Archaeology Brown-Bag Workshops provide an informal, interdisciplinary venue for presentations of work in progress by students, faculty, and visiting scholars, and for discussion of developments in the recent archaeological literature. Workshops convene more-or-less biweekly on Thursdays at 3:30-4:45 in the conference room on the second floor of Brooks Hall, unless otherwise noted below. Want to volunteer a talk or discussion topic? Contact Jeff Hantman, Adria LaViolette, or Fraser Neiman .

Dame Barbara Cartland and Sir Mortimer Wheeler, attending a Brown Bag, circa 1965.

Spring 2011 Schedule

Feb. 17

Art, Archaeology, and Advanced Technology: the Case of the Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii.John Dobbins and Ethan Gruber, Department of Art History, University of Virginia.

March 3

Who Sweeps Here? Site Maintenance and Cultural Tradition in Historic Contexts Sara Bon-Harper, Archaeology Department, Monticello.

March 15 Special Event

Argilos: A Geeek Colony in Tracian Territory Jacques Y. Perreault. Department of Classical Studies, University of Montreal. Sponsored by The Archaeological Institute of America's Charlottesville Society. Note time and place: 5:30 p.m., Campbell Hall, Room 160.

March 17 Special Event

The Jeffersons at Shadwell. Susan Kern, Department of History, College of William and Mary. Note the time and place: 5:00 p.m. at the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center, Monticello, Route 53, Charlottesville VA. For more information click here

March 24 Special Event

Comparative Approaches to Interpreting Archaeological Data from the Cabrits Garrison, Dominica, Zach Beier, Department of Anthropology, Syracuse University and DAACS Fellow, International Center for Jefferson Studies. Note the time and place: 12:00 pm in the Berkeley Room of the Jefferson Library, Kenwood, Route 53, Charlottesville, VA. Abstract. Historical archaeologies of the African Diaspora in Caribbean colonial history have focused predominately on the economic, social and cultural aspects of the plantation system, while the military sites integral to the defense of the Caribbean plantocracy have received far less attention. This paper explores how the everyday lives of non-Europeans and Europeans intersected at the Cabrits Garrison on the island of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean. Using datasets collected from eighteenth and nineteenth century residential quarters occupied by the British military including enslaved laborers and soldiers of African descent I demonstrate how interactions within military fortifications were critical in the development of new forms of colonial identities during a period of continuous military conflict and economic volatility across the Atlantic World. Intra-site comparisons and analytical approaches to reconstructing occupational histories are described along with inter-site comparisons made possible through cooperation with the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery.

March 24

Predynastic Egyptian Houses and Households in Relation to Urbanism. Beth Hart, Department of Anthropology, University of Virginia.

April 7

How can INAA, STPs, and post-Walrasian Economics Help Us Understand Historical Dynamics of Market Participation by Slaves on Nevis? Fraser Neiman, Archaeology Department, Monticello.

April 14

Multiscalar Archaeology and Institutional Enclaves in a Hawaiian Leprosy Village James L. Flexner, Washington and Lee University. Abstract.The question of scale is an important aspect of spatial analysis in archaeology. In this talk, I will explore some of the ramifications of scale for understanding social dynamics in Hawaii's earliest experiment with a total institution. In 1866, the Hawaiian Kingdom passed An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy. Included in the act was a provision for the establishment of a quarantine settlement for people diagnosed with the disease on Kalaupapa peninsula, Moloka‘i. In the archaeology of the 19th century leprosarium, different scales of analysis represent aspects of the place that appear more institutional while others reflect patterns more typical of post-contact village life in the islands. I interpret this not as a simple methodological issue, but as a reflection of the tensions between planning and physical reality in modern institutional spaces, as well as the incomplete, conflicted nature of long-term colonial encounters.

April 21

Analyze This: Ceramic Production in Late Bronze Age Thebes, Greece. Anastasia Dakouri-Hild, Department of Art History, University of Virginia.

Workshop Schedule from Past Semesters

For topics and speakers from past semesters, click here.