07)

14th March 2013: Thinking about Things (TAT)
'The materiality of the void: immateriality, absence, and anti-aesthetic'
This week's discussion will explore the paradox of the materiality of the immaterial. What are the strategies, technologies, techniques, tropes, and discourses by which the immaterial is made knowable or the material world is transcended, negated, or otherwise rejected? How do technologies, artifacts, and art movements conjure the void?
Japan — An Ascetic Aesthetic Meyer, Morgan. 2012.
Placing and tracing absence: a material culture of the immaterial. Journal of Material Culture 17:103-110. Buchli, V. 2010.
The prototype: presencing the immaterial. Visual Communication 9(3):273-286.
(1-2pm, Material Culture Lab, Room 2.2, West Building, McDonald Institute, Downing Site)
Please note that we've changed the meeting time to 1pm.
John, Astrid, & Ben Contact email: jlc75 P.S.

22nd March 2013: Excavating the Present: A Tribute to Syrian Mothers
An Exhibition in collaboration with Oxfam's Syria Crisis Appeal to support Syrian refugee families
(22nd March - 7 April 2013, 11am-6.00pm )
6/16 Gallery, King Street, Cambridge CB1 1LN
Press release

9th April 2013: Special Guest Seminar
Dr Peter Skoglund (Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden): Rock art and the shaping of new social identities – southeast Sweden 1800–1300 BC
Abstract (.pdf)
(3.30 pm - 4.30 pm, McDonald Institute seminar room)

25th April 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Mirjam Brusius (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science) Discussant: Dr Christina Riggs (University of East Anglia)
Objects: From the Excavation Site to Storage. Archaeological Objects in Transit
(1.30-3.30, CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

7th May 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
Nellie Phoca Cosmetatou: Modernity and the subsistence evidence - what can faunal remains tell us?
1 pm at LCHES, Fitzwilliam Street.
For further information

8th May 2013: Medieval Economic and Social History Seminar
Mark Gardiner (Queen's University of Belfast): Sea change: a new attitude to the marine environment in eleventh-century England
(5.00pm, Chadwick Room, Selwyn College)
All Welcome

9th May 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Chris Manias (University of Manchester), Discussant: Prof Peter Mandler (Prof. of Modern Cultural History, Cambridge)
Cultural Evolution: Interpreting the Art of the Old Stone Age and the Origins of Human Nature, 1870-1940
(1.30-3.30, CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

14th May 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
NeFrank Marlowe: Living hunter-gatherers - what they do and do not tell us about the evolution of modern humans
1 pm at LCHES, Fitzwilliam Street.
For further information

14th May 2013: ASH Colloquium
Trudi Tate (Clare Hall) & Keir Reeves (Senior Monash Research Fellow, Visiting Scholar McDonald Institute): Memorialising War: How we remember, lest we forget
(8.15pm Meeting Room, Clare Hall)
Event poster

15th May 2013: Central Mediterranean Prehistory Seminar 2013
A long-standing event where people who work on any prehistoric period in the Central Med can come and present their work and talk with colleagues. Organisers this year are John Robb and Guillaume Robin.
(10.30-5.00pm, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research) Free lunch and refreshments will be provided and there are some small funds available to partially reimburse unwaged and overseas participants for their travel.

15th May 2013: Medieval Economic and Social History Seminar
Richard Goddard (University of Nottingham): Cycles? Patterns of borrowing in Statute Staple debt certificates, 1353-1532
(5.00pm, Borradaile Room, Selwyn College)

16th May 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Dr Amara Thornton (Honorary Research Associate, Institute of Archaeology, UCL) & discussant Dr Kate Nichols (CRASSH)
Gender: In the Field: Relations and Relationships in the History of Archaeology
(1.30-3.30, CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

16th May 2013: BioAnth Seminar Series
Professor Tecumseh Fitch(Professor of Cognitive Biology at the University of Vienna and Honorary Professor in Psychology at the University of St Andrews): New Perspectives on the Evolution of Speech
(4.30pm, BioAnth Lecture Theatre (Room 41), Pembroke Street)

18th May 2013: Personal Histories Project
The Personal Histories Project in conjunction with the Social Media Knowledge Exchange based at CRASSH will run a one day workshop on Social Media and Public Archaeology at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research on the 18th of May 2013.
Places at the workshop are limited but we welcome applications from early career researchers, staff and students.
See here for more info on the workshop and how to apply

20th May 2013: Von Hugel Lecture
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge
Details tbc

20th May 2013: THE VON HÜGEL LECTURE
Professor Deborah Swallow: From Mumbai to Mehrangarh - India's evolving museum environment Deborah Swallow came to The Courtauld as its Director in 2004 after working first at MAA (1974-83) and then at the V&A Museum where she was Keeper of the Asian Department and Director of Collections.
The role of museums in India has been the focus of much debate within India in recent years, albeit within an admittedly restricted intellectual circuit. This debate is also now part of international discussion about the nature and purpose of "the Museum". In his recent book, Museum Matters (2011) for example, James Cuno reviews the principles of the encyclopaedic museum and in his epilogue on India argues that the imperial museum enterprise failed to embrace this concept. As a result Indian museums typically defined India and its culture in narrow, politically determined terms. With the western world's greater focus on India as a major economic power, soft diplomacy has also become prominent in its international relations. Cultural figures accompany political leaders on the visits to the subcontinent, a plethora of MOUs are signed and a range of projects undertaken. This lecture will explore some of the facets of this newly emerging energy, the ongoing debate about the purposes of the museum in India and the range of new projects that are underway.
5.00-6.00pm, Mill Lane Lecture Theatre 9
6.15 - 7.15 Drinks reception, MAA
Event flyer (.pdf)

