DEATH AND THE SOCIETIES OF LATE ANTIQUITY - New methods, new questions ? - November 4 - 5, 2021 - Aix ...

Maison Méditerranéenne des Sciences de l’Homme
           Aix-en-Provence, France

        International Conference
       November 4 - 5, 2021

         DEATH
   AND THE SOCIETIES
   OF LATE ANTIQUITY
  New methods, new questions ?

       mortantiquitetardive@gmail.com

International Conference
                  Aix-Marseille (France) - November 4–5, 2021

                DEATH AND THE SOCIETIES OF LATE ANTIQUITY
                       New methods, new questions?

         Significant developments in the methodologies used both in the field and in the laboratory
have paved the way for a renewal of thinking about the populations and burial practices of Late
Antiquity. Alongside work done on the period and the role of burial practices (see for example
Boissavit-Camus et al, 1996; Boyer, 2019; Cartron et al, 2016; Chavarría-Arnau, 2007; Granier, 2017;
Guyon, 2005; Heijmans, 2004; Lambert, 2013; Nissen-Jaubert, 2007; Rebillard et al, 2009), the
emergence of the area of study then known as “field anthropology” (Duday, 2005) has been crucial in
reshaping the focus of research. Recent studies, aided by a proliferation of archaeological examples,
reveal a desire to re-examine and revise data, not only anthropological, but also archaeological and
historical (Barbiera, 2012; Boyer et al, 2014; Buchet, 1996; Castex et al, 2015; Chavarría-Arnau, 2019;
Kacki et al, 2017; Laubry, 2016; Lauwers et al, 2016). These studies increase our knowledge about the
treatment of the dead, the place of death among the living, the location of burial sites, and even the
structure of tombs; all these elements are of course variable according to region and culture.
         These recent studies, which now tend to be multidisciplinary, help us to re-examine accepted
truths and to revitalize our thinking about the way in which these ancient societies envisaged Death
and managed their dead in the context of the multiple changes occurring within the Roman Empire
and on its margins.
         Late Antiquity is marked by its political, social, economic, and cultural evolutions. This period
of major societal changes initially saw the coexistence of Roman institutions and new social structures,
especially those emerging from the early Christian religion. The societies of Late Antiquity are
therefore characterized by a mosaic of political, social, and cultural entities, both in the heart of the
Empire's provinces and on their borders.

          Can this plurality of situations also be detected in the burial practices of the period? Which
elements help us to identify and define this diversity? And to what extent can burial practices really
help us to understand the living conditions of ancient communities and their developments? Between
the first centuries of the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity, what degree of either continuity or change
in demographic and cultural dynamics do these practices reveal?

         Specific reflection on the world of the dead, on a large geographic and thematic scale and in
all its disciplinary plurality, has therefore become essential. Anthropology and its related sciences
(biology, archaeothanatology, biochemistry) are crucial to this, alongside archaeological, historical,
environmental, and societal approaches. This call for papers is for a two-day event dedicated to
examining this set of questions.

Research themes for proposals may therefore include a wide range of topics, such as:

Relationships between land ownership and land rights and the creation of burial sites
        Access to land use and land rights, particularly in an urban context, evolved at the same time
        as the creation of new burial sites. Did these practices lead to a change in land rights or was it
        rather the case that the evolution of these rights (brought about by change in the urban
        framework) facilitated new practices? These questions call for an exchange of ideas between
        archaeo-anthropological approaches and studies of texts relating, for example, to changes in
        land use or to the availability of certain areas for use for the dead.

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Expressing social identity in death
        How was the identity of individuals maintained in death in the communities of Late Antiquity?
        It is important to understand how various burial choices reflect the social, cultural, or religious
        beliefs of the different communities. Can grave markings, or indeed the absence of markings,
        tell us about the position of the individuals in society, or about their beliefs?

Detecting the plurality of cultures and communities in their perception of death, bodies, and tombs
        The evolution of thinking and its plurality lead to the emergence of often highly diverse ideas
        relating to death. This plurality can be seen in the first centuries of the Roman period, thanks
        to the multitude of communities that each had their own established practices. In the light of
        changes to the sociocultural framework of Late Antiquity, how were understandings of the
        body, death, and tombs (as a structure) or burial sites (in terms of location and topography)
        transformed? How did these transformations translate into burial practices?

