Elena A. A. Garcea, Wafa Sharif Dawod Hussein, Sami Elamin, Abdelrahman Ali Mohammed
{"title":"Public Engagement and Heritage Resilience amid Sudan’s Ongoing Political Conflict","authors":"Elena A. A. Garcea, Wafa Sharif Dawod Hussein, Sami Elamin, Abdelrahman Ali Mohammed","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09560-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09560-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The ongoing internal conflict in Sudan, which began in 2023, has led to the destruction of health facilities, schools, and housing, displacing over 15 million people and leaving around 30 million in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Historical sites, libraries, academic institutions, and museums across the country have also been severely damaged and looted. This paper highlights how increasing public engagement and heritage resilience by local communities—supported by national and international institutions—have proven to be a vital means for Sudanese people to safeguard their collective memory and cultural heritage, even in the face of widespread violence, massacres, and senseless destruction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"224 - 249"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Heritage Ownership and Ethics: Negotiating Ownership of Chief Mkwawa’s Skull in Tanzania","authors":"Titus Luomba Ombori","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09558-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09558-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chief Mkwawa’s skull, housed at the Kalenga Museum located in the Kalenga administrative ward, approximately 15 km from Iringa town along the highway to Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, symbolises anti-colonial resistance in Tanzania. This article examines the legal and ethical dimensions of the heritage ownership dispute between the Tanzanian government, which claims rights under the Antiquities Act, and the Mkwawa family and Hehe community, who seek custodial rights based on cultural traditions. It analyses the interplay between ritual practices and cultural tourism, emphasising tensions arising from existing heritage legislation and museum operations. The article proposes a multi-stakeholder heritage management model to reconcile competing interests, promote sustainable cultural tourism, and ensure effective heritage preservation.\u0000</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"250 - 279"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Collaborative Archaeology? Reflections on Forms of Heritage Reappropriation in the Community of San Luis de Cañete, Lima, Peru","authors":"Grace Alexandrino Ocaña, Francesca Fernandini, Carla Márquez Abad, Marco Tello Távara","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09555-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09555-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article presents a critical approach to and from collaborative archaeology using the case of the Cerro de Oro Archaeological Project (PACO) in San Luis de Cañete, Peru. In contexts marked by informality, infrastructural exclusion, and legal ambiguity, archaeological sites often coexist with marginalized populations whose daily struggles challenge conventional heritage management frameworks. This article evaluates PACO’s ten-year transition from traditional research to a new approach to collaborative archaeology that puts the communities' needs at the center. The conclusions highlight the importance of sustained relationships, shared agendas, and a commitment to addressing community-defined priorities as key components of ethical and impactful archaeological practice.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 :","pages":"87 - 122"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148009227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reinterpreting Jama Masjid: Restoration of a Liberal Mosque at Aligarh Muslim University","authors":"Abhishek Bhardwaj, Mohammad Farhan Fazli","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09557-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09557-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Muslim reformer and scholar Sir Syed Ahmed Khan is credited with the establishment of Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College at Aligarh in 1875. Jama Masjid was one of the oldest structures established on the campus. The construction of the mosque was started in 1879 and completed in 1915. The Muslim population was opposed to the ideas of modern education after the violent British retaliation to the 1857 revolt in India. The orthodox sections of Muslims were dubious about Sir Syed’s establishment of a college. Sir Syed countered all criticism and skepticism surrounding his mission for education. As a part of MAO College, the Jama Masjid was built, becoming the only mosque in India that was intended for both Sunni and Shia Muslims. Despite its continual usage and enormous significance, the architectural marvel of the mosque slipped into oblivion due to a lack of maintenance and insensitive interventions. It was only in the year 2016 that restoration efforts for the mosque started after initiation from the university administration. This study outlines the procedure for reclaiming and reinterpreting Aligarh Muslim University’s spiritual legacy. This study also investigates the challenges in heritage conservation and possible threats to the built heritage of a historical university. The outcomes of this research can help in developing and interpreting cultural values of built heritage as an essential part of the re-heritagization of existing structures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"280 - 317"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148961918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Paradoxes That Create the Space for Treating Archaeological Heritage as a Target in War","authors":"John Carman, Patricia Carman","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09556-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09556-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article aims to put considerations of threats of damage and destruction to cultural heritage in periods of conflict into a wider context, looking at the nature of war itself as a cultural form. Taking a long-term perspective derived from other work on conflict archaeology, it will start from the premise that a concern for the fate of ‘things’ (however ancient) is a particular pathology of modernity and it is this pathology that creates the conditions under which objects of cultural value are chosen for attention by aggressors and for particular protection by defenders. We shall address war as a realm where violent destruction—of people and places—is the paramount aim, and thereby the equation of people with objects representative of those people becomes an essential part of the discourse of war-making: this in part explains how cultural objects become targets. There is more to war than destruction however: it is an aspect frequently overlooked that wars also create new things—among them new classes of people, new artefacts, new landscapes and new forms of cultural expression. The aftermath of wars also allows things that were destroyed to be remade and re-modelled. As a cultural activity, war is both destructive and creative. Taking this deliberately provocative approach raises important issues about contemporary attitudes to the destruction of heritage and its protection in wartime.