Jan Turek
Jan Turek
Statement of Research Interests
Neolithic and Eneolithic of Central Europe
My main research interests lie in the Neolithic and Eneolithic of Central Europe from the LBK to Bell Beaker periods. Within this broad time frame I have focused my attention on the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker periods in particular. My research in these periods addresses two main themes. First the reconstruction of social relations through mortuary data. Second, modelling settlement patterns.
My research on Corded Ware and Bell Beaker burial has involved the creation of the first comprehensive database of Bohemian material derived from published and unpublished data in museum and archive reports. This required considerable examination of the archaeological finds themselves. The database will be used as the basis for a complex analysis of the correlations between different variables within the burial rite and their comparison both within the Czech Republic and with material from Hungary, Austria, Bavaria and Central Germany. So far I have examined the statistical association of artefacts with male and female skeletons and the division of these same artefacts in the graves of children in the Czech Republic. This has led me to start considering the position of children in Corded Ware and Beaker society in Bohemia.
Eneolithic settlements in Bohemia and Moravia have often been considered archaeologically invisible. My research is inspired by work in Anglo-American archaeology and uses the distribution of artefact scatters to create theoretical models of settlement patterns and land use. I have been particularly concerned with comparing these models between periods in order to explore continuity and change in the symbolic and economic use of land. The initial results of this work suggest that the modelled Eneolithic settlement patterns do not greatly differ from those of the preceding Neolithic farming communities. This is significant as it revises previous conceptions regarding dramatically different economic strategies and discontinuity between the Neolithic and the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker periods.
Address: Center for Theoretical Study, Joint Research Institute of Charles University & the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 1, Husova 4, 110 00, Czech Republic
Statement of Research Interests
Neolithic and Eneolithic of Central Europe
My main research interests lie in the Neolithic and Eneolithic of Central Europe from the LBK to Bell Beaker periods. Within this broad time frame I have focused my attention on the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker periods in particular. My research in these periods addresses two main themes. First the reconstruction of social relations through mortuary data. Second, modelling settlement patterns.
My research on Corded Ware and Bell Beaker burial has involved the creation of the first comprehensive database of Bohemian material derived from published and unpublished data in museum and archive reports. This required considerable examination of the archaeological finds themselves. The database will be used as the basis for a complex analysis of the correlations between different variables within the burial rite and their comparison both within the Czech Republic and with material from Hungary, Austria, Bavaria and Central Germany. So far I have examined the statistical association of artefacts with male and female skeletons and the division of these same artefacts in the graves of children in the Czech Republic. This has led me to start considering the position of children in Corded Ware and Beaker society in Bohemia.
Eneolithic settlements in Bohemia and Moravia have often been considered archaeologically invisible. My research is inspired by work in Anglo-American archaeology and uses the distribution of artefact scatters to create theoretical models of settlement patterns and land use. I have been particularly concerned with comparing these models between periods in order to explore continuity and change in the symbolic and economic use of land. The initial results of this work suggest that the modelled Eneolithic settlement patterns do not greatly differ from those of the preceding Neolithic farming communities. This is significant as it revises previous conceptions regarding dramatically different economic strategies and discontinuity between the Neolithic and the Corded Ware and Bell Beaker periods.
Address: Center for Theoretical Study, Joint Research Institute of Charles University & the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 1, Husova 4, 110 00, Czech Republic
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Books by Jan Turek
Dear WAC Members, dear colleagues!
36 years after its birth in Southampton, the World Archaeological Congress has come
back to Europe having grown into a highly influential world organization. However,
the way to Prague was not straight forward. In March 2020, when we were finalizing
preparations, 172 academic sessions were approved by the Scientific Committee and
over 1200 WAC members submitted their papers. Then the Covid-19 pandemic
started, and everything suddenly froze.
All we could do at the time was to hope that schools would reopen, planes would start
flying, and that we would meet again and further develop our friendship. We now
know that it was a historic lesson that alerted us to the vulnerability of global travel
and that the opportunities we had previously taken for granted could be dramatically
truncated in a week. Globally, we have gone through restrictions, fears, and tragedies.
WAC-9 was first postponed until 2021; it was a difficult but inevitable decision, but it
also contained the hope that we would soon see a light at the end of the dark tunnel, such as vaccine, a cure, and a solution
that would return life to the way it used to be before the pandemic. However, the Coronavirus was indeed a powerful
adversary and we had no choice but to postpone our meeting for another year until 2022. This was already a really serious
limitation for our community and many of us lost contact and desire in the global meeting. Many sections were withdrawn,
many organizers lost interest, some changed or lost their jobs. Life is different than we were used to.
Hopefully, we have come out of the two pandemic years strengthened. We have learned how to communicate virtually,
and for many international projects and conferences, online collaboration is a great asset. Yes, even conferences and congresses
will not be the same as before. People still prefer face-to-face contact and we are starting to travel again, but for a
global community like WAC, virtual communication is an essential part of the future. Perhaps we will also appreciate the
opportunities for face-to-face meetings and friendships even more. Only time will tell what the future of our communication
will be.
After two years of fighting the Coronavirus, however, another global problem has emerged in Putin's imperialism, which is
not only committing genocide in a sovereign European country, but threatening the existence of the whole of humankind
with irresponsible and totally unjustifiable threats to use nuclear weapons. The consequences of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine are yet to demonstrate their full global effects, though we already witness how the global commodity markets are
being destabilised by this war.
Calling the war in Ukraine a local European conflict is mistake, as many countries worldwide are already indirectly involved;
the impact of the irresponsible Russian intervention will influence the global food crisis. Very soon, far reaching consequences
will be especially felt in vulnerable countries in Africa and the Middle East that depend on wheat supplies from
Ukraine.
Here, in Czech Republic, the war in Ukraine feels very close, and its impacts can be observed as you visit Prague. As of June
2022, 4% of current residents in Czech Republic are Ukrainian refugees. As with other Central/Eastern European countries,
ordinary citizens are sheltering refugees in our homes, fundraising for displaced people, and supporting colleagues and
students who remain in Ukraine.
The pandemic and the war are features of Prague WAC-9. The number of participants is considerably lower than in previous
congresses. The WAC Council even decided not to hold the General Assembly here given such limited possibilities of travel
and communication. But let’s be positive about our meeting! We survive, and we prove our global archaeological community
is able to sustain and continue for many years to come.
Let’s enjoy the opportunity to meet, in person or virtually through screens of computers. Let’s enjoy the unique atmosphere
of Prague, which has always been a multicultural and multilingual crossroad of Central Europe. The atmospheric streets of
Prague hide amazing subterranean relics of the medieval city, some of which are still waiting to be discovered. The Czech
Capital is the city of St. Wenceslaus, and has spirit of Franz Kafka and Václav Havel.
This special event offers us the opportunity to share the results of our research and discuss the role of archaeology and the
state of world heritage in the current globalized world. It mediates discussion on professional training and public education
for disadvantaged nations, groups, and communities. The voices of representatives of different Indigenous groups are welcomed
in Prague.
WAC-9 simply brings the clear statement: we want to continue our global communication and we will never give up!
Yours Sincerely
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
15. Civilizace a společnost středočeské oblasti v neolitu a eneolitu Všude samá archeologie • Věk prvních zemědělců • Příběh neolitizace • Bylany u Kutné Hory: rozsáhlý sídelní areál z doby prvních zemědělců • Od prvního domu k poslední katedrále • Interiér domů a jeho členění, mužská a ženská část domácnosti • Bílý kámen u Sázavy: neolitický lom na těžbu mramoru • Počátky dálkového obchodu v pravěku • Kly, Vrbno a Vliněves u Mělníka: časně eneolitická ceremoniální ohrazení na soutoku velkých řek • Mléčná revoluce • Megalitická hrobka z Nymburka • Makotřasy u Kladna: čtvercové příkopové ohrazení a počátky metalurgie • Dřevčice u Brandýsa: depot picího souboru badenské kultury • Velvary: unikátní pohřeb v kamenné skříňce • Denemark u Kutné Kory: výšinné ohrazení řivnáčské kultury • Bzí a Lopata: výšinné polohy chamské kultury v západních Čechách • Evropská „Pohárová unie“ 3. tisíciletí př. Kristem • Posvátná hora Bacín v českém krasu • Slaný: birituální kolektivní hrobka • Tišice: hrobka amazonky, ženy s lukostřeleckou výbavou • Pravěká turistika
16. Bronzy, depoty, mohyly a popelnicová pole – od doby bronzové po soužití s Římany. Věk mečů a pokladů • Holý vrch a Kozí hřbety u Únětic a Suchdola: eponymní pohřebiště a depot dýk starší doby bronzové • Skalka u Velimi: obětiště střední doby bronzové • Plzeň-Jíkalka: bronzový štít z mladší doby bronzové • Šťáhlavy-Hájek a Milavče: mohylová pohřebiště • Knovíz a Štítary: život a smrt v závěru doby bronzové • Doba železná: prakeltská a keltská Evropa • Bylany a Hradenín u Kolína: hrobky velmožů starší doby železné • Aristokracie dávných Keltů • Hradiště nad Závistí: nejstarší kamenná monumentální architektura severně od Alp • Tišice u Mělníka: hroby z doby historické keltské expanze • Stradonice u Berouna: laténské oppidum nad Berounkou • Doba římská: Čechy mezi dvěma světy • Pičhora a Třebická u Kolína: pohřebiště polabské společenské elity starší doby římské • Řeporyje a Ořech u Prahy: železářská osada starší doby římské • Beroun-závodí: hrob bojovníka z pozdní doby římské • Na prahu temného věku • Praha-Zličín: pohřebiště z doby stěhování národů • Jenštejn a Roztoky u Prahy v 6. století po Kristu: osady s různou etnicitou svých zakladatelů? • Osada doby stěhování národů v Jenštejně u Prahy • Pobřežní osada v Roztokách u Prahy • Barrandien a archeologické lokality
Tento je rukopis mého prvního výzkumného textu o pohřebním ritu a sociální struktuře pravěkých populací. Píše se rok 1986/1987 a byl obhájen v rámci Středoškolské odborné činnosti v Praze. Kvůli americkému embargu proti komunistickým režimům, jako tomu bylo i v případě Československé socialistické republiky, byla počítačová technologie nedostupná pro vědce i širokou veřejnost, a proto můj výzkum probíhal v čistě analogovém režimu. Moje poděkování patří Martinu Kunovi, který tuto práci vedl a pomohl mi nastartovat mojí svoji profesionální dráhu, a mým rodičům Jarmile a Miloslavovi a mému příteli Karlu Královi za pomoc a podporu při mém výzkumu a studiu.
