There has been a change of speaker and topic for our November lecture, though the date, time, and location remain the same. On Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 pm in Jepson Hall 103 at the University of Richmond, Dr. Antonio Curet (Curator, National Museum of the American Indian) will present “Death and Remembering: A New Interpretation of the Ceremonial Center of Tibes, Ponce, Puerto Rico”

Abstract:
The site of Tibes, located in southern Puerto Rico, is the oldest known ceremonial center in the Caribbean. The structures, changes in mortuary practices, and settlement pattern documented at Tibes have been interpreted to represent one of the earliest stratified societies in the region, the focus of administrative, residential, and/or ritual activities. However, a combination of new and previous information is forming a different, more complex and intricate view of the social and political history of the site. This presentation includes a brief review of Puerto Rican archaeology, a summary of the finds of the Archaeological Project of the Ceremonial Center of Tibes, and a new perspective in understanding the processes involved in the ancient history of the site

Directions and parking:
Jepson Hall is #221 on the UR campus map. Visitor parking is available after 5 pm in all lots. For Google Map or GPS directions, use 221 Richmond Way, Richmond, VA 23173.

Our first lecture of the academic year will be presented by Dr. Ömür Harmanşah, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and director of the Yalburt Yaylası Archaeological Landscape Research Project.

What does it mean to practice archaeology in the new age of the Anthropocene? In “Ruined Gardens of Babylon: Dark Ecology and Heritage Politics in the Middle East,” Dr. Harmanşah will discuss his current research on the politics, ethics, and methodologies of doing archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East today, at the very critical moment of global ecological crisis, climate change, military conflict, mass immigration, and heritage violence. Recent military violence in the Middle East has led to unprecedented destruction of cultural heritage along with local settlements and habitats, and the displacement of their communities. The ecological-military crisis has a direct impact on how archaeology is practiced as a field science. The destruction of heritage sites, landscapes, and institutions demands archaeologists either work remotely or perform salvage work, as opposed to more conventional methods of working with scientific research questions.

The lecture will be held on Thursday, October 3 at 6 pm in Jepson Hall, room 103, at the University of Richmond (please note the change from our usual room). The building is #221 on and campus map; for GPS directions, use the following address: 221 Richmond Way, Richmond, VA, 23173. The lecture is co-sponsored by the University of Richmond Department of Classical Studies and will be free and open to the public.

On Thursday, March 28 at 6 pm in Jepson Hall room 103, Elif Ünlü (Department of History, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, and current Fulbright Scholar) will present “‘This round is on me!’ Commodification of agricultural products and elite consumption patterns in the Eastern Mediterranean during the third millennium BCE.” Co-sponsored by the Richmond Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and the UR Department of Classical Studies, the lecture will be free and open to the public.

AIA Richmond Society members are also invited to our executive board meeting on Saturday, March 23, 1 – 2 pm, Westhampton Center Living Room (#406 on the campus map).

Our first lecture of the spring semester will be held on Thursday, February 14 at 6 pm in Jepson Hall 118, University of Richmond. Terry Brock, Assistant Director of Archaeology at the Montpelier Foundation, will present “Exploring the Montpelier South Yard: Archaeology, Slavery, and Public Engagement at James Madison’s Montpelier.” Co-sponsored by the Richmond Society AIA and the UR Department of Classical Studies, the lecture will be free and open to the public.