Embedded in clay
Conferenza internazionale
Da martedì 4 a giovedì 6 febbraio, presso l'Aula B1 del Polo San Rossore 1938, avrà luogo la conferenza internazionale dal titolo "Embedded in clay. Identity and Performance in Figurines and Ceramic Objects from Ancient Societies".
L'evento è organizzato nell'ambito del progetto PRIN 2022 del PNRR "P.I.P.E.: Profiling the Identity of the Producers of Ancient Egypt and Nubia through the aura of clay figurines".
Conference Theme
Historically neglected, the study of ancient clay figurines has developed considerably in recent years, in part through the application of methodologies used in ceramic studies. Researchers have employed a wide variety of approaches to tackle questions regarding the production methods, use, and social and economic systems connected to clay objects. While analysis on figurines has most often focused on their iconography and basic use, there is a growing acknowledgement that they had complex meanings with their own agency that require diverse interpretations.
From their creation to their final deposition, clay objects encapsulate various levels of identity (e.g. the identity of artefact itself, the identity of the maker, socio-cultural identity) and performance (e.g. the process of creation/production, their employment in daily life activities, in rituals, in social events or human interactions).
On a surface level, we can examine what clay objects represent and provide a determination of their use. Their plastic nature, typological variety, and the diversity of their find contexts, however, allow us to also explore the hidden identities and traces of action that are embedded within the clay. Analysis of fingerprints and technological traces, for example, have made significant steps towards profiling the producers of clay figurines, their craft knowledge and skill, and the cognitive processes behind their creations.
By examining manufacturing techniques we can explore the performative aspects of production, such as the gestures used in the forming and decoration of clay artefacts, which are associated with distinct groups and knowledge transmission.
Ceramic petrography and geochemical analyses inform us about the selection and manipulation of raw materials, and, in turn, how the material properties may have influenced the choices of the producers, and therefore the final outcome of the object.
Typological differences and diversity of archaeological contexts further invite us to reflect on the evolving nature of the processes of identification and to (re)consider the degree of interaction between the worlds of the ‘producer’, ‘user’ and ‘owner’.
Conference Details
The conference will be split into two sessions, each with a round of discussion afterwards to facilitate collaboration and the generation of ideas in that field of study. A final round-table will take place at the end of the conference to help build and develop strategies that all the participants will be able to use in their ongoing and future research.
Session 1. Identity and performance in clay artefacts through the lens of archaeometry
Note: This session includes studies on clay objects (not only figurines) from various ancient societies (Ancient Nile Valley, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia)
Study of raw materials (ceramic petrography and geochemical analyses: pXRF, SEM-EDS, NAA...), residue analysis
Analysis of manufacturing techniques and operational chains (chaînes opératoires)
Use-wear and break patterns
Session 2. Identity and performance in clay artefacts through the lens of archaeology
Note: this session focuses more specifically on clay figurines from the Nile Valley
Analysis of archaeological contexts (funerary, cultic, domestic, production) and their implications for exploring identity and performance (e.g. identifying the owners, users and social contexts of clay figurines; examining the acts of burial, deposition or discard)
Typological classification of clay figurines (anthropomorphic and zoomorphic), studies of human/animal embodiment and abstraction processes (e.g. how a being materialises into a recognisable figure to its audience)
Analysis of the symbolism of the different forms of figurines and the rituality of its performance at different stages of its life (creation, (re)use, and disposal).