Editor svazku vycházel z přesvědčení, že pro všechna období pravěku a pro všechny autory není možné použít tutéž šablonu. To platí i pro eneolit, a členění obsahu tohoto svazku se proto poněkud liší od svazků ostatních.
Autorský kolektiv byl omezený. I tak bylo v některých případech obtížné udržet jednotnou linii výkladu. Ve většině případů se podařilo dojít ke shodě; tam, kde různost svých názorů považovali autoři za podstatnou, je to poznamenáno přímo v textu. Autorství je důsledně vyznačeno jménem za názvem příslušné kapitoly nebo podkapitoly (pak se vztahuje k celé této jednotce). Autorem koncepce svazku je Evžen Neustupný, který také provedl jeho základní redakci. Celý rukopis pročetl také Milan Zápotocký.
Moreover, currently the evidence of such enclosures is growing significantly, mainly due to the application of methods of systematic remote sensing of the landscape, which has been developing in the Czech Republic since the early 1990s. Applying this method of prospection has brought a completely new type of archaeological evidence in this respect. In 2015, we launched the project “Proto-Eneolithic ditch enclosures in Bohemia: Interpretation of their purpose and social importance” (GA15-02453S). In the framework of the project, three causewayed enclosures were examined, which we can now securely date to the Proto-Eneolithic Period. These are Chleby (Nymburk District), Kly (Mělník District) and Vrbno (Mělník District). The research in these sites focused on their chronology, way of construction, traces of use, development and decline of the enclosure. Due to the complex nature of the questions that required archaeological as well as pedological and pedochemical procedures, an interdisciplinary research team was created, the core of which was staff of the Department of Archeology of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology of Mendel University in Brno.
The main objective of the project was therefore to interpret the purpose of causewayed enclosures for the Eneolithic society. The basic question was whether these constructions served as places of religious rituals, funerary practices, worship of ancestral cult, and the extent of sacred and profane activities. Bearing in mind that ritual enclosures are just one form of manifestation of the ritual practices of the Proto-Eneolithic communities, in this book we also pay attention to other evidence of social and spiritual ceremonies. It is primarily a question of the nature of the burial rites and the treatment of the ancestors’ remains. This is related to the use of enclosures and the creation of long barrows as specialized funerary features. Given the indications of the presence of bovine skulls (bucrania) and finds of complete pottery vessels within enclosed areas, we also pay attention to the importance of cattle breeding and bull worship in agricultural communities drinking ceremonies in Eneolithic societies. We will also focus on the nature of Eneolithic ceremonial warfare that was probably also associated with causewayed enclosures.
This paper is presenting an outline of the origin and development of burial mounds in Central Europe during the Neolithic and Eneolithic Periods. In the first part of the paper I am considering the possible interpretations for the origin of barrows in the context of dying Neolithic longhouses. The main purpose of the second part of the paper is to discuss the question on missing evidence of barrows of the late Eneolithic Corded Ware and Bell Beaker period in Central Europe. Variety of problems of demographic representation of cemeteries, burial customs and spatial structure of funerary areas are connected to the missing barrows. I emphasise the variability of late Eneolithic funerary monuments, including the discussion on burial chambers and circular ditches, yet another type of funerary construction without an earthed mound that may be described as houses of dead.
“Archaeology for the future” found an organisational and financial support from the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness project „Strategies of Archaeological research in Europe” (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0036). One part of the project was oriented towards the relationship of archaeology and the public, and it was fulfilled through this meeting and the collection of papers which lies in front of you now.
The Call for papers listed three main chosen topics of the conference programme. During the abstract submission stage a fourth topic was added.
■ “Sustainable care for archaeological heritage” (10 standard papers and 1 discussion paper),
■ “The future of academic archaeology” (4 standard papers and 1 discussion paper),
■ “What involvement of the public will future archaeology need?” (3 standard papers
and 2 discussion papers),
■ “Presentation and popularization of archaeology” (6 standard papers).
The papers provide a discussion of the issues currently re-appearing in the focal point of theoretical debates in archaeology such as the role of the discipline in the present-day society, problems of interpretation in archaeology, approaches to the study of social evolution, as well as current insights into issues in classification and construction of typologies. Taking a fresh, and often provocative, look at the challenges contemporary archaeology is facing, the contributors evaluate the effects of past developments and discuss the impact they are likely to have on future directions in archaeology as an internationally connected discipline. In its final part the volume reflects on current thinking on prehistory, using case-studies from a number of European regions and the Mediterranean, from the Neolithic to the Roman Period.
The volume represents a tribute to the lifetime achievements of Professor Evžen Neustupný, a distinguished Czech archaeologist who contributed to the advancement of prehistoric studies in Europe and to archaeological theory and method in particular.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Evžen Neustupný - Paradigm found, J. Turek, K. Kristiansen & L. Šmejda
Part One – Contemporary discourses in archaeological theory
2. Scientia, society, and polydactyl knowledge: Archaeology as a creative science, T. Darvill
3. Beyond Theoretical Archaeology: a manifesto for reconstructing interpretation in archaeology, J. Bintliff
4. The Environment of Social Evolution, J. C. Barrett
5. Conceptual crossroads: community and society in prehistory, L. Šmejda & M. Baumanová
6. Archaeologies of Space: an inquiry into modes of existence of Xscapes, F. Criado-Boado
7. Paradigm Lost’ – on the state of typology within archaeological theory, M. L. S. Sørensen
8. The Demons of Comparison: thoughts on archaeological classification and classificatory terminology, T. Taylor
Part Two – Past and Future Directions
9. The “Annales” School, “La Nouvelle Histoire” and Polish Archaeology, S. Tabaczyński
10. Binford in the Balkans: Introduction of theoretical archaeology in Slovenia and countries of former Yugoslavia (1980s), P. Novaković
11. Mainstream and minority archaeologies. The case of the beginnings of Polish bioarchaeology, A. Marciniak
12. How we have come to do archaeology the way(s) we do: a meta-critique of current archaeological discursive formation, K. Mizoguchi
13. Which archaeology the modern world needs?, Z. Kobyliński
14. Paradigm Lost: The Rise, Fall and Eventual Recovery of Paradigms in Archaeology, E. B. W. Zubrow
15. Archaeology and politics in the 21st century: Still Faustian, but not much of a bargain, B. Arnold
Part Three – Thinking Prehistory
16. Prehistoric Mind in Context: an essay on possible roots of Ancient Egyptian civilisation, M. Bárta
17. Eight Million Neolithic Europeans: Social Demography and Social Archaeology on the Scope of Change – from the Near East to Scandinavia, J. Müller
18. Threads of Neolithic household cloth production at Bronocice, M. L. Pipes, J. Kruk & S. Milisauskas
19. Neolithic versus Bronze Age social formations: a political economy approach, K. Kristiansen & T. Earle
20. The idea of the Eneolithic, S. Kadrow
21. Lost and Found Paradigms. Creation of the Beaker World, J. Turek
22. Categories of Settlement Discard, M. Kuna
As a component of daily practice, identity itself is a characteristic of both individuals and groups.
The construction and maintenance of identity in the past may not have been straightforward; many of our social categories such as race, gender, and social status likely did not hold the same meaning to the people of the past (Meskell 2001; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). Theorizing social identity in archaeology thus warrants recognition that, although our subjects are dead and long-buried, they were once people with lives, friends, goals and senses of self. We should,
therefore, study past identities through the reconstruction of daily practices and social interactions to gain a greater understanding of the people of the past.
Michel Foucault has argued that identity is a form of social construction which people impose on themselves and others (Foucault 1994). The contributions to this volume highlight the fact that there are, indeed, multiple, layered and plural identities, created through both self-definition and the perceptions of others. Consequently, the concepts and definitions of identity discussed in this volume are dynamic, changing with history, environment and socio-political relations
(Martindale 2009; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). For archaeologists who are forced to examine a static record, it is important to recognize the dynamic nature of social identity and to adopt a more active view of the archaeological record in which the construction of identity occurs as a fluid and continuous process (Meskell 2001).
As archaeologists, we often operate under the assumption that artifacts and material remains have a direct relationship with social identity (Casella and Fowler 2005). Although material remains do serve as a good indication of social identity in many cases, this explicitly material focus is not necessarily justified. As the contributors to this volume show, the examination of material culture is only one of many ways in which social identity can be accessed in the archaeological record. Because identity is the product of social processes, the study of the daily lives of groups and individuals through material remains, iconography, communal events, dietary
practices or burial customs can lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of identity construction and maintenance within a given culture (McGuire and Wurst 2002). As the contributions in this volume illustrate, the question of identity in archaeology is intriguing given the different approaches to identity construction and the different responses of individuals to social stimuli in past societies. The articles included in this volume explore the study of identity in a variety of contexts, ask different questions and offer new interpretations of the archaeological record.
The Contributions The papers in this volume represent only a small subset of a wide range of papers from different
regions and countries presented at the 2009 Chacmool Conference. The diverse array papers presented here should include something for everyone, from new approaches or ways of looking at identity in the archaeological record to new perspectives on social identity. Archaeologists in the Old and New Worlds are faced with different problems, materials and social contexts in their approaches to the study of identity. For organizational purposes, we have opted to present the
papers dealing with the Old World first, followed by those dealing with New World culture areas, but we encourage our readers to explore the innovative approaches used in other parts of the world which may, in fact, have applicability in their own culture area. However, the volume begins with a paper by Andrew Gardner, the keynote speaker at the 2009 Conference, who presents a discussion of theoretical approaches and considerations in the archaeological study of
identity. He discusses the fluid and multiple nature of social identity, which make it difficult to discover this ever-changing concept in the archaeological record. Identities, Gardner suggests, have the power to both divide and unite present and past populations. He nevertheless suggests that social identity can and should be studied archaeologically and presents a number of theoretical and methodological techniques for doing so. Gardner‘s encouragement to take up thestudy of social identity provides a nice lead into the remaining papers of the volume.
Papers by Jan Turek
SCIENCE BEYOND THE ORDINARY
Nowadays, the habit of calling every hiking trip an expedition has spread. Indeed, in the Czech language it is generally a term for an expedition to a certain place for a certain purpose. Expeditions are also called some religious missions of the past (the Jesuits in Markéta Křížová's article) or even military expeditions, which for various reasons cannot be called invasive. However, scientific expeditions, in which Czech naturalists participated already in the times of the Habsburg monarchy, are quite specific.
