Presentation

The relevance of the past for contemporary Europe needs to be highlighted, on both scientific and cultural grounds.
Archaeology provides a unique contribution to our knowledge of the history of ancient societies, their evolutions and connections, their material culture and their interactions with the environment.
Archaeology provides, and serves to interpret, the tangible memory of over a million years of human history on the European continent.

How is this contribution perceived, recognized and evaluated by the different European publics and audiences (archaeological amateurs, museum visitors, school pupils, TV and media watchers, local authorities etc)? Does this recognition relate to the 'scientific' aspects of archaeology, and does it include its historical and cultural dimensions?

Partners in the ACE network pay particular attention to topical issues of social and identity construction, including phenomena of migration, settlement, ethnicity, acculturation, land use and landscape, as well as the formation of cultural and political identities in the past.

Several ACE partners are engaged in specific activities in this theme. Together with a range of publications (including 'Archaeological Europe', 2009), the final ACE conference in Frankfurt will be dedicated to this topic.

Production

,,Contemporary faces of the past” Interdisciplinary conference, Institute of Prehistory Poznań & ACE Poznań, 21-22. October 2009

Conference summary and Pictures

The very beginnings of Europe? Cultural and Social Dimensions of Early-Medieval Migration and Colonisation (5th-8th century), International Conference, VIOE & ACE, Brussels - May 17-19 2011

First call for papers and participation form