eBulletin, June 2013

Other conferences and events

Archives Special Interest Group

Any comments, questions or news you would like to post? Please get in touch by emailing us at

admin@archaeologists.net

http://www.archaeologists.net/

The Archives Group have organised a series of regional workshops designed to

promote good practice in working with archaeological archives, to provide hands-

on experience and encourage participants to engage with archive issues by

considering new perspectives. It is intended that a mixed group of archaeologists

from all areas of the discipline, including planning archaeologists, contractors,

museum curators, specialists and consultants will share experiences, issues and

viewpoints so that everyone develops a greater awareness of the problems and

possible solutions around archiving archaeological material.

A hands-on practical session with archive materials will require participants to form

into groups that will compile an archive in readiness for deposition, check an

archive prior to deposition or search a digital archive to answer a specific set

of queries. The afternoon session will set a series of questions to different groups,

who will then share their deliberations and conclusions in a final discussion. There

Regional Archive Workshops

17 July 2013, 10am-4.30pm - Fishbourne

Bookings are now open! Book you place early to avoid disappointment as these workshops are filling up fast. The cost of the

workshop is £10 for IfA members and £16 for non members.

For more information and a programme please click here

Future dates and locations:

This year we are intending to hold workshops in Bury St Edmunds and Worcester.

If you would like to be kept informed of the workshops programme, or have any questions relating to them, please email

Lianne Birney (lianne.birney@archaeologists.net).

Following on from feedback given during 'Impact Week' and at the IfA conference, the

Research and Impact Special Interest Group is re-issuing a short and slightly revised

survey on impact. We had just over 50 responses last time and this time we are

specifically targeting a number of groups and organisations to try and gather answers

from the widest possible audience. The survey will run until 23June and we will be

keeping the results of this revised survey separate to the first so please feel free to

respond even if you completed the survey before.

Please click here to take the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s/6XYKCHL

Thank you in advance for your time. Natasha Powers

Chair of R&I group

Research & Impact Special Interest Group

IfA Annual General Meeting

Conference theme: Research in practice

Research is at the core of all investigation: excavations as part of the planning process, historic building recording for private

houses, community projects engaging a diverse audience or a million pound initiatives funded by research councils. Whoever

is footing the bill, each time an archaeologist begins a new project the research design should outline how that investigation

aims to answer specific questions, produce new knowledge or challenge old ideas. The pursuit of knowledge is central to our

work – isn’t it?

Our 2014 conference aims to examine the concept of research across current archaeological practice, as well as highlighting

how archaeologists contribute new knowledge to a wider understanding of the human past. The conference hopes to

question how research practice has developed and to face the challenges often posed to heritage professionals regarding

value, quality, dissemination and accessibility. Why should all archaeological projects ensure the knowledge they create is

accessible? How can academic research influence policy and practice? What can employers do to engage all their staff in

best practice and guarantee the highest quality research? Why should developers and clients pay for archaeological

research? What is the role of communities in setting our research agenda? Finally, we hope our 2014 conference in Glasgow

will give us all a chance to sit back and relax, while we enjoy new discoveries, experience new techniques and explore

archaeological research at its very best.

IfA Conference and training event 2014—Research in practice

The preliminary notice for the AGM will be sent out in early July. As previously agreed by members all mailings relating to

general meetings will be circulated electronically unless members have notified us they would like to receive these in hard

copy. The preliminary notice will include the call for nominations to stand for election to IfA Council and the Membership

Appeals Committee so if you are interested in getting more involved with IfA please keep an eye out for the notice.

If you would like to receive the AGM documents in hard copy rather than email please notify

alex.llewellyn@archaeologists.net

We are delighted to announce our Annual conference and training

event for 2014. The conference will take place in Glasgow from

Wednesday 9 April through to Friday 11 April 2014. We will be based at

the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow city centre, close to local amenities and

transport links.

Our conference theme for 2014 is Research in practice and, as always,

we aim to provide a wealth of new research and an insight into current

archaeological and heritage practice.

What do you want to talk about?

We are now looking for sessions for the conference which consider the

2014 theme — Research in practice. Sessions should be half day in

length and can comprise traditional papers, discussion seminars or

training workshops.

You will find our session theme summary below. Not all sessions have to

fit into the theme, so if you do have some creative and engaging ideas

for sessions which fall outside of the main focus, please send them in.