Irretrievably gone is the time when the anthropologist Leopold Pospíšil himself went to Papua New Guinea and lived for a long time with the then completely unknown Kapauki (Vesmír 82, 167, 2003/3; 100, 784, 2021/12). Such solo expeditions gave way to collective research expeditions in which each member of a team, often international, carries out its own scientific tasks. It is not only anthropological expeditions that actively engage with local people. Increasingly, naturalists, archaeologists and other scientists are seeking to involve local researchers in their investigations, which is not just a symptom of the decolonization of modern science. Above all, it is an effort to initiate research interest in countries with nascent scientific potential and to influence methodologically and paradigmatically talented scientists who can further develop the experience in their own research in their homelands. But it is not just about scientists. Cooperation and good relations with the people living in the research sites are often a decisive factor in the success of expeditions and their logistical feasibility.An expedition is not just a trip away from everyday reality. It is above all a lot of work, responsibility and voluntarily accepted discomfort. Participants in scientific expeditions are well aware of the time it takes to prepare for each season and the arrangements that have to be made in advance. The most important thing, of course, is the vision and the project. A successful expedition requires long-term theoretical, methodological, strategic and logistical preparation. Projects abroad are usually limited in time, personnel and especially financially. On the expedition itself, there is usually no time to address the agenda and timing of the project at hand. Researchers have to bring all this from their home offices and laboratories.
On the expedition itself, it is necessary to adapt to the climatic and cultural conditions of the area of interest. It is not possible to risk even a temporary absence of specialists, so everyone must be properly vaccinated in advance, assess their health and equip the team with the necessary medicines, drinking water treatment and other protective equipment. Some of us have had our eights pulled as a precaution - better from our own dentist than a blacksmith in a pinch. Some preferred to get rid of the appendix as well. Eating is not to be underestimated either, so there is no harm in equipping yourself with unavailable food and in some areas even hiring a local cook. Cooking is not just about wasting scientists' time trying to cook something, but also about finding fresh and safe food so that an otherwise promising expedition does not fail due to collective intestinal indisposition.On long-term expeditions, submarine sickness can manifest itself over time, and then psychological preparation is useful in addition to medical training. It is always an advantage when a group of friends come together to work on a project, but even if this is not the case, interpersonal relationships must not interfere with the scientific tasks of the expedition. Sometimes the leader is even faced with the difficult decision of whom to send home early.
From what I depict to readers, it might seem that expeditions are just a rant combined with a boring routine. Not so, most scientists who go beyond the everyday in this way would surely agree that expeditions are some of the most wonderful experiences in life. You are away from the academic bureaucracy, trading ordinary concerns for a focus on exciting scientific questions from which you are not distracted. The unexpected circumstances that can arise on some expeditions promote a sense of excitement, and the unusual conditions or even the necessary degree of danger make for an adrenaline rush. Most expeditions also have a positive social effect on their participants, and it is not uncommon for deep friendships and even lifelong partnerships to be formed.
Expeditions are, in short, amazing adventures. Judge for yourself...
se, že nikoliv. Dávní zemědělci neměli lineární pojetí času
a historické vědomí minulosti. Jejich uvědomování si minulosti
spočívalo v čase mýtu a rituálů, které byly odvozovány
z dávné reality předchozích generací. Zcela odlišně plynoucí
mytický čas si lidé připomínali i rudimentálně přežívajícími
symbolickými formami svých posvátných artefaktů.
Dear WAC Members, dear colleagues!
36 years after its birth in Southampton, the World Archaeological Congress has come
back to Europe having grown into a highly influential world organization. However,
the way to Prague was not straight forward. In March 2020, when we were finalizing
preparations, 172 academic sessions were approved by the Scientific Committee and
over 1200 WAC members submitted their papers. Then the Covid-19 pandemic
started, and everything suddenly froze.
All we could do at the time was to hope that schools would reopen, planes would start
flying, and that we would meet again and further develop our friendship. We now
know that it was a historic lesson that alerted us to the vulnerability of global travel
and that the opportunities we had previously taken for granted could be dramatically
truncated in a week. Globally, we have gone through restrictions, fears, and tragedies.
WAC-9 was first postponed until 2021; it was a difficult but inevitable decision, but it
also contained the hope that we would soon see a light at the end of the dark tunnel, such as vaccine, a cure, and a solution
that would return life to the way it used to be before the pandemic. However, the Coronavirus was indeed a powerful
adversary and we had no choice but to postpone our meeting for another year until 2022. This was already a really serious
limitation for our community and many of us lost contact and desire in the global meeting. Many sections were withdrawn,
many organizers lost interest, some changed or lost their jobs. Life is different than we were used to.
Hopefully, we have come out of the two pandemic years strengthened. We have learned how to communicate virtually,
and for many international projects and conferences, online collaboration is a great asset. Yes, even conferences and congresses
will not be the same as before. People still prefer face-to-face contact and we are starting to travel again, but for a
global community like WAC, virtual communication is an essential part of the future. Perhaps we will also appreciate the
opportunities for face-to-face meetings and friendships even more. Only time will tell what the future of our communication
will be.
After two years of fighting the Coronavirus, however, another global problem has emerged in Putin's imperialism, which is
not only committing genocide in a sovereign European country, but threatening the existence of the whole of humankind
with irresponsible and totally unjustifiable threats to use nuclear weapons. The consequences of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine are yet to demonstrate their full global effects, though we already witness how the global commodity markets are
being destabilised by this war.
Calling the war in Ukraine a local European conflict is mistake, as many countries worldwide are already indirectly involved;
the impact of the irresponsible Russian intervention will influence the global food crisis. Very soon, far reaching consequences
will be especially felt in vulnerable countries in Africa and the Middle East that depend on wheat supplies from
Ukraine.
Here, in Czech Republic, the war in Ukraine feels very close, and its impacts can be observed as you visit Prague. As of June
2022, 4% of current residents in Czech Republic are Ukrainian refugees. As with other Central/Eastern European countries,
ordinary citizens are sheltering refugees in our homes, fundraising for displaced people, and supporting colleagues and
students who remain in Ukraine.
The pandemic and the war are features of Prague WAC-9. The number of participants is considerably lower than in previous
congresses. The WAC Council even decided not to hold the General Assembly here given such limited possibilities of travel
and communication. But let’s be positive about our meeting! We survive, and we prove our global archaeological community
is able to sustain and continue for many years to come.
Let’s enjoy the opportunity to meet, in person or virtually through screens of computers. Let’s enjoy the unique atmosphere
of Prague, which has always been a multicultural and multilingual crossroad of Central Europe. The atmospheric streets of
Prague hide amazing subterranean relics of the medieval city, some of which are still waiting to be discovered. The Czech
Capital is the city of St. Wenceslaus, and has spirit of Franz Kafka and Václav Havel.
This special event offers us the opportunity to share the results of our research and discuss the role of archaeology and the
state of world heritage in the current globalized world. It mediates discussion on professional training and public education
for disadvantaged nations, groups, and communities. The voices of representatives of different Indigenous groups are welcomed
in Prague.
WAC-9 simply brings the clear statement: we want to continue our global communication and we will never give up!
Yours Sincerely
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
15. Civilizace a společnost středočeské oblasti v neolitu a eneolitu Všude samá archeologie • Věk prvních zemědělců • Příběh neolitizace • Bylany u Kutné Hory: rozsáhlý sídelní areál z doby prvních zemědělců • Od prvního domu k poslední katedrále • Interiér domů a jeho členění, mužská a ženská část domácnosti • Bílý kámen u Sázavy: neolitický lom na těžbu mramoru • Počátky dálkového obchodu v pravěku • Kly, Vrbno a Vliněves u Mělníka: časně eneolitická ceremoniální ohrazení na soutoku velkých řek • Mléčná revoluce • Megalitická hrobka z Nymburka • Makotřasy u Kladna: čtvercové příkopové ohrazení a počátky metalurgie • Dřevčice u Brandýsa: depot picího souboru badenské kultury • Velvary: unikátní pohřeb v kamenné skříňce • Denemark u Kutné Kory: výšinné ohrazení řivnáčské kultury • Bzí a Lopata: výšinné polohy chamské kultury v západních Čechách • Evropská „Pohárová unie“ 3. tisíciletí př. Kristem • Posvátná hora Bacín v českém krasu • Slaný: birituální kolektivní hrobka • Tišice: hrobka amazonky, ženy s lukostřeleckou výbavou • Pravěká turistika
16. Bronzy, depoty, mohyly a popelnicová pole – od doby bronzové po soužití s Římany. Věk mečů a pokladů • Holý vrch a Kozí hřbety u Únětic a Suchdola: eponymní pohřebiště a depot dýk starší doby bronzové • Skalka u Velimi: obětiště střední doby bronzové • Plzeň-Jíkalka: bronzový štít z mladší doby bronzové • Šťáhlavy-Hájek a Milavče: mohylová pohřebiště • Knovíz a Štítary: život a smrt v závěru doby bronzové • Doba železná: prakeltská a keltská Evropa • Bylany a Hradenín u Kolína: hrobky velmožů starší doby železné • Aristokracie dávných Keltů • Hradiště nad Závistí: nejstarší kamenná monumentální architektura severně od Alp • Tišice u Mělníka: hroby z doby historické keltské expanze • Stradonice u Berouna: laténské oppidum nad Berounkou • Doba římská: Čechy mezi dvěma světy • Pičhora a Třebická u Kolína: pohřebiště polabské společenské elity starší doby římské • Řeporyje a Ořech u Prahy: železářská osada starší doby římské • Beroun-závodí: hrob bojovníka z pozdní doby římské • Na prahu temného věku • Praha-Zličín: pohřebiště z doby stěhování národů • Jenštejn a Roztoky u Prahy v 6. století po Kristu: osady s různou etnicitou svých zakladatelů? • Osada doby stěhování národů v Jenštejně u Prahy • Pobřežní osada v Roztokách u Prahy • Barrandien a archeologické lokality
Tento je rukopis mého prvního výzkumného textu o pohřebním ritu a sociální struktuře pravěkých populací. Píše se rok 1986/1987 a byl obhájen v rámci Středoškolské odborné činnosti v Praze. Kvůli americkému embargu proti komunistickým režimům, jako tomu bylo i v případě Československé socialistické republiky, byla počítačová technologie nedostupná pro vědce i širokou veřejnost, a proto můj výzkum probíhal v čistě analogovém režimu. Moje poděkování patří Martinu Kunovi, který tuto práci vedl a pomohl mi nastartovat mojí svoji profesionální dráhu, a mým rodičům Jarmile a Miloslavovi a mému příteli Karlu Královi za pomoc a podporu při mém výzkumu a studiu.
