Reconstruction of the Past

This research group focuses on the tangible evidence used to reconstruct the cultural and natural ‘scapes’ of the past, and how these are realised in the present.

Description of the research group

Tangible remains from past societies, in their widest sense, include urban and extra-urban landscapes, architecture, prestigious and mundane objects, and biological remains of humans and animals. Such diversity requires a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach, bridging scientific fields (zooarchaeology, human osteoarchaeology, archaeobotany, geoarchaeology) with more theoretical and methodological specialisations within archaeology, heritage and ancient studies, and other historical disciplines.

The research group consists of researchers working within the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology (ACASA) and others with a methodological emphasis from the conceptualisation and recovery, to the recording and analysis, of tangible remains from the past. Our shared research interests aim towards understanding cultural and natural changes over long-term perspectives while tackling the inherent challenges of reconstructing the past through an incomplete and highly fragmentary tangible record.

We aim to explore joint research programmes focusing on the reconstruction of the cultural and natural aspects within the following contexts:

A Daily Life and Settlement
Landscape, Environment and Place-Making
Public Presentation of the Past
Long-term Sustainability and Resilience

These themes actively combine specialisations across archaeology, heritage and broader historical disciplines to work towards more accurate and meaningful reconstructions that acknowledge the embedded nature of cultural and natural perspectives of the past.

Envisaged results

The research group will work towards the following results:

Development of research methods and tools, including ICT-applications, related to field work and analysis of materials;
Publications in peer reviewed journals;
Fieldwork publications;
Research seminar series at the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology (ACASA), supplemented by special topic workshops and conferences where opportunity arises;
Applications for individual PhD research and small projects involving education, research and/or documentation or data-processing;
Programmatic research application at NWO (VENI, VIDI and Vrije Competitie) and at EU or other international funds.

Societal relevance

The research carried out within this group will contribute to our understanding of how tangible or archaeological remains play a substantial role in the identity of people on a local, national and international level. The dissemination of results will increase the ‘visibility of the past’, not only in academic publications, but also to a wider audience through popular books and journals, interactive websites and through exhibitions in museums. In this way, we open up new approaches and narratives within reconstructions of the past, and consider the future benefits of bringing long-term perspectives into the public domain.

Research Group Type: Network group

Group coordinators:

Dr. J.R. (Jill) Hilditch

Faculty of Humanities

Capaciteitsgroep Archeologie

J.R.Hilditch@uva.nl +31 (0)20 525 5281

Prof. dr. V.V. (Vladimir) Stissi