The deadline for proposals is 31 July 2013. Please email your session or workshop proposal form to Amanda Forster

(amanda.forster@archaeologists.net). You can find the forms you need to complete at our conference webpages at

www.archaeologists.net/conference2014/callforsessions.

Session sponsorship and exhibiting

Our Principal sponsors this year are Historic Scotland, with Towergate Insurance.

There are plenty more opportunities to support the conference, and get your message

out to our delegates!

Conference attendance for all delegates will be subject to a delegate fee, and

sponsorship is sought from external organisations to assist with various aspects of the

conference. Your sponsorship adds value to the experience of our delegates via our

display areas, conference programme, social and networking events, and in

supporting our fund for conference bursaries aimed at students and practitioners who

are currently unemployed. In return you gain direct access to our delegates via logo

placement in our conference material and at the venue, via our display areas and

networking events, and via advertising within our programme.

We have various sponsorship opportunities on offer, which you can tailor to your needs and desired impact. These extend

from placing an advert in our conference programme, through to sponsoring our wine reception or being a named sponsor of

the event. You can find an outline of all our opportunities below, along with the details.

We believe the conference to be an excellent opportunity for organisations to promote their work to a large sector audience.

Sponsorship will enable IfA to run this event for all practitioners across the sector, and to ensure its accessibility to students

and those on lower wages by offering support for travel or accommodation. We will include networking opportunities on the

programme, which support our diverse range of discussion sessions and training workshops in offering a platform for

continued debate and discussion.

Follow the links below to see more about sponsorship opportunities., or go to the web pages at

www.archaeologists.net/conference/2014sponsor

Session or fringe event sponsor

Exhibitor package

Advertiser package

If you are keen to sponsor any aspect of the conference, or would like to advertise with us, do not hesitate to get in touch and

discuss options with our conference team. Please contact Kirsten Collins at conference@archaeologists.net, or give us a ring

on 0118 378 6446.

Did you go to the 2013 conference?

We are always keen to improve the conference, and add to its success. If you attended the Birmingham conference, we

would be very grateful if you would provide feedback on your experience.

We have a hard copy of the feedback form available here, or you can complete it online by following the link below;

Click here to take survey or go to our website at www.archaeologists.net/2013feedback.

The IfA requires a Membership Services Coordinator

IfA Groups

The Membership and Services Coordinator will be responsible for assisting, encouraging and administering applications for

membership, Registration, NVQ and bursary management, and supporting communications.

For further information on the post, how to apply and a full job description please visit our Online Job Adverts page

The closing date is 27 June 2013 and interviews will take place on 10 July in Reading.

History, archaeology and archaeometry of the production of brass, bronze and other copper

alloy objects in medieval Europe (12th‐16th centuries)

15, 16 and 17 May 2014

Dinant and Namur (Belgium)

International symposium organised by:

The Public Service of Wallonia (SPW); The French National Institute for Preventive Archaeology (INRAP); The Mosan

Medieval Heritage Centre (MPMM); And the Regional Cultural Centre at Dinant (CCRD)

Copper and its alloys, bronze and brass with varying concentrations of lead, have been used for a long time for making useful

and decorative objects. The steep economic and demographic growth of the Middle Ages however abruptly changed the

copper‐based industries and the market for their products. On the raw materials side, the search for ores intensified. Metals

such as copper, tin and lead became more accessible and more affordable. Both the labour force and a strong demand for

manufactured goods were concentrated in towns where guilds were being set up and trades were becoming organised.

Workshops adapted to a rapidly growing market through specialisation, division of work and rationalisation of techniques, as

well as offering cheaper goods. There was a gradual increase in the use of copper and its alloys for making everyday objects

– examples include candlesticks, dress accessories such as sequins, decorative studs and belt buckles, but also domestic

vessels such as, cauldrons, skillets, ewers, basins and other pots and pans for the kitchen or the dining table. In addition to

these common objects, more exceptional ones testify to the diversity of the use of copper and its alloys for high class objects,

both secular and liturgical. Made‐to‐order masterpieces included aquamanilia, candelabra for churches, lecterns or even

more colossal works of art such as columns, gates, baptisteries, fountains, funeral monuments and, of course, bells. Copper

is equally sought after for hand‐crafted products such as boilers for baths or dyers, weighing scales and other measuring

instruments. Later in the Middle Ages copper alloys were used for artillery, clock making, and also as brass wire in the paper

industry. Finally, copper is a component of the main alloys used in early medieval coinage.

