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Colloquium "Archaeology in the Laboratory”
At the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie Friday 27 and Saturday 28 January 2012
Post date
26 January 2012
Last modified
19 January 2017
Though it sometimes finds them, the goal of archaeology is not to search for great works of art. Its aim is rather to uncover and interpret indices buried in the ground that can help us to understand past human societies. Such research does not end with the excavation, but continues with intensive work in the laboratory. Archaeology has thus long called upon the geosciences, life sciences, environmental sciences, chemical sciences and physical sciences to interpret the most tenuous remains.
These disciplines are continually developed in order to analyze, date, illustrate and reconstruct data on past societies and environments, and their interactions. "Archaeology in the Laboratory” presents the latest advances in these fields.
Paleogenetic studies shed light on the relationships between Neandertals, their Asian contemporaries and Modern Humans, as well as the filiations between members of the same group.
Isotopic analyses provide information on factors such as the movements of individuals and populations, human and animal diets, animal herd management, and the nature of climatic variations.
Studies of paleo-metallurgy and analyses of metallic traces inform us about the sites from which ores were extracted, methods of tool making, ancient pollutions, and the circulation of goods and coins.
Tomography, aerial photography, LIDAR, geophysical surveying, magnetic parameter measures and virtual reconstructions enable detailed recordings and analyses of real elements, from the scale of a landscape to that of a cell.
Established scientists and young researchers will present their innovative work: without entering into the technical details of their methods, they will show how we can learn about the past, based on its most tenuous remains, through the contribution of these new fields.
Isotopic analyses provide information on factors such as the movements of individuals and populations, human and animal diets, animal herd management, and the nature of climatic variations.
Studies of paleo-metallurgy and analyses of metallic traces inform us about the sites from which ores were extracted, methods of tool making, ancient pollutions, and the circulation of goods and coins.
Tomography, aerial photography, LIDAR, geophysical surveying, magnetic parameter measures and virtual reconstructions enable detailed recordings and analyses of real elements, from the scale of a landscape to that of a cell.
Established scientists and young researchers will present their innovative work: without entering into the technical details of their methods, they will show how we can learn about the past, based on its most tenuous remains, through the contribution of these new fields.
Contact(s) :
Mahaut Tyrrell
Inrap, Cultural development and communication
01 40 08 80 24
mahaut.tyrrell [at] inrap.fr