{"title":"'Boundary Objects' in Archaeological Finds and Environmental Research: Using Bowker and Star's Concept of the 'Boundary Object' to Analyse and Interpret Disparate Archaeological Legacy Data","authors":"D. Stansbie","doi":"10.16995/traj.4335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.4335","url":null,"abstract":"Is a big data analytical approach viable using archaeological artefact and ecofact data? In particular is it possible to use Bowker and Star's (1999) concept of the 'boundary object' to manage the issues caused by data scale, complexity, diversity and variable information standards when attempting to carry out this kind of research? This paper reviews the theoretical and methodological debates around archaeological big data as they impact upon research into assemblages of artefacts and ecofacts and presents a methodology for the construction and use of a large archaeological database of legacy artefact and ecofact data created as part of the English Landscapes and Identities Project at the University of Oxford.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"121 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127190896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine A. Crawford, Karl Goodwin, F. Mazzilli, Blanka Misic, Sarah U. Scoppie
{"title":"Archaeology Lessons From Lockdown","authors":"Katherine A. Crawford, Karl Goodwin, F. Mazzilli, Blanka Misic, Sarah U. Scoppie","doi":"10.16995/traj.8321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.8321","url":null,"abstract":"The editorial of the fourth issue of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal (TRAJ) focuses on what we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The editors focus on the positive outcome of the pandemic, while emphasising aspects of the TRAC organisation that can be improved in the coming years. In this editorial we highlight TRAC’s strong tradition of introspection to bring awareness to how we as a community can continue to improve in terms of diversity and inclusivity.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127932778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taskscapes, Landscapes, and the Politics of Agricultural Production in Roman Mosaics","authors":"Kilian Mallon","doi":"10.16995/traj.4340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.4340","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years archaeologists have put forward explanations of the design and impact of mythological and allegorical scenes in mosaics as part of elite Roman visual culture. While scenes of labor have served as evidence to accompany archaeological data on rural life, depictions of labor have received comparatively less attention as part of Roman ideological structures. Through an analysis of mosaics of the imperial period, this article demonstrates the value of adapting Timothy Ingold’s concept of taskscape for understanding the elite strategies of cultural hegemony underlying depictions of agricultural work in Roman art and showcases an approach to the Roman economy rooted in this particular body of anthropological theory. Elites used a set of visual strategies, Roman taskscape features, to promote their ongoing control over agricultural production, a strategy that endured across the Roman world for generations.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"217 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114149891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Diseases through the Lens of Roman Sculpture","authors":"S. Fadda","doi":"10.16995/traj.4342","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.4342","url":null,"abstract":"Roman sculpture has often given the impression that it provides such a precise simulacrum of the bodies of ancient Romans that their statues can be studied autoptically as if they were a patient. Specialists in medicine and art-history have studied Roman sculptures to the point of producing real medical diagnoses, generating a research niche which, while controversial, has led to some interesting discoveries. However, scholars had sometimes misunderstand certain elements of ancient sculptures, interpreting aesthetic choices as clinical signs. In the article several works of art from the Republican period to the Tetrarchic age will be observed, to assess if the diagnoses made on them are due to actual physical features of the individuals portrayed or not. This article analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the study of ancient pathologies through Roman sculpture to delineate the limits and the possibilities of such approach.\u0000","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128166568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Third-Century Inflation Reassessed","authors":"P. Kelly","doi":"10.16995/traj.4338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.4338","url":null,"abstract":"The conventional view of inflation in the Roman world, based on evidence from Roman Egypt, is that prices were steady from the middle of the first century AD until around AD 274, other than a doubling of prices between AD 160 and 190. By a quantitative treatment of the data for all available prices, and indicators of prices, this paper shows that this picture is broadly correct for wheat, but that prices for other goods increased throughout the period from AD 160 to 270. This pattern suggests that there were two co-existing market sectors. One for wheat, where prices appear to have been impacted by state action, and another where other commodities were left to find their own market level within a relatively free market.