Editor svazku vycházel z přesvědčení, že pro všechna období pravěku a pro všechny autory není možné použít tutéž šablonu. To platí i pro eneolit, a členění obsahu tohoto svazku se proto poněkud liší od svazků ostatních.
Autorský kolektiv byl omezený. I tak bylo v některých případech obtížné udržet jednotnou linii výkladu. Ve většině případů se podařilo dojít ke shodě; tam, kde různost svých názorů považovali autoři za podstatnou, je to poznamenáno přímo v textu. Autorství je důsledně vyznačeno jménem za názvem příslušné kapitoly nebo podkapitoly (pak se vztahuje k celé této jednotce). Autorem koncepce svazku je Evžen Neustupný, který také provedl jeho základní redakci. Celý rukopis pročetl také Milan Zápotocký.
Moreover, currently the evidence of such enclosures is growing significantly, mainly due to the application of methods of systematic remote sensing of the landscape, which has been developing in the Czech Republic since the early 1990s. Applying this method of prospection has brought a completely new type of archaeological evidence in this respect. In 2015, we launched the project “Proto-Eneolithic ditch enclosures in Bohemia: Interpretation of their purpose and social importance” (GA15-02453S). In the framework of the project, three causewayed enclosures were examined, which we can now securely date to the Proto-Eneolithic Period. These are Chleby (Nymburk District), Kly (Mělník District) and Vrbno (Mělník District). The research in these sites focused on their chronology, way of construction, traces of use, development and decline of the enclosure. Due to the complex nature of the questions that required archaeological as well as pedological and pedochemical procedures, an interdisciplinary research team was created, the core of which was staff of the Department of Archeology of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology of Mendel University in Brno.
The main objective of the project was therefore to interpret the purpose of causewayed enclosures for the Eneolithic society. The basic question was whether these constructions served as places of religious rituals, funerary practices, worship of ancestral cult, and the extent of sacred and profane activities. Bearing in mind that ritual enclosures are just one form of manifestation of the ritual practices of the Proto-Eneolithic communities, in this book we also pay attention to other evidence of social and spiritual ceremonies. It is primarily a question of the nature of the burial rites and the treatment of the ancestors’ remains. This is related to the use of enclosures and the creation of long barrows as specialized funerary features. Given the indications of the presence of bovine skulls (bucrania) and finds of complete pottery vessels within enclosed areas, we also pay attention to the importance of cattle breeding and bull worship in agricultural communities drinking ceremonies in Eneolithic societies. We will also focus on the nature of Eneolithic ceremonial warfare that was probably also associated with causewayed enclosures.
This paper is presenting an outline of the origin and development of burial mounds in Central Europe during the Neolithic and Eneolithic Periods. In the first part of the paper I am considering the possible interpretations for the origin of barrows in the context of dying Neolithic longhouses. The main purpose of the second part of the paper is to discuss the question on missing evidence of barrows of the late Eneolithic Corded Ware and Bell Beaker period in Central Europe. Variety of problems of demographic representation of cemeteries, burial customs and spatial structure of funerary areas are connected to the missing barrows. I emphasise the variability of late Eneolithic funerary monuments, including the discussion on burial chambers and circular ditches, yet another type of funerary construction without an earthed mound that may be described as houses of dead.
“Archaeology for the future” found an organisational and financial support from the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness project „Strategies of Archaeological research in Europe” (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0036). One part of the project was oriented towards the relationship of archaeology and the public, and it was fulfilled through this meeting and the collection of papers which lies in front of you now.
The Call for papers listed three main chosen topics of the conference programme. During the abstract submission stage a fourth topic was added.
■ “Sustainable care for archaeological heritage” (10 standard papers and 1 discussion paper),
■ “The future of academic archaeology” (4 standard papers and 1 discussion paper),
■ “What involvement of the public will future archaeology need?” (3 standard papers
and 2 discussion papers),
■ “Presentation and popularization of archaeology” (6 standard papers).
The papers provide a discussion of the issues currently re-appearing in the focal point of theoretical debates in archaeology such as the role of the discipline in the present-day society, problems of interpretation in archaeology, approaches to the study of social evolution, as well as current insights into issues in classification and construction of typologies. Taking a fresh, and often provocative, look at the challenges contemporary archaeology is facing, the contributors evaluate the effects of past developments and discuss the impact they are likely to have on future directions in archaeology as an internationally connected discipline. In its final part the volume reflects on current thinking on prehistory, using case-studies from a number of European regions and the Mediterranean, from the Neolithic to the Roman Period.
The volume represents a tribute to the lifetime achievements of Professor Evžen Neustupný, a distinguished Czech archaeologist who contributed to the advancement of prehistoric studies in Europe and to archaeological theory and method in particular.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Evžen Neustupný - Paradigm found, J. Turek, K. Kristiansen & L. Šmejda
Part One – Contemporary discourses in archaeological theory
2. Scientia, society, and polydactyl knowledge: Archaeology as a creative science, T. Darvill
3. Beyond Theoretical Archaeology: a manifesto for reconstructing interpretation in archaeology, J. Bintliff
4. The Environment of Social Evolution, J. C. Barrett
5. Conceptual crossroads: community and society in prehistory, L. Šmejda & M. Baumanová
6. Archaeologies of Space: an inquiry into modes of existence of Xscapes, F. Criado-Boado
7. Paradigm Lost’ – on the state of typology within archaeological theory, M. L. S. Sørensen
8. The Demons of Comparison: thoughts on archaeological classification and classificatory terminology, T. Taylor
Part Two – Past and Future Directions
9. The “Annales” School, “La Nouvelle Histoire” and Polish Archaeology, S. Tabaczyński
10. Binford in the Balkans: Introduction of theoretical archaeology in Slovenia and countries of former Yugoslavia (1980s), P. Novaković
11. Mainstream and minority archaeologies. The case of the beginnings of Polish bioarchaeology, A. Marciniak
12. How we have come to do archaeology the way(s) we do: a meta-critique of current archaeological discursive formation, K. Mizoguchi
13. Which archaeology the modern world needs?, Z. Kobyliński
14. Paradigm Lost: The Rise, Fall and Eventual Recovery of Paradigms in Archaeology, E. B. W. Zubrow
15. Archaeology and politics in the 21st century: Still Faustian, but not much of a bargain, B. Arnold
Part Three – Thinking Prehistory
16. Prehistoric Mind in Context: an essay on possible roots of Ancient Egyptian civilisation, M. Bárta
17. Eight Million Neolithic Europeans: Social Demography and Social Archaeology on the Scope of Change – from the Near East to Scandinavia, J. Müller
18. Threads of Neolithic household cloth production at Bronocice, M. L. Pipes, J. Kruk & S. Milisauskas
19. Neolithic versus Bronze Age social formations: a political economy approach, K. Kristiansen & T. Earle
20. The idea of the Eneolithic, S. Kadrow
21. Lost and Found Paradigms. Creation of the Beaker World, J. Turek
22. Categories of Settlement Discard, M. Kuna
As a component of daily practice, identity itself is a characteristic of both individuals and groups.
The construction and maintenance of identity in the past may not have been straightforward; many of our social categories such as race, gender, and social status likely did not hold the same meaning to the people of the past (Meskell 2001; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). Theorizing social identity in archaeology thus warrants recognition that, although our subjects are dead and long-buried, they were once people with lives, friends, goals and senses of self. We should,
therefore, study past identities through the reconstruction of daily practices and social interactions to gain a greater understanding of the people of the past.
Michel Foucault has argued that identity is a form of social construction which people impose on themselves and others (Foucault 1994). The contributions to this volume highlight the fact that there are, indeed, multiple, layered and plural identities, created through both self-definition and the perceptions of others. Consequently, the concepts and definitions of identity discussed in this volume are dynamic, changing with history, environment and socio-political relations
(Martindale 2009; Wynne-Jones and Croucher 2007). For archaeologists who are forced to examine a static record, it is important to recognize the dynamic nature of social identity and to adopt a more active view of the archaeological record in which the construction of identity occurs as a fluid and continuous process (Meskell 2001).
As archaeologists, we often operate under the assumption that artifacts and material remains have a direct relationship with social identity (Casella and Fowler 2005). Although material remains do serve as a good indication of social identity in many cases, this explicitly material focus is not necessarily justified. As the contributors to this volume show, the examination of material culture is only one of many ways in which social identity can be accessed in the archaeological record. Because identity is the product of social processes, the study of the daily lives of groups and individuals through material remains, iconography, communal events, dietary
practices or burial customs can lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of identity construction and maintenance within a given culture (McGuire and Wurst 2002). As the contributions in this volume illustrate, the question of identity in archaeology is intriguing given the different approaches to identity construction and the different responses of individuals to social stimuli in past societies. The articles included in this volume explore the study of identity in a variety of contexts, ask different questions and offer new interpretations of the archaeological record.
The Contributions The papers in this volume represent only a small subset of a wide range of papers from different
regions and countries presented at the 2009 Chacmool Conference. The diverse array papers presented here should include something for everyone, from new approaches or ways of looking at identity in the archaeological record to new perspectives on social identity. Archaeologists in the Old and New Worlds are faced with different problems, materials and social contexts in their approaches to the study of identity. For organizational purposes, we have opted to present the
papers dealing with the Old World first, followed by those dealing with New World culture areas, but we encourage our readers to explore the innovative approaches used in other parts of the world which may, in fact, have applicability in their own culture area. However, the volume begins with a paper by Andrew Gardner, the keynote speaker at the 2009 Conference, who presents a discussion of theoretical approaches and considerations in the archaeological study of
identity. He discusses the fluid and multiple nature of social identity, which make it difficult to discover this ever-changing concept in the archaeological record. Identities, Gardner suggests, have the power to both divide and unite present and past populations. He nevertheless suggests that social identity can and should be studied archaeologically and presents a number of theoretical and methodological techniques for doing so. Gardner‘s encouragement to take up thestudy of social identity provides a nice lead into the remaining papers of the volume.
SCIENCE BEYOND THE ORDINARY
Nowadays, the habit of calling every hiking trip an expedition has spread. Indeed, in the Czech language it is generally a term for an expedition to a certain place for a certain purpose. Expeditions are also called some religious missions of the past (the Jesuits in Markéta Křížová's article) or even military expeditions, which for various reasons cannot be called invasive. However, scientific expeditions, in which Czech naturalists participated already in the times of the Habsburg monarchy, are quite specific.
