SMA Annual Conference 2014
From Viking Camps to Saxon Assemblies: Temporary and Seasonal Sites and Settlement in Medieval Europe
Friday 5 – Sunday 7 December 2014
Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford
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.
Full conference programme and booking form available here as a PDF download and a SMA 2014 Conference Poster is also available.
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