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"207 - 223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11759-026-09556-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Azam Sameer, Yuzhang Yang, Yunli Shi, Juzhong Zhang
{"title":"Archaeological Cultural Relation Between Northwest China and Indus Valley During the Later Neolithic–Bronze Age (4th–1st Millennium BC) Based on Typology of Pottery","authors":"Muhammad Azam Sameer, Yuzhang Yang, Yunli Shi, Juzhong Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09553-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09553-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Northwest China (NWC) and Indus Valley (IV) are depicted as significant ancient regions during the later Neolithic–Bronze Age (4th–1st Millennium BC) based on painted pottery. It has been observed that both Chinese and Indus Valley civilizations had strong trade systems through which their artifacts were traded to other ancient societies. In this regard, there were trade routes throughout NWC, specifically Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang provinces during prehistoric times. In IV, the important urban settlements, such as Harappa (type site), Ganweriwala, Mohenjo-Daro, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Lothal, and others are also important regarding trade exchange with other different cultures and settlements. The recovered ancient pottery from the important archaeological sites in NWC and IV was investigated to find clues about intercultural communication between NWC and IV based on the typology of pottery. In this regard, shapes, patterns, and motifs of the selected 1000 pottery objects were examined in this research, as it is obvious that pottery has been considered an authentic resource to know the lifestyle of the ancient people. According to our findings, the evidence suggests possible interaction between NWC and IV based on comparative typological analysis during the later Neolithic–Bronze Age (4th–1st Millennium BC) as well. There are similarities in pottery based on shapes, designs, and motifs in NWC and IV during the mentioned time. According to the findings, the patterns used on the surface of pottery in NWC and archaeological sites of IV were almost similar too.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"358 - 389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Correction: Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socio-Economics","authors":"Jessica Joyce Christie","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09554-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09554-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 :","pages":"12 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148009459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ananna Zulfikar Showly, Mohammad Rajib, Mahfuza Parveen
{"title":"Correction: Analyzing the Black-Slipped Ware from an Early Historic Site, North-Western Bangladesh","authors":"Ananna Zulfikar Showly, Mohammad Rajib, Mahfuza Parveen","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09552-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09552-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"390 - 390"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emergence of the Buddhist Image Cult: Recovering the Role of Bhikkhunīs","authors":"Kaudagammana Rathanasara, Vinita Chandra","doi":"10.1007/s11759-026-09551-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-026-09551-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>While scholars like Gregory Schopen and Ananda Coomaraswamy have addressed the emergence of image cults in Buddhist art, the role of <i>bhikkhunī</i>s (Buddhist nuns) has remained largely understudied. This study recovers their agency by analysing inscriptions from key sites, including Sārnāth, Kauśāmbī, and Mathurā, that document their patronage of Buddha and Bodhisattva images. Figures like Buddhamitrā, Buddhadāsī, and Dhanavatī emerge as central contributors to early Buddhist visual culture. These inscriptions reveal that <i>bhikkhunī</i>s exercised economic, doctrinal, and social authority, actively shaping early Buddhist devotional traditions. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining epigraphy, art history, and gender studies, this study challenges the conventional male-centric narratives of Buddhist history. It highlights the pivotal role of <i>bhikkhunī</i>s in institutionalising image worship during the Kuṣāṇa period.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 2","pages":"318 - 338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148962174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Politics of Heritage Values: How Archaeologists Deal with Place, Social Memories, Identities, and Socio-Economics","authors":"Jessica Joyce Christie","doi":"10.1007/s11759-025-09549-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11759-025-09549-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This essay contributes an Introduction to the Special Issue <i>Politics of Heritage Values</i>. I first discuss the history and theoretical approaches to the heritage concept. Then each chapter is briefly introduced. In the Discussion and conclusions, I frame the articles of this Special Issue through the lens of Arturo Escobar’s <i>Pluriverse</i> (Pluriversal politics, Duke University Press, 2020), analyzing how their insights can shape a more sustainable future.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":44740,"journal":{"name":"Archaeologies-Journal of the World Archaeological Congress","volume":"22 :","pages":"1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148008854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}