Session: #558

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
The archaeology of material culture, bodies and landscapes
Session format:
Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each

Title & Content

Title:
Wetlands vs. Drylands? Challenging divides and changing archaeological perspectives on prehistoric wetland sites, landscapes and societies
Content:
Prehistoric wetland sites have great potential for informing us about the past as they tend to provide better preservation than dryland sites. Yet this potential is currently not fully realised as many wetland sites and societies are studied in isolation. This divide, although noted by many scholars, continues to exist, mostly due to our modern perceptions of these landscapes and the people who live here as 'different' from drylands and their inhabitants. Thus, our notions about landscape and environment are the primary reference for understanding social diversity, leading to biased perspectives on prehistoric societies.

Rather than assuming such differences and isolating wetland sites and communities, we need to develop methods and theories that allow us to study wetland(er)s in relation to dryland(er)s. For instance, by studying the landscape settings of wetland and dryland sites through new scientific methods, which demonstrates that some landscapes were altered recently and not as different as originally proposed. Recent comparative studies of wetland and dryland material culture also indicate exceptional similarities and confirm the established networks between societies that were previously considered different. Even in cases where there were real differences between wet and dryland landscapes and communities, it is unlikely that wetlanders lived in complete isolation, urging us to consider their role and place in the wider socio-cultural landscape. Therefore, we invite papers that present new perspectives on wetland sites and communities in relation to dryland(er)s. Methodological and theoretical approaches breaking down the wetland/dryland divide and drawing wetland(er)s out of isolation are particularly welcome.
Keywords:
Wetland/dryland divide, landscapes, identities, networks
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no

Organisers

Main organiser:
Floor Huisman (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Assistant Professor Goce Naumov (Republic of North Macedonia) 2
Affiliations:
1. Durham University
2. Center for Prehistoric Research / Goce DelĨev University