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"115 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128354713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Increasing International Perspectives in Theoretical Roman Archaeology","authors":"Lucia Michielin, K. O’Donnell, M. Astolfi","doi":"10.16995/traj.415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.415","url":null,"abstract":"The editorial of this second issue of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal (TRAJ) celebrates diverse and innovative topics related to Roman theoretical studies and reflects upon new ways to stimulate more international participation in the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC). The data collected on the attendance demonstrates that Roman studies are becoming more diverse with delegates travelling from 27 countries. The guest editors of this edition consider how formative education differs in both Italy and the UK and how this may affect the accessibility of Roman studies. Moreover, the increasing homogenisation of Roman Archaeology Conference (RAC) and TRAC has been considered and it is suggested that in order to allow the two conferences to grow further, we need to develop a more constructive dialogue. The guest editors here seek to address these issues in order to encourage a better level of international contribution and attendance, as well as to consider the discussion of theory within RAC and whether jointly organised sessions may be productive.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115289792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Painting by Numbers: A Quantitative Approach to Roman Art","authors":"Carla Brain","doi":"10.16995/traj.376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.376","url":null,"abstract":"Scholars of Roman artworks often make general statements regarding how often certain subjects occurred in certain areas within houses (for instance, Bacchus in dining areas, Venus in ‘bedrooms’ or cubicula) without quantifying them. This paper proposes that, where possible, it is important to base analyses on quantifiable information since it ensures a systematic approach based on numerical data, and enables scholars to clearly evidence their conclusions. Representations of Venus in Pompeian paintings, reliefs, and mosaics are used as a case study to demonstrate how such an approach can work in practice, given the nearly 200 representations of Venus in Pompeii. This study applies set criteria to all of these artworks, covering their composition, provenance, and context, enabling a rigorous analysis and quantifiable conclusions. It also enables widely accepted assumptions, which have previously been given without supporting evidence, to be substantiated and, in some cases, disproved.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123150689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Archaeology of the Subalterns’ Disaggregated History: Interpreting Burial Manipulations of Roman-Period Sardinia through Gramsci’s Theory","authors":"Mauro Puddu","doi":"10.16995/traj.373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.373","url":null,"abstract":"The untold history of the subalterns — those not in power, the humble salaried workers — is made of episodes of social breakages caused by the actions of dominant classes. Finding the traces of such breakages on the ground is a challenge that archaeology should take on. This approach will contribute to a different account of well-known historical periods, as are the Roman times, exploring local identities through the materialization of power relationships. Pursuing this aim, this paper adopts the theory developed by Antonio Gramsci on the history of the subalterns (1929–1935) as a tool to recognise the archaeological traces of their actions. It presents a case-study from Roman-period Sardinia. This paper sets-up a working hypothesis. It interprets the idiosyncratic funerary practices held at Masullas in the fourth century AD as an initiative of Sardinia’s subalterns to overcome the breakage of social relationships caused by the Roman government’s economic strategies reported by official sources.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116584313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Full Archives, Meaningless Data? What Artefacts Can Tell about Age and Gender at Large-Scale Cemeteries (Case Study Colonia Iulia Emona)","authors":"Kaja Stemberger","doi":"10.16995/traj.369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.369","url":null,"abstract":"The cemeteries of Colonia Iulia Emona, like those of numerous other Roman-period towns, were largely excavated before scientific analyses became standard practice. This article looks into how various aspects of identity can be reconstructed from such an incomplete data set. Existing data is evaluated to establish gender and age, while the perception of aging in the Roman world and the presence of underrepresented groups, such as children and the elderly, are also discussed. Furthermore, I will look at objects that are not typically associated with any specific category, such as drinking and dining equipment and, to a lesser extent, objects related to occupations. The ultimate aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that provides more insight into ‘sexless and ageless’ graves and potentially enables their interpretation in terms of identity.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132133798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Limitation of Water Flow and the Limitations of Postmodernism","authors":"S. Roskams","doi":"10.16995/traj.371","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.16995/traj.371","url":null,"abstract":"This article critically evaluates how far the interpretation of archaeological evidence has been aided by the recent ‘materialist turn’ in social theory. This perspective, linked to the work of Bruno Latour, argues that we should give agency to not only humans but also to cultural objects and environmental processes. It thus increasingly influences archaeological interpretation. By considering how water supply has been theorised in the Roman World, then setting such theories against evidence for two wells from a landscape near York, I argue that we should retain a distinction between human agents and natural processes. The implication is that Latour’s stance, by failing to provide a social context for interaction between culture and nature, is problematic for archaeological understanding. In contrast, I suggest, Marxist analytical tools provide a more vibrant way forward in explaining both past developments and present climate crises.","PeriodicalId":393384,"journal":{"name":"Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123831161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}