Sponsored by Birkbeck College, University of London

Thursday, August 29, 2013 - Friday, August 30, 2013

Location:

London
United Kingdom

What was the relationship between housing as it was expressed in words and how it materialised in walls? The past decade has seen a transformation in the study of housing, both by archaeologists and Classicists. This conference seeks to build on recent developments in this field, and specifically to examine the interface between archaeological and textual types of evidence. The study of ancient houses, households, and families has long been vexed by epistemological problems of how to combine an understanding derived from texts (literary and documentary) with that derived from archaeological material (e.g. house plans and related assemblages).  

This conference aims to develop methodologies that privilege neither historical nor archaeological approaches. Rather, we want to focus on the ancient housing as a social and cultural phenomenon that we can approach through the lens of diverse types of materials and approaches. We welcome contributions which seek not to prove or disprove either textual or archaeological accounts, but which engage in a meaningful way with the relationship between these types of materials. 

Please send an abstract (500 words maximum, please) to:

Jennifer Baird j.baird@bbk.ac.uk

and April Pudsey a.pudsey@bbk.ac.uk

Contact:
Jennifer Baird
j.baird@bbk.ac.uk