Speaker: Dr. Barbara Horejs, Director of the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology, Austrian Academy of Sciences

The excavations of Çukuriçi Höyük at the Aegean coast of Turkey revealed intensive metallurgical activities dating to the Early Bronze Age I period in early 3rd millennium BC. Beyond a high number of metal artefacts, the complete chaîne opératoire of metal production can also be reconstructed based on raw materials, slags, crucibles, a variety of tools and half-finished products. These finds and metallurgical remains have been analysed by using various analytical methods to describe the "geochemical fingerprint" of the metals used, mainly arsenical copper. The data will be discussed in relation to the known copper ore deposits in Turkey and the Aegean in order to identify the provenance of the metals. The second focus of this paper is set on the intensity of metal production at Çukuriçi Höyük and its further socio-cultural interpretation. The evidence of around 50 metal workshops embedded within several settlement districts give clear hints for the impact of this specialized production to the local community. Further archaeological indicators like faunal remains and textile technology will be discussed in relation to the potential division of labour, specialization and off-site activities, supported by aspects of spatial analyses of Çukuriçi Höyük settlements IV and III (2900–2750 calBC). 

Fig.: Visualization of the EBA 1 settlement at Çukuriçi Höyük based on excavation results and geophysical surveys (©ERC Prehistoric Anatolia/7 reasons). 

Speaker: Dr. Mary Louise Hart, Getty Museum

The last several years have seen extensive research and conservation of the Getty Villa’s collection of Romano-Egyptian panel paintings, which contain a good collection of mummy portraits dating from around AD 50 to about AD 220, the in situ portrait of a red-shroud mummy, and a “group” of Isis and Serapis flanking a square portrait of a mortal man (above). Recently this group – cataloged as a triptych by the museum upon its acquisition in 1974 – underwent an analytical update [published in “A Portrait of a Bearded Man Flanked by Isis and Serapis” published in Icon, Cult and Context (Cotsen, 2016), 79-89]. Past analytical work focused on understanding the materials and authenticity of the panels but had not presented new information about their ancient context or function. More recent organic analysis has revealed a number of different components assuring the ancient integrity and commonality of the panels but has also uncovered evidence of modern restoration in need of clarification. The complex story of origin, restoration, conservation and display inspired the organization of an international exhibition of Romano-Egyptian mummy portraits, shrouds, and associated artifacts (including mummies) for the Getty Villa in the fall of 2019. 

Speaker: Dr. Mark Aldenderfer, UC Merced

From where and when did people first move into and live permanently the High Himalayas? What role did climate change have in the early peopling of the High Himalayas and in subsequent population movements? These questions are explored in three regions of Nepal: Upper Mustang, the Khumbu, and the Rasuwa valley. Archaeological, paleoclimatic, ethnographic, and historical data are combined to provide a comparative assessment of how the inhabitants of these regions coped with climate variability. Insights derived from this research have relevance to the challenges faced by these peoples today in a context of accelerated global warming.

Mark Aldenderfer is Professor of Anthropology in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts at the University of California, Merced. His research focuses the comparative analysis of high altitude cultural and biological adaptations from an archaeological perspective. He has worked on the three high elevation plateaus of the planet—Ethiopian, Andean, and Tibetan—over the course of his career and currently works in the High Himalayas of Nepal. He has edited or written more than 10 books, including Montane Foragers (1998), and has published numerous articles and book chapters in journals including Science,PNAS, Journal of Archaeological Science, Latin American Antiquity, and others. He currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association. He is the editor ofCurrent Anthropology, is an associate editor for anthropology of Science Advances, co-edited Latin American Antiquity, and serves on a number of editorial boards.

Co-sponsored with:  Program on Central Asia, Anthropology, Geography,