Irretrievably gone is the time when the anthropologist Leopold Pospíšil himself went to Papua New Guinea and lived for a long time with the then completely unknown Kapauki (Vesmír 82, 167, 2003/3; 100, 784, 2021/12). Such solo expeditions gave way to collective research expeditions in which each member of a team, often international, carries out its own scientific tasks. It is not only anthropological expeditions that actively engage with local people. Increasingly, naturalists, archaeologists and other scientists are seeking to involve local researchers in their investigations, which is not just a symptom of the decolonization of modern science. Above all, it is an effort to initiate research interest in countries with nascent scientific potential and to influence methodologically and paradigmatically talented scientists who can further develop the experience in their own research in their homelands. But it is not just about scientists. Cooperation and good relations with the people living in the research sites are often a decisive factor in the success of expeditions and their logistical feasibility.An expedition is not just a trip away from everyday reality. It is above all a lot of work, responsibility and voluntarily accepted discomfort. Participants in scientific expeditions are well aware of the time it takes to prepare for each season and the arrangements that have to be made in advance. The most important thing, of course, is the vision and the project. A successful expedition requires long-term theoretical, methodological, strategic and logistical preparation. Projects abroad are usually limited in time, personnel and especially financially. On the expedition itself, there is usually no time to address the agenda and timing of the project at hand. Researchers have to bring all this from their home offices and laboratories.
On the expedition itself, it is necessary to adapt to the climatic and cultural conditions of the area of interest. It is not possible to risk even a temporary absence of specialists, so everyone must be properly vaccinated in advance, assess their health and equip the team with the necessary medicines, drinking water treatment and other protective equipment. Some of us have had our eights pulled as a precaution - better from our own dentist than a blacksmith in a pinch. Some preferred to get rid of the appendix as well. Eating is not to be underestimated either, so there is no harm in equipping yourself with unavailable food and in some areas even hiring a local cook. Cooking is not just about wasting scientists' time trying to cook something, but also about finding fresh and safe food so that an otherwise promising expedition does not fail due to collective intestinal indisposition.On long-term expeditions, submarine sickness can manifest itself over time, and then psychological preparation is useful in addition to medical training. It is always an advantage when a group of friends come together to work on a project, but even if this is not the case, interpersonal relationships must not interfere with the scientific tasks of the expedition. Sometimes the leader is even faced with the difficult decision of whom to send home early.
From what I depict to readers, it might seem that expeditions are just a rant combined with a boring routine. Not so, most scientists who go beyond the everyday in this way would surely agree that expeditions are some of the most wonderful experiences in life. You are away from the academic bureaucracy, trading ordinary concerns for a focus on exciting scientific questions from which you are not distracted. The unexpected circumstances that can arise on some expeditions promote a sense of excitement, and the unusual conditions or even the necessary degree of danger make for an adrenaline rush. Most expeditions also have a positive social effect on their participants, and it is not uncommon for deep friendships and even lifelong partnerships to be formed.
Expeditions are, in short, amazing adventures. Judge for yourself...
se, že nikoliv. Dávní zemědělci neměli lineární pojetí času
a historické vědomí minulosti. Jejich uvědomování si minulosti
spočívalo v čase mýtu a rituálů, které byly odvozovány
z dávné reality předchozích generací. Zcela odlišně plynoucí
mytický čas si lidé připomínali i rudimentálně přežívajícími
symbolickými formami svých posvátných artefaktů.
napomáhá archeologům nádoby stylově a chronologicky zařadit. Jde
ale jen o výzdobu, nebo mají některé motivy hlubší symbolický význam
a znázorňují svět dávných zemědělců? Zdá se, že některé vzory byly
pro naše předky univerzálně srozumitelné a nesly v sobě konkrétní
sdělení, které bylo možné číst podobně jako později písmo.
from seventy countries from around the world addressed
the challenges of today's globalised world. This is a short report on this global gathering.
the 9th World Archaeological Congress was held in
Prague 3–8 July 2022. WAC-9 in Prague was hosted as
a hybrid event. Some 630 people from 70 countries
attended the Congress. Bearing in mind the Covid-19
pandemic restrictions and the influence of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine affecting whole region of Eastern
and Central Europe, the Congress was a success.
Besides genocidal damage to human lives, the Ukrainian national heritage
is being damaged in an effort to enforce Russian national cultural dominance over common historical roots and to falsely rewrite the history of the entire region.
Such policy is totally inacceptable for the civilised Europe of the 21st Century and we condemn Putin’s imperial war.
2021) прожив відповідно до безкомпромісного
значення свого прізвища. Він справді сповнив
його неймовірною чіткістю, твердістю поглядів та непересічною системністю думки. Можливо, саме тому його вплив на розвиток світової археології є таким винятковим. Науковий
внесок професора забезпечили не лише глибина його досвіду та методичність роботи, але
й надзвичайна інтуїція у розпізнаванні та вивченні найважливіших аспектів археологічного дослідження. Низку явищ та взаємозв’язків,
які він відкрив, було вивчено у його власних
студіях та численних дослідженнях археологів
з усього світу, натхненних його роботою. Професор Неуступни значно вплинув на хід археологічних досліджень з методичної та передовсім теоретичної точки зору.
archaeology (Neustupný 2010) has shaped my view of the past and the relationship between human society and artefacts.
In the following text, I aim to outline the issues associated with the beginnings of the beer production and ceramic vessels and the role of alcoholic beverages in the development of social and economic relations and ritual behaviour of prehistoric farmers.
Beer is not only a favourite beverage of archaeologists, but it is also increasingly the subject of their research.
Brewing and the consumption of beer have played crucial roles in human cultures world-wide throughout
most prehistoric periods. With the discovery of pottery and the beginnings of brewing beer, it’s a bit like a question of what occurred first, whether eggs or hen? It is generally believed that the invention of ceramics in the Near East enabled the common brewing of beer (Turek 2005b). However, we have to bear in mind that evidence of malting and the oldest brewing dates back to the late Palaeolithic Natufian period (Raqefet Cave, Israel 13,700–11,700 BP, Liu et al. 2018; or Shubayqa 14,600–11,600 BP, Arranz-Otaegui et al. 2018). The whole argument
can therefore be reversed and it can be assumed that the development of beer brewing in the Levant initiated a technological innovation of the introduction of ceramic vessels. The innovation was mainly related to the malting process, i.e. the recovery of sugars from cereal starches, which is a process that is very demanding to maintain at a precise temperature of 45–70 °C for up to one hour (Guerra-Doce 2020, 66). Here, the method of using an organic container and inserting heated stones into the infusion seems less effective than bringing the ceramic vessel closer to the fireplace. Perhaps it was the production of beer that could have been the impetus for the beginning of Neolithic ceramic production.
From hunter-gatherers to the kingdom of Great Zimbabwe
Thursday Seminar of the Centre for Theoretical Study of Charles University in Prague
By Jan Turek
A kind of counterpart to the Nile civilization of Ancient Egypt is the kingdom of Great Zimbabwe, which flourished in southern Africa from the 13th to the 15th century AD. This independent, purely African agricultural civilization built massive fortified settlements of stone, which became centres of power and trade, across a wide area of southeastern Africa. It traded with distant India and China. Vast fortresses and settlements became home to the Shona people. In addition to Great Zimbabwe, which gave a new name to the former Southern Rhodesia, some 200 similar urban centres sprang up, such as Naletale near Gweru or Khami near Bulawayo. As suddenly as civilisation arose, it also disappeared before the arrival of European colonists. At Drakensberg we will also visit the rock shrine of the San hunters and gatherers who inhabited the vast savannahs of southern Africa for thousands of years and left behind remarkable paintings of animals and people as a record of their rich spiritual world. Finally we try to understand the current political development of
Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Ztracená civilizace jižní Afriky
Od lovců sběračů po království Velkého Zimbabwe
Čtvrteční seminář Centra pro teoretická studia Univerzity Karlovy v Praze
Jan Turek
Jakýmsi protipólem nilské civilizace Starého Egypta je království Velkého Zimbabwe, které na jihu Afriky vzkvétalo ve 13. až 15. století po narození Krista. Tato nezávislá čistě africká zemědělská civilizace z kamene vybudovala mohutná opevněná sídla, která se stala centry moci a obchodu, v široké oblasti jihovýchodní Afriky. Obchodovala s dalekou Indií a Čínou. Rozsáhlé pevnosti a sídla se staly domovem národa Šonů. Vedle Great Zimbabwe, které dalo nové jméno dřívější Jižní Rhodesii, vzniklo na 200 podobných městských center, jako Naletale u Gweru nebo Khami u Bulawayo. Jak náhle civilizace vznikla, tak také ještě před příchodem evropských kolonistů zanikla. V Drakensbergu navštívíme také skalní svatyni Sanů, lovců a sběračů, kteří po tisíce let obývali rozsáhlé savany jižní Afriky a zanechali po sobě pozoruhodné malby zvířat a lidí jako záznam svého bohatého duchovního světa. V závěru se pokusíme pochopit současný politický vývoj Zimbabwe a Jihoafrické republiky.
史前欧洲的性别认同观念
Jan Turek, Center for Theoretical Studies, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract:
Reconsideration of some previous archaeological interpretations of gender may offer much more variability and freedom to our current understanding of gender identity. The perception of gender in archaeological interpretations commonly reflects our current social reality. In our Christian Western worldview, the traditional gender categories of men and women are based on biology and presume the primacy of the reproduction inhuman societies. Alternative social roles were judged as deviations by the biased majority. The extremely difficult position of homosexuals in twentieth-century Western society was caused mainly by the lack of an appropriate and commonly recognized gender category. No surprisingly, the concept of transsexualism developed in cultures that only recognized and valued two gender categories based on biological sex while the tribes in North America and Siberia had gender categories ready for such cases. In Western society, Christian norms instigated a social neglect of homosexuals mainly due to the absence of appropriate gender categories. As archaeologists, we should change our approach to the interpretation of past societies because our current gender categories do not always correspond to those of a former reality.
摘要
重新审视以往考古学对性别的一些解释，可能会为我们目前对性别认同的理解提供更多的变数和自由。考古学解释中对性别的认识通常反映了我们当前的社会现实。在我们西方基督教的世界观中，传统的男女性别分类是以生物学为基础的，并假定非人类社会的繁衍是至高无上的。另类的社会角色被有偏见的大多数人判定为偏差。同性恋者在二十世纪的西方社会中处境极为艰难，这主要是由于缺乏一个适当的、得到普遍认可的性别类别。毫不奇怪，变性人的概念是在只承认和重视基于生理性别的两种性别类别的文化中发展起来的，而北美和西伯利亚的部落已经为这种情况准备好了性别类别。在西方社会，基督教准则造成了社会对同性恋者的忽视，这主要是由于缺乏适当的性别分类。作为考古学家，我们应该改变解读过去社会的方法，因为我们现在的性别分类并不总是与过去的现实相符。
Prague is once again becoming such a crossroads as a forum for discussion for anyone who is concerned with the study of archaeology and world heritage.