21st May 2013: Human Evolutionary Studies Discussion Group
Christopher Henshilwood (University of the Witwatersrand and University of Bergen, Colenso Fellow, St John's College, Cambridge): the evolution of modern human behaviour
1 pm at LCHES, Fitzwilliam Street.
A good web site for more information on Chris Henshilwood's research is http://tracsymbols.eu

22nd May 2013: Heritage Research
Dr Laurajane Smith: Visitor emotion, affect and registers of engagement at museums and heritage sites
Abstract: This lecture will outline some of the findings of ongoing research which, to date, has included 4,400 visitor interviews undertaken at 45 sites of heritage in Australia, England and the USA. The work compares visitor responses to the representation of history at heritage sites and museums representing national narratives, as well as those museums and heritage sites that represent challenges to master narratives and/or represent dissonant understandings of history and the present. The presentation identifies a number of themes emerging from this research and in particular explores the role emotions play in allowing visitors to either engage or disengage with the histories and heritage they are visiting. It also introduces the idea of 'registers of engagement' and the implications this has for understanding the emotional and intellectual investments that visitors can make in their visits to sites and museums and the ways emotions and critical insight interact to reinforce or challenge visitor understanding and viewpoints. Documenting the ways in which people use and engage with sites of heritage allows a greater understanding of the ways in which history and the past are not only understood, but actively used in the present by individuals to negotiate contemporary social and political issues and their sense of self and place.
The lecture will take place in the WBSR and will be part of the heritage students, but ALL WELCOME
(11.00-1.00pm, West Building Seminar Room, Division of Archaeology)

23rd May 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Charlotte Roberts (Faculty of English, Cambridge) Dr. Melissa Calaresu (Early Modern History, Cambridge)
Excavation: Living with the Ancient Romans: Past and Present in Eighteenth-Century Encounters with Herculaneum and Pompeii
(1.30-3.30, CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

28th May 2013: The John Alexander Seminar Series 2012-13
Dr Laura Basell (University of Bournemouth): Refuge or Routeway? Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironments at the Headwaters of the Nile
(4.30pm, McDonald Institute Seminar Room, Downing Site, Downing Street,followed by a wine reception)
All welcome!

4th June 2013: RR Inskeep Memorial Lecture 2013
Tracing the behavioural evolution of Homo sapiens in southern Africa
Professor Christopher Stuart Henshilwood (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and University of Bergen, Norway and Colenso Fellow, St John's College Cambridge)
A major research challenge in archaeology is identifying when and how symbols were used for the first time to mediate hominin behaviour. Once in place this innovation provided an ability to share, store, and transmit coded information and played a crucial role in creating the social conventions and identities that now characterise human societies. The variable climates that characterised the Late Pleistocene in southern Africa are likely to have had a major effect on the continuity of key cultural innovations yet this aspect is not well understood.
Over the past decade the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa has challenged many of the stereotypic models. Recent excavations or re-analysis of materials excavated from Blombos Cave and Klipdrift Shelter, located in the southern Cape, South Africa has, together with information fromother archaeological sites in the region, produced crucial evidence that refutes the long held belief of a European origin for behavioural modernity. At Blombos Cave, for example, the recovery of 100 000 year old engraved ochre and ochre processing toolkits and 75 000 year old marine shell beads, heat treated and pressure flaked bifacial points and engraved ochres suggests levels of cognitive behaviour not previously associated with Middle Stone Age people. This is also the case at nearby Klipdrift Shelter that contains 66 000 year old Howiesons Poort backed segments, possibly hafted as arrow heads, and engraved ostrich eggshell.
The capacity for these behaviours, including the acquisition of language skills, is likely to have evolved over a long period of time in Africa. A key aspect in tracing the evolution of these behaviours in the Middle Stone Age is determining whether innovative technologies and social practices, and the transfer of these skills over generations, was a continuous or discontinuous process.
(5.00pm Department of Plant Sciences Lecture Theatre, Downing Site (adjacent to the McDonald Institute)
followed by a wine reception at the McDonald Institute)
ALL WELCOME
Event poster (.jpg)

5th June 2013: Medieval Economic and Social History Seminar
Mark Page (Oxfordshire Victoria County History):Lordship, tenure and agricultural development in medieval England
(5.00pm, Chadwick Room, Selwyn College)

6th June 2013: Field Notes: Histories of Archaeology and Anthropology
Sadiah Qureshi (University of Birmingham) and discussant Sujit Sivasundaram (History).
Empire: Displayed Peoples, Empire and Anthropology in the Metropole
(1.30-3.30, CRASSH, Seminar room SG1, Ground floor Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, CB3 9DT)

20th - 22nd September 2013: Conference
Frontiers of the European Iron Age
The main focus will be on the formative period of the first millennium BC, in Central Italy but contributions are warmly invited on the broader theme of frontiers in Italy and beyond.
Venue: Magdalene College, Cambridge
Further details attached, on the conference website and from Simon Stoddart.