This symposium is organised in a town whose main medieval activity was focused on the metallurgy of copper and brass. Its

aim is to present current knowledge of not only the medieval products, techniques, workshops and labour force, but also of

the market and trade in these products. This symposium will present the research carried out in history and archaeology of

materials and processes with, in some cases, the support of scientific studies.

Sessions

1/ Raw materials and supplies

‐ Copper, zinc ore (calamine), tin and lead: mines and beneficiation, trade in raw materials and semi‐finished products, supply

to towns, economy, etc,

‐ Fuels: charcoal and coal,

‐ Refractory ceramics: crucibles, moulds, furnaces.

2/ Craftsmen and workshops

‐ Sociology of craftsmen, crafts and documentary sources for them such as workshop inventories, deeds, charters and

financial accounts,

‐ Topography: workshops in towns,

‐ Archaeological excavations of workshops.

3/ Techniques:

‐ Alloying, especially brass making,

‐ Casting, foundry work,

‐ Plastic deformation: smithing, wire drawing,

‐ Smelting and melting (alloy making) furnaces,

‐ archaeological experiments.

4/ Products and trade:

‐ Trade in finished products,

‐ Diffusion and circulation of products,

‐ Chrono‐typological studies (vessels, liturgical artefacts, dress accessories, exceptional products, artillery, etc),

‐ Relationships between foundry workers and their patrons,

‐ Connections with other materials such as ceramics and iron.

Abstracts submission

Abstracts can be written in either French or English, with a title and the contact details of the main author, and should be sent

by email as a Word document and with 2500 characters maximum, including spaces, to laiton.mosan@gmail.com. These

abstracts will be submitted to the scientific committee.

Publication

The abstracts of the selected papers will be available on the symposium website (www.laitonmosan.org), as soon as the

programme is finalised. Proceedings will be published, in French or in English, after the symposium by the Service public de

Wallonie – Département du patrimoine in the collection Études et documents – Série archéologie.

For more information please visit: www.laitonmosan.org/symposium_2014.html

Medieval copper, bronze and brass – Dinant‐Namur 2014

FAME Forum 2013

Risky Business?

Risk Management in Development-led Archaeology

Friday 28 June, Merchant Taylors Hall, York

This year’s FAME Forum will focus on aspects of risk management in development-led

archaeology.

It will feature Russell Adfield and Giles Meredith (HSE) on the CDM review, Tariq Mian

(Towergate Insurance) on insurance obligations, Kenneth Aitchison (Landward Research) on

Profiling the Profession 2012-13, Michael Heaton (Michael Heaton Heritage Consultants) on the

use of measured contracts and Tim Malim (SLR) on procuring quality.

Admission is free to FAME members and £50 to non-members, including lunch, morning coffee

and afternoon tea.

The Forum is supported by York Archaeological Trust, and includes free entry to the Trust’s

visitor attractions throughout the weekend.

Advance booking is essential - click for further details and a booking form.

Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage, University of Birmingham and The Ironbridge

Gorge Museum Trust Rust, Regeneration and Romance: Iron and Steel Landscapes and Cultures

Wednesday 10 July 2013 - Sunday 14 July 2013

This conference seeks to engage in an open multi-disciplinary analysis of iron and steel landscapes and cultures, from the

ancient to the modern. It looks toward the legacies of both production and consumption and how these metals have

influenced all aspects of social life. We wish to explore the relationships that communities, regions, nations share with iron

and steel through its functional use, creative and artistic use and its symbolic use. Indicative questions the conference will

address are: How are economies and societies transformed by the extraction and processing of iron? How does the

environmental impact and legacy of iron and steel sites shape social and political life? How do governments and communities

deal with both the expansion and decline of the iron and steel industries? What are the forms and formats of regeneration for

iron and steel landscapes and communities? To what extent are global communities connected through iron and steel,

economically and culturally? How have the landscapes and cultures of iron and steel found expression through various art

forms? How are these landscapes managed and understood?

The conference welcomes academics from the widest range of disciplines and wishes to act as a forum for exchange

between the sciences, social sciences and the humanities. The conference will draw from anthropology, archaeology, art

history, architecture, engineering, ethnology, heritage studies, history, geography, landscape studies, linguistics, metallurgy,

museum studies, sociology, tourism studies etc. The conference will take place at the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

Abstracts of 300 words with a clear title should be sent as soon as possible but no later than February 28th 2013 to ironbridge@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Please be sure to include your full contact details.