WAC is open to archaeologists of all countries, encouraging the development of regionally-based histories and maintaining the international academic discourse within the worldwide community.
This special event offers you the opportunity to share the results of your research. It mediates discussion on professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups and communities. The voices of representatives of different Indigenous groups will be welcomed. We will also discuss the role of archaeology and the state of world heritage in the current globalized world.
Jan Turek, University Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
Magdalena Turkova, European Association of Archaeologists, Prague
Historical treasures and artefacts of symbolic meaning are traditionally amongst the main targets of the war looting. Stealing someone’s heritage is not only robbery of valuables but mainly possessing someone’s symbolical identity. For such reason the ancient Romans removed the Menorah from Judea. The 9th Century Czechs stolen relics of Czech saint St. Adalbert from Poles in order to gain the right for their own episcopate. Pissaro’s army has looted the gold of ancient Incas not only for its great value, but also for its symbolic and religious meaning. Very sophisticated way of looting the heritage of ancient Egypt was organised by Napoleon‘s expedition to Egypt. Thanks this scientific looting European scholars gained such important object as Rosetta stone. During the World War II even more organised methods of looting historical treasures and works of art were developed by specialised SS troops Ahnenerbe consisting of archaeologists and historians of art. The Nazi looting was overshadowed by Red Army looting in Berlin at the end of the war. The Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted at Hague (Netherlands) on May 14, 1954 (entered into force 7 August 1956), in the wake of massive destruction of the cultural heritage in WWII. It is the first international treaty of a world-wide vocation focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict. Most recently we are witnessing the massive looting of Iraqi Heritage under US occupation. The US troops can not be accused of direct looting of the Iraqi Cultural property, but of their failure to protect it when the original Iraqi regime was overthrown. The lack US of interest in the protection of Iraqi heritage is more then surprising and it is not worthy of modern democratic and civilised country.
Historical treasures and artefacts of symbolic meaning are traditionally amongst the main targets of war looting. Stealing someone’s heritage is not just simple robbery of valuables but mainly the way of possessing symbols of identity. For such reason the ancient Romans removed the Menorah from Judea or Czechs St. Adalbert’s relics from Poland. Sophisticated Napoleon‘s expedition to Egypt or even more organised methods of looting historical treasures by specialised Ahnenerbe-SS troops set the policy of modern cultural imperialism. The Hague Convention was adopted in 1954 as the first international treaty of a world-wide vocation focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict. Most recently we witnessed massive looting of Iraqi Cultural property under US occupation. The US troops can not be accused of direct looting, but they failed to protect it. The lack of US interest in the protection of Iraqi heritage is not worthy of modern democratic and civilised country.
Historical treasures and artefacts of symbolic meaning are traditionally amongst the main targets of war looting. Stealing someone’s heritage is not just simple robbery of valuables but mainly way of possessing symbols of identity. For such reason the ancient Romans removed the Menorah from Judea or Czechs St. Adalbert’s relics from Poland. Sophisticated Napoleon‘s expedition to Egypt or methods of looting historical treasures by specialised Ahnenerbe-SS troops set the policy of modern cultural imperialism. The Hague Convention was adopted in 1954 as the first international treaty of a world-wide vocation focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict. Most recently we witnessed massive looting of Iraqi Cultural property under US occupation. The US troops can not be accused of direct looting, but they failed to protect it. Lack of US interest in the protection of Iraqi heritage is not worthy of modern democratic country.
Already Vere Gordon CHILDE (1949) observed the link between the shape of the Late Neolithic houses in the Danubian region and the form Proto- and Early Eneolithic barrows within the same territory. It is very likely that the habit to built barrow funerary monuments of Proto-Eneolithic period has its roots in the form of late Neolithic long houses. Perhaps there was some kind of transition form of funerary monuments between long houses secondarily used as tombs and long barrows of Proto-and Early Eneolithic period. In this context it has to be considered that the later long barrows of north-western Europe and British Isles were also surrounded by long shallow ditches, as it was in the case of continental long houses (BRADLEY 1998; BOGUCKI 1988). It is therefore possible that the origin of the idea of burial mounds has its origin in the habit to pile up the mound over the ruins of deserted houses containing burials of ancestors. The fact that only some Neolithic long houses were accomplished with marginal ditches may suggest that only some of them were after their abandonment used for funerary purposes. To shed light on this problem it would be necessary to provide a systematic research of stratigraphical relations and post-depositional processes within postholes and other possible remains of long houses and long ditches and other pits in their proximity.
One of symbolic roles of Neolithic long houses in central Europe might have been burial and commemoration of ancestors (BRADLEY 2000).
Already during their dwelling function some houses were possibly used for primary deposition of human remains. This is possibly reflected by scatters of human bones and skulls secondarily deposited in surrounding sunken features. Some longhouses are accompanied by child burials.
This might have been the process of transformation from the house of living to the house of dead.
Some Neolithic long houses are partly enclosed by long irregular ditches that were traditionally considered to be exploitation pits for construction of walls.
NEUSTUPNÝ 1995 observed that such “construction” ditches appear not only in the loess and clay substrata but also in sand and gravel, non-plastic materials that could not have been used for the construction of walls.
Neustupný reached the conclusion that the ditches of irregular shape were of symbolically protective function and supposed protected a house against negative supernatural powers.
Both interpretations, the rationalistic one and the symbolic one, presume that these ditches were created during the construction and/or during the use of a house.
I argue that the ditches might have well been hollowed along the house even after its abandonment. Such act turned the deserted house into the house of dead or one may say a tomb. In this case the symbolically protective function of ditches may not be connected to the protection of interior space of the house of living, just the opposite they protected the outer surroundings of the house of dead against the negative influence of the ghosts of the dead dwelling inside the deserted building. Furthermore the soil dug out of the ditches might have been the base of a long mound piled up on top of the former house once it collapsed and this could be the origin of the idea to create burial mounds above funerary monuments. This hypothesis is obviously facing many problems and lack of clear evidence.
Possible traces of burial mounds were possibly excavated within the later Neolithic Stroke pottery cremation cemetery in Prague - Bubeneč. When L. HORÁKOVÁ-JANSOVÁ (1934) in 1930s excavated remains of the cemetery, she recorded several stone structures of oval or oblong ground plan containing human cremations and numerous funerary offerings. These structures were not yet interpreted as remains of a burial mound and Stroke pottery Culture barrows are not known from the territory of its geographical spread, but it is well possible that they were in fact long barrows.
Some elderly men were buried according to the female rules and their gendered social identity faded with their increasing age. Such practice is known from some native communities in Siberia and North America where there are more than just two gender categories. Our traditional view of human society recognized only men and women as relevant gender categories. These are however modern constructs. In this paper I argue that we need a different approach towards interpretation of the dead societies as our current gender concepts are not always appropriate for a past reality.
As the student hero Jan Palach said shortly before his martyrdom: "One must fight against the evil one can currently manage".
Svatopluk, as a successful ruler, was also broadly appreciated by the fascist First Slovak Republic in 1939–1945 (Kováč 2005).
In 2010 the Slovak government installed a statue of Great Moravian Duke Svatopluk with the text ‘‘Svatopluk—King of Old Slovaks’’ in the courtyard of the Bratislava Castle. Prime Minister Fico emphasised in his speech that Svatopluk had ruled even before the most famous rulers and patrons of Hungary and Bohemia: ‘‘Svatopluk was here long before St. Stephen and St. Wenceslas’’ (on Slovak—Hungarian animosity see Krekovič 2004). Only later, after objections by historians, the text under the statue was changed to: ‘‘To the loved son Svatopluk, a famous ruler’’. However, the territorial unit was rather an early medieval entity of Moravians, or ‘‘Great Moravians’’, who were neither Bohemians nor Slovaks, but a population of the Carpathian Basin and the Middle Danube region speaking a Slavic language. These people cannot be categorised as ‘‘Bohemian’’ or ‘‘Slovak’’ Moravians. Slovaks started emerging after the demise of Great Moravia and the emergence of Hungary, when these ‘‘Great Moravians’’ found themselves in a new ethnic constellation and had to assert their identity in contrast to the non-Slavic Hungarians (see Steinhübel 2016). Ján Steinhübel also emphasises that only then did the need for a new group identity arose and they gradually became Slovaks.
Ethics of excavation, handling, sampling, storage and re-burial
Respect for different religious traditions in burial rites
The Jewish example
Storage of human remains a proposal
Exhibiting human remains – who, where and if at all
Case of Ötzi
Case of the “Hottentot Venus“
Repatriation & the end of colonialism
An inapropriate use of human remains in the living culture:
decoration, magic, medicine…
An inappropriate use of human remains images
‘ From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow‘
Sadly, aggression is still one of the most common features of human behaviour; it is an instinct to promote and survive our own genes against the genes of others. Human intraspecific aggression has gradually become part of human culture over the last 40,000 years and has been institutionalized in various forms of social activities. Particularly in the post-glacial period, the level of social relations has developed dramatically in the context of population growth and the growth of human communities. In the time of Neolithic and Chalcolithic European agricultural populations, the motive of control over farming land became highly important. Also the control of main means of production and social power was increasingly maintaining the intra-group competition and aggression. Thus, violence was employed within the community in order to obtain and maintain individual or collective social status, but also against other communities in an effort to protect property and territory. Particularly the intra-community aggression was soon transformed into variety of different formal ways of symbolic fighting, which usually did not lead to the unwanted death of a defeated member of the community. The symbolic struggle between members of the community as well as the defence against external aggression were gradually formalized in the form of introduction of specialized weapons designed for combat between people and creation of fortifications. During the Neolithic period a new phenomenon arose in human culture: warfare.
