Susan E. Alcock

Archaeologies of landscape : contemporary perspectives

1. Archaeological Landscapes: Constructed, Conceptualized, Ideational: A. Bernard Knapp and Wendy Ashmore. Part I: Ethnographic and Historical Cases:. 2. Identifying Ancient Sacred Landscapes in Australia: From Physical to Social: Paul S. C. Tacon. 3. Creating Social Identity in the Landscape: Tidewater, Virginia 1600--1750: Lisa Kealhofer. 4. Conceptual Landscapes in the Egyptian Nile Valley: Janet E. Richards. 5. Buddhist Landscapes in East Asia: Gina L. Barnes. 6. Mountains, Caves, Water: Ideational Landscapes of the Ancient Maya: James E. Brady and Wendy Ashmore. Part II: Protohistoric / Ethnohistoric Cases:. 7. The Inca Cognition of Landscape: Archaeology, Ethnohistory, and the Aesthetic of Alterity: Maarten van de Guchte. 8. The Ideology of Settlement: Ancestral Keres Landscapes in the Northern Rio Grande: James E. Snead and Robert W. Preucel. Part III: Prehistoric Cases:. 9. Centering the Ancestors: Cemeteries, Mounds and Sacred Landscapes of the Ancient North American Midcontinent: Jane E. Buikstra and Douglas K. Charles. 10. Ideational and Industrial Landscape of Prehistoric Cyprus: A. Bernard Knapp. 11. The Mythical Landscapes of the British Iron Age: John C. Barrett. Part IV: Commentaries:. 12. Sacred Landscapes: Constructed and Conceptualized: Carole L. Crumley. 13. Exploring Everyday Places and Cosmologies: Peter van Dommelen. Index.

Placing the gods : sanctuaries and sacred space in ancient Greece

No one disputes the centrality of cult activity in the lives of individuals and communities in ancient Greece. The significance of where people worshipped their gods has been far less acknowledged. In 1884 Francois de Polignac argued that the placing of cult centres played a major part in establishing the concept of the city-state in archaic Greece. The essays in this collection, headed by that of de Polignac himself in which he re-assesses his position, critically examine the social and political importance of sanctuary placement, not only by re-examining the case of the archaic Greece discussed by de Polignac, but by extending analysis both back to Mycenaean times and onwards to Greece under Roman occupation. These essays reveal something of the complexity of relations between religion and politics in ancient Greece, demonstrating how vital factors such as tradition, gender relations, and cult identity were in creating and maintaining the religious mapping of the Greek countryside.

Archaeology and the MOOC: Massive, open, online, and opportunistic

In 2013, Brown University launched Archaeology’s Dirty Little Secrets, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that, in its two iterations to date, has reached a global audience of some 30,000 people. We first discuss course design, content, assessment practices, and metrics of success within the context provided by other digital archaeological endeavors, as well as reviewing the composition of the online audience. Drawing on this experience, in the second part of the article we explore various opportunities for public outreach and engagement made possible by this platform, not least the potential participatory role of a new online community in archaeological activity and advocacy.

Looting and vandalism around a World Heritage Site: Documenting modern damage to archaeological heritage in Petra’s hinterland

Abstract In 2012 the ancient city of Petra celebrated the 200th anniversary of its Western re-identification. The Brown University Petra Archaeological Project (BUPAP) has sought to document the northern hinterland of Petra through a multi-component methodology that includes intensive field survey, feature documentation, and limited test excavations. The iconic site of Petra has a long and storied history, and it is a site that presents many challenges to archaeologists and cultural heritage managers. During a series of test excavations, meant to ground truth locations earmarked by the overlapping intensive field survey and feature documentation, several patterns of looting were identified. These instances of looting were often paralleled by observed vandalism that defaced archaeological heritage, within and outside the Petra Archaeological Park, with archaeological artifacts being sold to tourists at nearby shops. This study provides crucial documentation of these processes of vandalism and looting recorded over the last three years. We propose that only through continued monitoring can local authorities be provided with ample evidence calling for additional cultural heritage protection.

Graecia capta: The Landscapes of Roman Greece

1. The problem of Roman Greece 2. The rural landscape 3. The civic landscape 4. The provincial landscape 5. The sacred landscape 6. Greece within the empire Notes Bibliography Index.