News and Notes

ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA--NORTH ALABAMA SOCIETY

banner image: Moundville, Alabama

16.9.11

AIA Talk: European Iron Age -- 22 September

Dr. Bettina Arnold of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee will discuss the European Iron Age.  The human body in many prehistoric societies was a kind of walking billboard. Thanks to new technology, many elements of dress and ornament can be reconstructed. You could tell whether someone was male, female, a child, was married, occupied a certain role in society and much more from what they were wearing. Iron Age Celtic populations in central Europe are described by Greek and Roman authors as being especially fond of flashy ornament and brightly striped and checked fabrics. Unfortunately, until recently archaeological confirmation of this claim was hard to come by because the evidence consists mainly of perishable material like cloth or leather. The "Landscape of Ancestors" excavation project focuses on mound burials of the early Iron Age in an area of southwest Germany known as Swabia. Two burial mounds contained 23 burials, including six women wearing elaborate bronze decorated leather belts and head ornaments and three men with daggers, swords, and spears. These fascinating objects and their re-constuction are the focus of Dr. Arnold's talk.

When:   22 September 7:30 pm
Where:  UAH Chan Auditorium 

Free public talk!  Please bring a friend!