SMA Annual Conference – Register Now!

Posted On: October 2nd, 2014

Registration for the forthcoming SMA Annual Conference is open and prospective attendees are now invited to register in order to secure their place. The conference, entitled From Viking Camps to Saxon Assemblies: Temporary and Seasonal Sites and Settlement in Medieval Europe, will be held in Rewley House, Oxford, from December 5th to 7th and high-quality accommodation is available at the venue. A conference programme and booking form is available here (PDF), but conference fees and accommodation can also be booked online via the Rewely House website.

SMA members should use the code SMA14 when booking online in order to avail of a discounted conference fee and students should note that a limited number of student bursaries are available to assist students to attend. Students should contact the SMA Secretary, Professor Dawn Hadley (d.m.hadley@sheffield.ac.uk), if they wish to apply for a bursary.

This weekend conference considers medieval sites that were used for brief or recurrent episodes. These types of site are often overlooked in discussions of medieval settlement, yet were critical not only in the economic exploitation of the landscape, but also in governance, trade and military conquest. Recent projects have shed new light on our understanding of previously poorly understood, yet important sites such as assembly places, markets, fairs and military camps, sites associated with transhumance, and temporary refuges. Speakers will address some of the issues that face archaeologists around recognizing and dating such occupation, the nature of short-lived buildings and other structures, and what temporary sites tell us about economic developments, changes in land use and the environment, military strategy etc. The programme will present a range of different types of temporary and seasonal settlements drawn from seven countries and diverse environments, stretching from Ireland to the Auvergne.

Confirmed speakers include Prof Helena Hamerow, Prof Dawn Hadley, Prof Julian D Richards, Dr Ailsa Mainman, Dr Sarah Semple, Prof Elizabeth FitzPatrick, Dr David Griffiths, Dr John Baker, Prof Eva Svensson, Prof David Austin, Dr Piers Dixon, Dr Frédéric Surmely, Rhiannon Comeau and Stefano Leardi.