Ladies and Gentlemen,
Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, with the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń invite you to participate in:
Experimental Archaeology Conference
which will be held on 8th and 9th May 2014, in Torun.
The answer to the question what is currently experimental archeology is not, contrary to appearances, simple. It is defined as a method in which the hypotheses made on the past ways of life are verified by scientific experiments. Currently, however, very often it is associated with something else, i.e. living history events and archaeological parks. So what is the role of experimental archeology in contemporary Poland? Is it a scientific method or merely an interesting way to spend some time in contact with the past? Is it possible, and above all, is it needed to differentiate between "archeology of festivals" and scientific experimentation in archaeological research? At what level should modern experimental archeology operate? These and similar questions we would like to answer during the first day of the session. For discussions we cordially welcome both supporters and opponents of the method. The second day of the conference will provide an opportunity to present the assumptions and results of archaeological experiments ongoing in our and other countries.
The conference will be accompanied by workshops, which will enable participants to share knowledge and experience more directly, and-we hope-will become a place where at least some theories delivered earlier will be illustrated in practice.
The theme of our meeting is the maxim of Leonardo da Vinci:
WISDOM IS THE DAUGHTER OF EXPERIENCE?
This can be interpreted in several ways. For us, the experience is a continuous verification of hypotheses through practice, taking into account the increasing number of new variables and the acquisition of knowledge and skills as a result of painstaking and endlessly repeated experiments. But, are we actually wiser? Do we really know more about the past? The question mark at the end of the words of the great scholar is challenging, the most important question to which we would try to find an answer.
The programme of the meeting also includes presentations in the form of papers (up to 20 min. long including discussion), posters (format B1, size 700x1000 mm) and workshop session.
The official languages of the conference are Polish and English.
Anyone who volunteers to take part in the conference is requested to submit the topics of the presentations and abstracts (up to 1800 characters) until 30 September 2013 to: [email protected]
Papers will be published in the Journal Acta Universitatis Nicolai Copernici, by Nicolaus Copernicus University. The organisation committee reserves the right to verify the submitted presentations. Information on accepting the presentations will be sent out by 13 October 2013.
Detailed information about the conference will be sent to all interested by the e-mail, posted on a website: www.kae2014.umk.pl and published on the official Facebook page.
dr Grzegorz Osipowicz
Secretary of the Conference