可悲的是，侵略仍然是人类行为中最常见的特征之一，它是一种本能，旨在促进自身基因与他人基因的对抗，并使自身得以生存。在过去的四万年里，人类的种内攻击行为逐渐成为人类文化的一部分，并在各种形式的社会活动中被制度化。特别是在后冰河时期，随着人口的增长和人类群体的壮大，社会关系的水平得到了极大的发展。在欧洲新石器时代的农业人口中，控制耕地的动机变得非常重要。同时，对主要生产资料和社会权力的控制也越来越多地维持着群体内部的竞争和侵略。因此，为了获得和维持个人或集体的社会地位，族群内部会使用暴力，但为了保护财产和领地，也会对其他族群使用暴力。尤其是族群内部的攻击很快就转变成各种不同的正式象征性战斗方式，通常不会导致被打败的族群成员意外死亡。族群成员之间的象征性斗争以及抵御外来侵略的方式逐渐正规化，出现了专门用于人与人之间战斗的武器，并建造了防御工事。在新石器时代，人类文化中出现了一种新现象：战争。
Reconsideration of some previous archaeological interpretations of gender may offer much more variability and freedom to our current understanding of gender identity. The perception of gender in archaeological interpretations commonly reflects our current social reality. In our Christian Western worldview, the traditional gender categories of men and women are based on biology and presume the primacy of the reproduction inhuman societies. Alternative social roles were judged as deviations by the biased majority. The extremely difficult position of homosexuals in twentieth-century Western society was caused mainly by the lack of an appropriate and commonly recognized gender category. No surprisingly, the concept of transsexualism developed in cultures that only recognized and valued two gender categories based on biological sex while the tribes in North America and Siberia had gender categories ready for such cases. In Western society, Christian norms instigated a social neglect of homosexuals mainly due to the absence of appropriate gender categories. As archaeologists, we should change our approach to the interpretation of past societies because our current gender categories do not always correspond to those of a former reality.
重新审视以往考古学对性别的一些解释，可能会为我们目前对性别认同的理解提供更多的变数和自由。考古学解释中对性别的认识通常反映了我们当前的社会现实。在我们西方基督教的世界观中，传统的男女性别分类是以生物学为基础的，并假定非人类社会的繁衍是至高无上的。另类的社会角色被有偏见的大多数人判定为偏差。同性恋者在二十世纪的西方社会中处境极为艰难，这主要是由于缺乏一个适当的、得到普遍认可的性别类别。毫不奇怪，变性人的概念是在只承认和重视基于生理性别的两种性别类别的文化中发展起来的，而北美和西伯利亚的部落已经为这种情况准备好了性别类别。在西方社会，基督教准则造成了社会对同性恋者的忽视，这主要是由于缺乏适当的性别分类。作为考古学家，我们应该改变解读过去社会的方法，因为我们现在的性别分类并不总是与过去的现实相符。
WAC holds an international Congress every four years to promote: the exchange of results from archaeological research; professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups and communities; the empowerment and support of Indigenous groups and First Nations peoples; and the conservation of archaeological sites.
Further we discuss: Minorities and their rights to acesss their own history and present their culture. History and future of European Roma People. Nazi regime: Extermination – Roma holocaust Communist society: Immobilization, forced settlement and discrimination. Case study: Czech concentration labour camp for Roma people in Lety (Czech Republic).
Topics:
1 The development of paradigms in European archaeology I Antiquarianism; cultural history.
2 Typology; settlement archaeology, Historical particularism.
3 Development of paradigms in European archaeology II Functionalism, Diffusionism and Marxism.
4 Structuralism, New Archaeology, behavioural archaeology.
5 Processualism - characteristics, case studies
6 Postprocessualism
8 Transformation theory (Binford - Schiffer - Sherratt - Neustupny).
9 The Archaeology of Gender, Minorities and Individuality.
In today’s globalised world, archaeology is confronted on a daily basis with changes in public opinion, with the development of society in a diverse geopolitical context, but also with a wide range of human rights issues. There is no doubt that archaeology, as a social science, cannot develop in isolation from changes in society and, quite to the contrary, that it is destined to reflect on the major societal issues of our time.
In the first two decades of this century, we experienced an era in which reliable and well-balanced information was often replaced with propaganda-driven misinformation and hoaxes and the desire for truth and freedom seems to be bogged down in a flurry of individual interests. At a time when many democratic institutions in Western democracies are failing morally, academia has to take a firm stance on social and political issues and offer its professional and moral authority as a point of stability in restless times. Nowadays, loss of democracy does not usually come from a violent, revolutionary breakthrough as it was in the last century, but takes the form of a slow weakening of constitutional, democratic rules and the reinforcement of autocratic tendencies, a process currently under way in countries like Turkey or Venezuela. Non-democratic regimes expand their influence and even some European Union countries seem to be susceptible to similar developments. We should remember how archaeology has been repeatedly appropriated to support oppressive and evil regimes in the past, and we need to ensure that such use is prevented today.
The question arises: where does European archaeology stand today? Besides the traditional issues connected to the reconstruction of past societies and the management of heritage, European archaeology is highly involved in human rights and social justice issues. European archaeology is also becoming increasingly global. So, what are the current specifically European issues and what is the future of European archaeology and archaeologists?
The emergence of the Neolithic introduced one of the most fundamental turning points in the history of humankind. People left this imaginary Eden of symbiosis with animal species to start their new role of stewards and destroyers of the nature. In this way humans completed their departure from nature into the world of their own culture and civilization. With a sedentary life and a newly acquired knowledge of the production and reproduction of their food sources, people set off to the path to their overpopulation and ruling over the entire planet and after more than 12,000 years to continue beyond its gravity. However, not everything was positive on this departure from the paradise, and soon people also tasted the bitter taste of the forbidden fruit that the first farmers seized. Along with the change of diet a general deterioration in the health of the Neolithic population occurred and we can even talk about the first civilisation diseases.
The course is suitable for students of archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, human ecology, history and other social sciences. It includes an outline of the current discussion on the conditions, methods and evidence of the emergence of cereal agriculture in the Western Asia. In addition to archaeological evidence of changes in the subsistence strategy, changes in the symbolic systems, cosmology and religion of the first agricultural civilizations, as well as demographic and social aspects of neolithisation, will be taken into account. The process of domestication will be investigated in various climatic-ecological contexts with emphasis on explanation of local variability in diversification of agricultural strategies. The topic also includes the spread of the Neolithic way of life outside the Neolithic epicentre, i.e. to the northwest of Asia Minor, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. Subsequent cultural development and population cultural variability of newly domesticated areas will also be discussed. Finally, we compare the development in Western Asia and Europe to the domestication processes in other parts of the world, such as East/Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia and Polynesia, Americas, Sahel and South Africa. This worldwide review of early sedentary populations and variability of domestication strategies provides a basic reference of current research in the field of archaeology, anthropology and prehistoric human ecology.
Jan Turek - Letní semestr 2021/2022, rozsah (2/0)
The emergence of the Neolithic introduced one of the most fundamental turning points in the history of humankind. People left this imaginary Eden of symbiosis with animal species to start their new role of stewards and destroyers of the nature. In this way humans completed their departure from nature into the world of their own culture and civilization. With a sedentary life and a newly acquired knowledge of the production and reproduction of their food sources, people set off to the path to their overpopulation and ruling over the entire planet and after more than 12,000 years to continue beyond its gravity. However, not everything was positive on this departure from the paradise, and soon people also tasted the bitter taste of the forbidden fruit that the first farmers seized. Along with the change of diet a general deterioration in the health of the Neolithic population occurred and we can even talk about the first civilisation diseases.
The course is suitable for students of archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, human ecology, history and other social sciences. It includes an outline of the current discussion on the conditions, methods and evidence of the emergence of cereal agriculture in the Western Asia. In addition to archaeological evidence of changes in the subsistence strategy, changes in the symbolic systems, cosmology and religion of the first agricultural civilizations, as well as demographic and social aspects of neolithisation, will be taken into account. The process of domestication will be investigated in various climatic-ecological contexts with emphasis on explanation of local variability in diversification of agricultural strategies. The topic also includes the spread of the Neolithic way of life outside the Neolithic epicentre, i.e. to the northwest of Asia Minor, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. Subsequent cultural development and population cultural variability of newly domesticated areas will also be discussed. Finally, we compare the development in Western Asia and Europe to the domestication processes in other parts of the world, such as East/Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia and Polynesia, Americas, Sahel and South Africa. This worldwide review of early sedentary populations and variability of domestication strategies provides a basic reference of current research in the field of archaeology, anthropology and prehistoric human ecology.
Jan Turek - Letní semestr 2021/2022, rozsah (2/0)
The emergence of the Neolithic introduced one of the most fundamental turning points in the history of humankind. People left this imaginary Eden of symbiosis with animal species to start their new role of stewards and destroyers of the nature. In this way humans completed their departure from nature into the world of their own culture and civilization. With a sedentary life and a newly acquired knowledge of the production and reproduction of their food sources, people set off to the path to their overpopulation and ruling over the entire planet and after more than 12,000 years to continue beyond its gravity. However, not everything was positive on this departure from the paradise, and soon people also tasted the bitter taste of the forbidden fruit that the first farmers seized. Along with the change of diet a general deterioration in the health of the Neolithic population occurred and we can even talk about the first civilisation diseases.
The course is suitable for students of archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, human ecology, history and other social sciences. It includes an outline of the current discussion on the conditions, methods and evidence of the emergence of cereal agriculture in the Western Asia. In addition to archaeological evidence of changes in the subsistence strategy, changes in the symbolic systems, cosmology and religion of the first agricultural civilizations, as well as demographic and social aspects of neolithisation, will be taken into account. The process of domestication will be investigated in various climatic-ecological contexts with emphasis on explanation of local variability in diversification of agricultural strategies. The topic also includes the spread of the Neolithic way of life outside the Neolithic epicentre, i.e. to the northwest of Asia Minor, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. Subsequent cultural development and population cultural variability of newly domesticated areas will also be discussed. Finally, we compare the development in Western Asia and Europe to the domestication processes in other parts of the world, such as East/Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia and Polynesia, Americas, Sahel and South Africa. This worldwide review of early sedentary populations and variability of domestication strategies provides a basic reference of current research in the field of archaeology, anthropology and prehistoric human ecology.
Jan Turek - Letní semestr 2021/2022, rozsah (2/0)
The emergence of the Neolithic introduced one of the most fundamental turning points in the history of humankind. People left this imaginary Eden of symbiosis with animal species to start their new role of stewards and destroyers of the nature. In this way humans completed their departure from nature into the world of their own culture and civilization. With a sedentary life and a newly acquired knowledge of the production and reproduction of their food sources, people set off to the path to their overpopulation and ruling over the entire planet and after more than 12,000 years to continue beyond its gravity. However, not everything was positive on this departure from the paradise, and soon people also tasted the bitter taste of the forbidden fruit that the first farmers seized. Along with the change of diet a general deterioration in the health of the Neolithic population occurred and we can even talk about the first civilisation diseases.
