Excavate!: September 2011

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!

Greetings Members and Friends of the AIA!

Welcome! Here you’ll find updates on our events as well as links to news on cool, current topics in archaeology. Please consider joining the AIA and supporting our local society. As an AIA member affiliated with our local society, you get to vote on what lecture topics we choose each year. A significant portion of your membership gets refunded to our local society to support our activities. You’ll have greater access to all our speakers—more chances to ask questions and hear the inside scoop on new discoveries! Our society receives two FREE lecturers because we maintain a membership of fifty. AIA headquarters pays their airfare and honorarium and our local society provides a venue and hospitality. As a local society we invite an additional four to six speakers and host other events such as our annual archaeology fair and our biannual wine tasting. Your support directly impacts the number of fascinating archaeologists we bring to North Alabama. Thanks again for your support and enthusiasm!

Lillian Joyce, PhD
President, AIA North AL Society

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AIA Talk: European Iron Age -- 22 September

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