Zena Kamash

What lies beneath? Perceptions of the ontological paradox of water

Abstract This paper discusses the paradox that the element water is both vital to life and yet can also kill. It is argued that this paradox was more apparent to humans than is often assumed in the modern Western world where water is usually viewed as pure and cleansing. This paper attempts to break this assumption down using three case studies. The first two use evidence from the imagery and inscriptions associated with dams and bathhouses in the Roman Near East to analyse the potential of water to flood and pollute. The third explores how votive deposition was linked conceptually to the transmutable, liminal nature of water, focusing on the Roman rural religious centre at Marcham/Frilford, England. These examples are used to illustrate the complex negotiations with the inherent paradox of water, which are manifested in protective symbols (to prevent flooding, illness and death) and votive deposition.

Understanding the Spatial Patterning of English Archaeology: Modelling Mass Data, 1500 BC to AD 1086

Variation in the density of archaeological evidence is caused by a multitude of interacting factors, some of which reinforce each other and some of which act to disguise genuine patterns of past practice. This paper initially presents a set of density models for England constructed by the members of the English Landscape and Identities (EngLaId) project and then goes on to discuss three possible explanations for the variation seen: modern affordance, variability in past usage of material culture, and past population density. The various members of the project team (with the aid of Andrew Lowerre) then provide their thoughts on the models and ideas presented from their own specific period specialist perspectives. The article is presented in this discursive format to reflect the differing opinions and approaches across an unusual multi-period project, in the spirit of multi-vocality and healthy debate.

Continuity and Religious Practices in Roman Britain: The Case of the Rural Religious Complex at Marcham/Frilford, Oxfordshire

This paper presents the interim results of Oxford Universitys on-going excavations at the Roman religious complex at Marcham/Frilford, Oxfordshire. This site has been the focus of debates about continuity from the Iron Age into the Roman period since the original excavations at the temple by Bradford and Goodchild in the 1930s. New findings from the current excavations are brought to bear on this question, in particular how the Iron Age activity influenced the design and layout of the Roman complex. In addition, the paper uses preliminary analysis of the finds from the excavations to discuss the nature of religious practices and activities at the site.

An exploration of the relationship between shifting power, changing behaviour and new water technologies in the Roman Near East

In this article, I examine the changes in water technology that occurred in the Near East during the Roman and late Roman periods (63 bc–ad 636). I argue, in particular, that the impact of Roman occupation in the Near East was not one of simple imposition of technology on the inhabitants of the Near East. This argument is defended by drawing on the analysis of the modern uptake of technologies in science and technology studies (STS) and by examining a selection of different technologies in the Roman Near East, including dams, pipelines, fountains, bathhouses and latrines. Through this exploration I demonstrate that several social, cultural and pragmatic factors can be seen to be at play and conclude that the most successful technological introductions were those that were socially, culturally and practically ‘fluid’.

‘Postcard to Palmyra’: bringing the public into debates over post-conflict reconstruction in the Middle East

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of the ‘Postcard to Palmyra’ project, which was run alongside a controversial installation of a replica of the triumphal arch from Palmyra in Trafalgar Square in 2016. The thoughts and feelings expressed here are those raised by the visitors to the replica arch. These complement critiques and discussions that already exist on the replica arch and bring in a new and much-needed additional element: public opinion. The postcards have given us an opportunity to see what people on the street felt about the replica arch, the potential of reconstruction in the future and the event itself. Various issues arise in the postcards concerning aesthetics, authenticity, authority, colonialism and how to run a public engagement event. In addition, the postcards give voice to people from the Middle East who are often not heard.