Reorganization of the Empire and burial practices
       Late Antiquity saw significant changes, both political and territorial. Did the evolution of the
       political and administrative management of the Empire, the change in the urban framework
       of many cities, or the reorganization of land in the countryside bring about transformations in
       burial practices? Or was there in fact a form of continuity within the mortuary gestures
       adopted?
       Looking beyond the conceptual framework, there were a number of very specific
       transformations of an economic, cultural, political, or social nature. Did these changes also
       influence burial practices?

Relationships between population groups in the expression of burial practices
        Both at the wider scale of the Empire and its neighbors and at the smaller scale of the group
        (civitas, town, community), the relationships between the different population groups may
        affect the practices adopted by each. Did certain population groups influence others in the
        implementation and expression of burial practices? If so, which ones and how?

Populations: Composition, evolution, plurality
       Exchange between populations took place right from the beginning of the Empire, and even
       before. Trade routes naturally involved the movement of individuals, changing the
       composition of human groups over time. How were communities characterized and how did
       they evolve? What were the burial practices and beliefs of the populations in the territories in
       the west of the Roman Empire and on their margins? Specific events can also affect the
       composition of population groups: it is important to assess the impact that incidents of mass
       mortality—caused by factors related to health, war, or the environment—can have on the
       composition of human groups and on burial practices in the short and long term. For example,
       the Antonine Plague, which occurred in the 2nd century AD, directly affected the economic life
       and indeed the very structure of the Empire during the 3rd century. What are the long-term
       consequences of a pandemic of this nature?

        These themes can be approached from numerous angles, whether archaeo-anthropological,
biological, historical, archaeological, topographical, or societal. We especially welcome
multidisciplinary papers, whether these are synthetic or based on case studies.

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         The conference languages are French and English.
         Proposals for oral communications or posters (in English, or in English and French) must be
submitted by January 31, 2021 to mortantiquitetardive@gmail.com. Proposals must include the title
of the presentation (in English, or in English and in French), a list of authors with their respective
institutional affiliation and contact details, a summary (in English, or in English and in French) of 1800
characters for posters or 3000 characters for presentations, and a biography of the authors (in English,
or English and French) of 1000 characters.

        Oral communications will be 15 minutes long, followed by 10–15 minutes of discussion time.
Accompanying PowerPoints should be in English, even for presentations that will be delivered in
French. Posters are to be in English.

Organising Committee
Gaëlle GRANIER (Archaeo-anthropologist, researcher, CNRS, UMR 7268 ADES), Charlotte BOYER (PhD
student in Archaeo-anthropology, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, UMR 7041 ArScan – UMR
7206 EAE), Elisabeth ANSTETT (Anthropologist, Senior Researcher, CNRS, UMR 7268 ADES).

Keynote speakers
Alexandra CHAVARRIA-ARNAU (Università degli Studi di Padova, Padoue)
Eric REBILLARD (Cornell University, New York)

Scientific committee
Llorenç ALAPONT-MARTIN (Université de Valence, Espagne), Elisabeth ANSTETT (UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-
Marseille Université, Marseille), Reine-Marie BÉRARD (UMR 7299 CCJ, Aix-Marseille Université, Aix-en-
Provence), Brigitte BOISSAVIT-CAMUS (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, UMR 7041 ArScan, Paris),
Charlotte BOYER (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, UMR 7041 ArScan – UMR 7206 EAE, Paris),
Isabelle CARTRON (Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5607 Ausonius, Bordeaux), Dominique CASTEX (UMR
5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux), Olivier DE CAZANOVE (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-
Sorbonne, UMR 7041 ArScan, Paris), Alexandra CHAVARRIA-ARNAU (Università degli Studi di Padova,
Padoue), Gaëlle GRANIER (UMR 7268 ADES, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille), Sacha KACKI (UMR 5199
PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux), Chiara Maria LAMBERT (Università degli Studi di Salerno,
Salerne), Nicolas LAUBRY (Ecole Française de Rome, Rome), Michel LAUWERS (UMR 7264 CEPAM,
Université de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, Nice), Anne NISSEN (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, UMR
7041 ArScan, Paris), Eric REBILLARD (Cornell University, New York), Pascal SELLIER (UMR 7206 EAE, Musée
de l'Homme, Paris).

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