The concept of the past has evolved significantly since the inception of archaeology as a discipline. Traditionally conceived as something that is gone and needs to be put together by the archaeologist to understand it, in this session, we use the idea that the past never ends as our starting point. Along this line of reasoning, science continues to shape and reinterpret the past. We will discuss the biases of known pasts and how these influence the very idea of the past. In other words, which constructs of time do we prioritise, how are they reevaluated, and why are some erased? Furthermore, archaeology, with its hegemonic position based on its expertise and scientific methods, does not have absolute control over the representation and construction of earlier times. The narratives about the past are fluid, reflecting diverse perspectives and ways of being, questioning whether the past we relate to is real or recreated. In this session, we explore how these forces interact and challenge traditional perceptions of time. Therefore, we welcome presentations that question its linearity, its coloniality, and/or examine how historical events are always ongoing, highlighting specific material examples. The session promises to offer a rich discussion on the evolution of past narratives and their material representation, challenging long-established perceptions and fostering archaeological study.
2:00pm | Massive Weapons: The BNP and the Weaponization of Heritage | Lorna-Jane Richardson
2:20pm | Re-conceptualizing the nature of power in late protohistory, France. | Béatrice Fleury
2:40pm | Monuments and the Past-Present-Future Nexus | Heather Ford
3:20pm | Ways of Living in the Upper Thames Valley: The changing nature of domestic life in the Upper Thames Valley | Olivia Britter
3:40pm | The past is never-ending: the destruction and reconstruction of a Moche statue | Aldo Accinelli Obando
4:00pm | Archaeology of the imagination. Simulating the reality to satisfy the archaeological narrative about the past. | Jesús Martín Alonso
4:20pm | Discussion |
Full paper abstracts available here: https://tag2024.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tag-2024-session-abstracts-1.pdf