Information will be updated on the website: http://ironandsteel2013.wordpress.com/

The Forgotten State of Industry? Irish Industrial Landscapes in a Global Context

18 - 19 October 2013

Wicklow Mountains, Ireland

Featuring a keynote presentation by leading industrial archaeologist, Professor Marilyn Palmer, this two day international

conference brings together an exceptional group of speakers from across Ireland, Europe and beyond, providing a

unique opportunity to share experiences of conserving, managing and presenting our historical industrial landscapes, many of

which in Ireland are poorly understood and vulnerable. Funded by the InterReg 4A (Ireland-Wales) Metal Links: Forging

Communities Together project, with additional support from the Heritage Council, Wicklow County Council and The Gathering

Fund, the conference is being organised by community group, Glens of Lead, a partner in the Metal Links project.

This conference represents exceptional value for money. The themes covered will be of interest not only to professionals and

academics, but also to anyone involved in promoting or managing historical structures and landscapes. There is no fee for

attending, only a charge to cover refreshments, lunches and dinner. Places are limited, so book early to avoid

disappointment!

The venue is the Glendalough Hotel in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, one hour south of Dublin.

For more information on the programme and how to book please visit: http://glensoflead.eventbrite.ie/

Glendalough industrial archaeology/mining conference, Ireland

We are pleased to inform members that IfA has been invited to proceed to the next stage in the process of applying for a

Royal Charter of Incorporation by submitting a formal Petition to the Privy Council.

In order for us to submit this application, Council will be taking a formal resolution to the 2013 AGM in October asking

members to vote on the proposed Petition and revised proposed charter and by-laws. These will be prepared by our legal

advisors and released on the website following the August Council meeting for members to read and consider.

Background

In accordance with IfA’s Strategic Plan, in 2010 members were consulted about the desirability of the Institute seeking a

Royal Charter of Incorporation. Several articles in The Archaeologist have kept members abreast of progress.

Following positive indications from members in 2010 and 2011, and the motions passed at AGM by members to mandate

Council to develop new constitutional documents, Council, its staff and legal team worked hard to prepare documents in the

form of a draft Charter, by‐laws and regulations. These were released for consultation in September 2012.

Preceding the 2012 AGM we held a consultation workshop informing members of the proposed changes to the governance

structure and the reasons and benefits behind pursuing an application for charter. At this workshop we received a further

mandate from the membership to submit an informal Petition to the Privy Council Advisors following final amendments to the

draft documents following the consultation.

This informal application was submitted in February 2013 and we have now received an invitation to proceed to the next

stage and submit a formal Petition for the grant of a Royal Charter from Her Majesty The Queen.

The draft charter, by-laws and documents will be fairly familiar to members as they are slightly amended versions of those

consulted on last September, taking into account comments from this consultation and following further consideration by

Council and the legal team.

The resolution to submit the formal Petition will require the support of 75% of the members who vote. The motion will be

conditional: if it is carried the Institute will continue under its present constitution until and unless the Privy Council approves

the application.

For a more details explanation on Royal Charters and the proposed changes to IfA governance please click here

Progress with Royal Charter

Membership Services Update

Following the most recent Validation Committee Meeting in May 2013, we are pleased to tell you that 6 applicants have

successfully upgraded their corporate membership.

4 to MIfA and 2 to AIfA

10 new corporate applicants have been validated but are yet to complete the process.

3 MIfA, 3 AIfA and 4 PIfA

Since the last meeting on 26 March, we have validated and processed 28 Student and 16 Affiliate members. We have had

one successful re-joiner at Affiliate grade.

This brings our total membership to 3062, divided into 2155 Corporate and 907 Non-Corporate.

The break-down is as follows:

Honorary MIfA 17 MIfA 1243

AIfA 546 PIfA 349

Affiliate 579 Student 328

We look forward to receiving more applications for the next Validation meeting!

Please send completed applications to the IfA offices by 25 June for the Validation meeting on 16 July. If you have any

questions about the application process, please email Lianne who will be happy to help.

Interested in being on Validation Committee?

The Validation committee meets at the IfA Offices in Reading and is always looking for new members. It is important to us

that the Committee is truly representative of our members – and potential members – and we are keen to hear from corporate

members of any grade.

If you are interested please email membership@archaeologists.net.

Lianne Birney BA

Membership Services Coordinator

Lianne.birney@archaeologists.net