AARG 2019

Call for papers 

Oral Papers (20 minutes) and posters (A1 portrait) are invited on the themes of:

1. Local session: Aerial Archaeology in Romania and the Black Sea region

This session features papers on aerial archaeology in Romania and especially in the area of the Black Sea. Contributions are welcome on recent research and historical applications of aerial archaeology, including case studies and more theoretical contributions.

2. Aerial Archaeology in the commercial sector

Increasingly, aerial archaeology is (or perhaps should be?) an indispensable part of the planning process, and aerial methods are integral to infrastructural development worldwide. This session invites papers on any aspect of such collaborations, from successful collaborations and innovative approaches to abject failures and cautionary tales.

3. Aerial archaeology and the public

The last decade has seen the rapid democratisation of aerial archaeology, from Google Earth and Bing, to digitisation of historic collections and the development of ever cheaper and more effective drone technology. These developments have seen the ever-increasing involvement of the public with airborne and spaceborne archaeological prospection. This session invites contributions that explore the intersection between aerial archaeology and public archaeology, including case studies and critical reflections on such interactions, both successful and less successful.

4. Revisiting the gaps: Empty spaces in the theory and practice of aerial archaeology

In 2013 the University of Siena held an international seminar on ‘Emptiness, Visibility, Ambiguity and Absence in Archaeology’ – Mind the Gap. This thought-provoking meeting focused on ideas of emptiness in archaeological landscapes and asked: how do we begin to address apparent gaps in various landscapes? Do these gaps reflect real patterns of past activity, or are they methodological artefacts? How do we understand the character of the patterns of archaeological evidence derived from aerial survey? Has progress been made in addressing these gaps in theory and practice? Contributions are invited on methodological or theoretical aspects of understanding patterns of (relative) emptiness, on the character of patterns and distributions of archaeological materials in the landscape, or on methodological voids within the field of aerial archaeology.

5. Aerial Archaeology: The Next Generation

In this plenary session we will hear from diverse voices from the next generation of aerial archaeologists: What does the future of aerial archaeology look like? What are the key developments in method, theory and application likely to be within the next decade? What training and skills will be needed to succeed? Will aerial archaeology remain an independent specialism, or become part of the general archaeological toolkit? Are opportunities and challenges shared across the community or regionally varied? What are the most exciting emerging research areas? What does the community need to prioritise to attract the next generation of researchers and professionals?

Please direct all conference paper and poster offers (max 800 characters) to:

Stephen Davis, UCD School of Archaeology, Dublin

              by using this form

Closing date for all proposals with title and abstract is 31st May 2019.

Provisional Program:

Thursday 12th September and Friday 13th September – Paper and Poster Sessions

              • Debate/Discussion Session; Local Session

              • Themed Sessions (Open Call for Papers)

              • Poster Session (Open Call for Posters)

Saturday 14th September – Field Trips

STUDENT/YOUNG RESEARCHERS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR AARG 2019.

These scholarships are intended to support bona fide students and young researchers who are interested in aerial archaeology and wish to attend and present at the AARG conference.

There is no application form. Please provide the following information in an emailed headed with “Student/Young Researcher Scholarship”: Your interests in archaeology and aerial archaeology; place of study; the name and contact details of a supervisor or employer (email) who can provide a reference; why you would benefit from attending the conference; and an estimate of travel costs to attend.

You should be willing to provide a poster, or for exceptional work provide an abstract for a paper under one of the conference session themes listed above.

All students awarded a Scholarship will be expected to provide a short summary of their work for AARG News immediately following the conference.

Applications should be addressed to Stephen Davis at: aargchair@gmail.com.

The closing date for applications for Scholarships is the 24th May 2019.

In addition, there will be a competition for the best student/young researcher poster or paper, judged by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman. The prize will be a free 2019 conference package (registration fee, dinner and field trip).