The course is suitable for students of archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, human ecology, history and other social sciences. It includes an outline of the current discussion on the conditions, methods and evidence of the emergence of cereal agriculture in the Western Asia. In addition to archaeological evidence of changes in the subsistence strategy, changes in the symbolic systems, cosmology and religion of the first agricultural civilizations, as well as demographic and social aspects of neolithisation, will be taken into account. The process of domestication will be investigated in various climatic-ecological contexts with emphasis on explanation of local variability in diversification of agricultural strategies. The topic also includes the spread of the Neolithic way of life outside the Neolithic epicentre, i.e. to the northwest of Asia Minor, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. Subsequent cultural development and population cultural variability of newly domesticated areas will also be discussed. Finally, we compare the development in Western Asia and Europe to the domestication processes in other parts of the world, such as East/Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia and Polynesia, Americas, Sahel and South Africa. This worldwide review of early sedentary populations and variability of domestication strategies provides a basic reference of current research in the field of archaeology, anthropology and prehistoric human ecology.
Jan Turek - Letní semestr 2021/2022, rozsah (2/0)
The emergence of the Neolithic introduced one of the most fundamental turning points in the history of humankind. People left this imaginary Eden of symbiosis with animal species to start their new role of stewards and destroyers of the nature. In this way humans completed their departure from nature into the world of their own culture and civilization. With a sedentary life and a newly acquired knowledge of the production and reproduction of their food sources, people set off to the path to their overpopulation and ruling over the entire planet and after more than 12,000 years to continue beyond its gravity. However, not everything was positive on this departure from the paradise, and soon people also tasted the bitter taste of the forbidden fruit that the first farmers seized. Along with the change of diet a general deterioration in the health of the Neolithic population occurred and we can even talk about the first civilisation diseases.
The course is suitable for students of archaeology, social and cultural anthropology, human ecology, history and other social sciences. It includes an outline of the current discussion on the conditions, methods and evidence of the emergence of cereal agriculture in the Western Asia. In addition to archaeological evidence of changes in the subsistence strategy, changes in the symbolic systems, cosmology and religion of the first agricultural civilizations, as well as demographic and social aspects of neolithisation, will be taken into account. The process of domestication will be investigated in various climatic-ecological contexts with emphasis on explanation of local variability in diversification of agricultural strategies. The topic also includes the spread of the Neolithic way of life outside the Neolithic epicentre, i.e. to the northwest of Asia Minor, the Balkans, Europe and North Africa. Subsequent cultural development and population cultural variability of newly domesticated areas will also be discussed. Finally, we compare the development in Western Asia and Europe to the domestication processes in other parts of the world, such as East/Southeast Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Australia and Polynesia, Americas, Sahel and South Africa. This worldwide review of early sedentary populations and variability of domestication strategies provides a basic reference of current research in the field of archaeology, anthropology and prehistoric human ecology.
Dear Colleagues worldwide!
34 years after its birth in Southampton as a highly influential world organization, the World Archaeological Congress is coming back to Europe. Prague has always been a cultural and multilingual crossroads of Central Europe. The atmospheric streets of Prague hide amazing subterranean relics of the medieval city which are very attractive to visitors to explore. The Czech Capital is the city of St. Wenceslaus, the city of Franz Kafka and of Václav Havel.
Prague is once again becoming such a crossroads as a forum for discussion for anyone who is concerned with the study of archaeology and world heritage.
WAC is open to archaeologists of all countries, encouraging the development of regionally-based histories and maintaining the international academic discourse within the worldwide community.
This special event offers you the opportunity to share the results of your research. It mediates discussion on professional training and public education for disadvantaged nations, groups and communities. The voices of representatives of different Indigenous groups will be welcomed. We will also discuss the role of archaeology and the state of world heritage in the current globalized world.
Make your research visible worldwide: come to Prague 5th to 10th July 2020!
We look forward to welcoming you in the heart of Europe.
Yours Sincerely
Jan Turek
WAC-9 Academic Secretary
We would like to invite you to contribute to our session (T05E) at WAC 8 in Kyoto. The session is titled " Enclosures-Dividing and connecting people ", it is organized under the theme T05: Comparative Archeologies in the Globalized World
https://wac8.org/academic-program/accepted-sessions-2/ast05/
Below, you will find the abstract of the session. Please remember that the call for papers in now open until April 30th and abstracts can be submitted online at:
https://wac8.org/2016/01/27/call-for-papers-and-registration-now-open/
Yours Sincerely
Organizers:
Jan Turek (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic)
Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu (University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Session abstract:
Enclosures-Dividing and connecting people Dividing the cultural space is an essential need of humans. The enclosed space if giving people feeling of security from the otherness and dividing the world into concepts of peaceful domus safe inside and wild agrios, dangerous outside. Enclosures were created to protect human communities, their properties and livestock but also to perform their cult. Walls and ditches were often acting as symbolic manifestations of unity and creating shared identity, such as when Rome was founded by Romulus ploughing the furrow outlining the future Eternal City. Walls and ditches were also created as fortifications and symbols of domination and/or segregation, such as the case of Limes Romanus or the Great Wall of China. Enclosures were, however, also defining the holy places, dividing the sacred from the profane and creating arenas of spiritual and social communication, such as ditch monuments in Neolithic Europe. Walls and ditches are dividing people even now. The Korean wall or the wall at the West Bank present the reflection of the current human behaviour. Regional variability Worldwide and the reasons for enclosing the space, changing forms, purposes and symbolic meaning of enclosures throughout the past to present day will be discussed in our session.
In this session we aim to investigate the development and perception of ritual sites and landscapes by
successive generations of prehistoric farmers. Combining modern archaeological and scientific methods, it is possible to analyse and reconstruct how these monuments were reused and altered and, in some cases, destroyed, by later generations. We want to explore both continuity and change at these monuments and how they may have been perceived long after they were built. Archaeological evidence found at some monuments, reveals that they continued to function as arenas of ritual and social interaction. At others, the evidence shows that their original spiritual function was terminated. We believe that the new data provided by both remote sensing and interdisciplinary research, leads us towards a better understanding of prehistoric monuments and landscape dynamics, from the Neolithic to the present day.
The former of the two seasons made it possible to clarify the layout of Temple 1; its consecration, however, still remains obscure. During the latter season, remnants of a large right-angled building were partially excavated to the south of the main “palace”. Its mudbrick walls once delimited an interior paved by quality sandstone blocks with the ceiling supported by a series of posts resting on sandstone pads. The discovery of wall paintings that once decorated its interior walls creates an extraordinary context that is probably connected to a possible religious function of this building. The current hypothesis is that this structure might have been a temple servicing the main “palace”. The presumption of contemporaneity between this “temple” and the main “palace” building seems to be supported by an existence of the outside pavement of a courtyard connecting both buildings.
The remnants of an earlier brick structure detected below the foundations of this “temple” and of more recent walls superimposed over its brickwork point to a more complex building history of this part of the site. A better understanding of this history, as well as of the daily life of the Kushite social elites, constitutes the main aim to be pursued in the years to come.
Jan Turek
In the last six years some new forms of funerary/ritual structures were discovered in Bohemia and Moravia. Two such features were discovered during large scale excavation at Hostivice, west of Prague in 2011 and 2013. The first structure consisted of large postholes in rectangular setting with cremation deposit and fragments of decorated beakers in a larger pit situated in its inner part. The second structure consisted of large postholes surrounding a pit with votive offering of four stone writguards carefully laid into a square shape. The last example comes from the Central Moravian site of Brodek near Prostějov, where was an unusual long structure outlined by alignments of post holes with kind of shrine with four pits looking just like burial cuts but containing variety of votive offerings without a visible human burial. The sacrificial deposits were inserted into the features repeatedly during individual offering events. These new features suggest a greater complexity of funerary and ritual constructions, some of which (Brodek) are probably examples of monumental architecture within the non-megalithic territory.
Biochemik Johannes Krause (Univerzita v Tübingenu a Ústav Maxe Plancka pro evoluční antropologii Institut) a žurnalista Thomas Trappe v roce 2019 vydali knihu Die Reise unserer Gene: Eine Geschichte über uns und unsere Vorfahren, jejíž druhé vydání mají nyní čeští čtenáři k dispozici v překladu Dagmar Heegové s doslovem evoluční antropoložky Zuzany Hofmanové (evoluční antropoložka z Max Planck Institutu). Díky spolupráci renomovaného vědce s úspěšným žurnalistou kniha poskytuje populárně srozumitelné shrnutí současných archeogenetických studií. Čtenáře kniha zaujme tématy vztahujícími se k aktuálním politickým a etickým otázkám migrací, nacionalismu i hrozeb globálních pandemií.
Theme #04 Identities, Human Rights, Freedom and Archaeology in the Globalised World
Jan Turek
Centre for Theoretical Study, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
[email protected]
Marcia Bezerra
Universidade Federal do Pará – UFPA. Bacharelado de Museologia/FAV/Instituto de Ciências da Arte – ICA, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Antropologia/ Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas – IFCH, Brasil
[email protected]
Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu
Manager: Archaeology at South African National Parks (SANParks), Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
[email protected]
Chung-Pin Hsieh
Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
[email protected]
Abstract:
In today’s globalised world, archaeology is confronted on a daily basis with changes and challenges in public opinion, with the development of society in a diverse geopolitical context, but also with a wide range of human rights issues. There is no doubt that archaeology, as a social science, cannot develop in isolation from changes in society and, quite to the contrary, that it is compelled to reflect on the major societal issues of our time. Academia has to take a firm stance on social and political issues and offer its professional and moral commitment as a point of stability in current restless times.
In the first two decades of this century, we experienced an era in which reliable and well-balanced information was often replaced with propaganda-driven misinformation and hoaxes and the desire for truth and freedom seems to be bogged down in a flurry of individual interests. The proceeding (third decade) brought major challenges and dangers. After decades of peace keeping attempts, the apocalyptic perspective of nuclear conflict is being irresponsibly introduced into political disputes.
Totalitarian regimes worldwide expand their influence and even some stable democracies seem to be susceptible to similar developments. We should be aware of, and remember how archaeology has been repeatedly appropriated to support oppressive and evil regimes in the past, and we have to ensure that such use is prevented today. Archaeology plays an important role in the reconciliation of historical injustice and oppression. We play witness to an increasing number of positive cases helping indigenous communities worldwide to regain their rights including their authentic decolonised reading of history, repatriation of human remains, objects and land. At the same time new genocidal excesses such as current conflicts in Darfur, Middle East or Ukraine are again challenging global humanity. Archaeology responds not only to the challenges of collective identity, but also to the freedom to formulate gendered personal identities that respect the freedom of individuals to express their personal choices and worldviews in life and research perspectives.