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October is Massachusetts Archaeology Month |
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This October, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is celebrating "Archaeology Month" to celebrate the wealth of current research and diversity of archaeological materials in the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Historical Commission website provides a full listing of events. The following events include lectures, a teachers' workshop, and an open house, and have been organized by ASOR and its sister organizations, the AIA and ICEAACH, and their host, Boston University, as their contribution to Archaeology Month. Print out the one-page poster (in pdf) of our area events. | |
| Other sponsoring institutions for events on this page: International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History (ICEAACH) Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) Boston University Dept. of Archaeology
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5 October 2005,
9am - 4pm - Worcester Worcester
Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609. This workshop for educators - at all levels - explores basic archaeological concepts and methods drawing on finds from China, the Middle East, and Central America. The workshop will be divided into two sessions.
ALL EDUCATORS who want to attend the workshop must register with the AIA by SEPTEMBER 30TH. Go to www.archaeological.org/education and the AIA's Archy Month page for details or call 617-353-8708. Educators wanting PDP credits must attend the workshop and complete, before the end of the school year, a three-hour in-class activity. A report of the in-class portion of the workshop must be sent to the AIA. 6 October 2005, 5:00 pm - Cambridge "An Iranian Nexus of Trade and Commerce at 2500 B.C." Lecture
at 5:00pm, Braun Room, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Harvard University,
Cambridge. Reception
at 6:00pm at the Harvard Semitic
Museum, 6 Divinity Ave., Harvard University. (see map
of location) Dr. Holly Pittman, Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, will provide an illustrated lecture showing recent archaeological discoveries at the site of Jiroft in southeastern Iran. The site features a citadel, large ziggurat, and impressions from stamp and cylinder seals, as well as a great number of stone vessels made of chlorite. Evidence of trade includes imported lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and carnelian from the Indus both of which were used to decorate these vessels. Sponsoring Organizations: Harvard Semitic Museum and American Schools of Oriental Research. For more information contact Dena Davis, (617) 495-4631, davis4@fas.harvard.edu www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic.
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October 2005, 5:30pm - Boston Lecture in Room 224, Boston University, College of Arts and Sciences. 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. Dr. James E. Brady, Associate Professor of Anthropology, California State University, Los Angeles will discuss cave archaeology in the Maya area. As the first cave survey connected with a large excavation project, the Petexbatun Regional Cave Survey represented a major breakthrough in Maya studies. The project documented several dozen caves in and around the site of Dos Pilas. The caves contained enormous quantities of artifacts [National Geographic, Feb. 1993] and changed the field's appreciation of the religious use of caves. More importantly, much of the most important architecture at the site was deliberately built directly on top of caves. This discovery has led to new ideas about the ways in which the Maya related to the landscape and viewed their cities. Sponsoring Organization: Department of Archaeology, Boston University. www.bu.edu/archaeology.
14 October 2005, 2 - 6pm - Boston Archaeology
Open House: 2:00 - 6:00pm, AIA and ASOR offices, 656 Beacon Street (5th and 6th Floors) and ICEAACH 650 Beacon Street (5th Floor), Boston, MA 02215. Come and discover the archaeological resources located in the Kenmore Square area. Visit the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Schools of Oriental Research and the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History. Talk to archaeologists, find out about archaeology, discuss fieldwork opportunities, explore career options and learn about the many archaeological journals and magazines that are produced in Boston.
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October 2005, 7:30pm - Newton Lecture at 7:30pm, Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton, MA 02459 Dr. Robert Murowchick, Research Associate Professor and Director of the International Center for East Asian Archaeology and Cultural History at Boston University will discuss the latest research into the world-renowned archaeological discoveries of legions of terra cotta soldiers that guard the mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi the "First Emperor of China" during the Qin dynasty (about 221 B.C.) and several new discoveries of miniature armies dating to the later Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220). These terra cotta armies replaced the large-scale sacrifice of humans during earlier periods of Chinese history. Learn about their cultural role, as well as the challenges they present to archaeologists and conservators and the impact of their status as the most popular tourist attractions in China.
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October 2005, 4:30pm - So. Hadley Lecture at 4:30pm, Gamble Auditorium, Mount Holyoke College, 50 College Street, South Hadley, MA 01075. Dr. Peter Richardson, Professor and Lecturer of Archaeology and Architecture at the University of Toronto, discusses Herod the Great, client and friend of Augustus and Marcus Agrippa, who left a legacy of brilliant architectural projects, much of it excavated in the last several decades. Its extent, scope and quality are just as significant as its intriguing innovations and blend of Roman and indigenous elements. Herod was not just a reliable client king he was one of the most remarkable architectural patrons of his day, commanding enormous resources to express his personal aspirations and his ambitions for the Kingdom of Judea.
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October 2005, 6:30pm - Boston Lecture at 6:30pm, Conference Auditorium, George Sherman Union (2nd floor), Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215. Reception following lecture. Dr. Peter Richardson, Professor and Lecturer of Archaeology and Architecture at the University of Toronto, discusses Herod the Great, client and friend of Augustus and Marcus Agrippa, who left a legacy of brilliant architectural projects, much of it excavated in the last several decades. Its extent, scope and quality are just as significant as its intriguing innovations and blend of Roman and indigenous elements. Herod was not just a reliable client king he was one of the most remarkable architectural patrons of his day, commanding enormous resources to express his personal aspirations and his ambitions for the Kingdom of Judea.
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October 2005, 6:00pm - Boston Presentations followed by a panel discussion and time for Q&A. 6:00pm, Mezzanine Conference Room, Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston, MA 02116 This symposium, presented by experts -- including, Neil Silberman, Director of the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium, Clemency Coggins, Professor of Archaeology and Art History at Boston University, and Larry Berman of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston -- whose work has exposed and documented archaeological counterfeits, will approach the issue of fakes and forgeries in the context of current controversies about them and their impact on our interpretation of history. The panel of specialists will discuss the nature and extent of the problem, grapple with the challenges created when disputed texts and artifacts connect directly with a group's history and sense of identity (particularly in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds), reflect on the implications fakes present and communicate why it is important to do archaeological research in a scientifically sound manner.
For more information about any of these events contact: Ben Thomas, (617) 353-8708, bthomas@aia.bu.edu or Britt Hartenberger, (617) 353-6580, asor@bu.edu.
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