Papers by Bisserka Gaydarska
Archaeopress Publishing Ltd eBooks, Sep 30, 2017
De Gruyter eBooks, Dec 31, 2020
SpringerBriefs in archaeology, Sep 13, 2014
Oxbow Books, Feb 16, 2023
European Journal of Archaeology
This article is based on an EAA session in Kiel in 2021, in which thirteen contributors provide t... more This article is based on an EAA session in Kiel in 2021, in which thirteen contributors provide their response to Robb and Harris's (2018) overview of studies of gender in the European Neolithic and Bronze Age, with a reply by Robb and Harris. The central premise of their 2018 article was the opposition of ‘contextual Neolithic gender’ to ‘cross-contextual Bronze Age gender’, which created uneasiness among the four co-organizers of the Kiel meeting. Reading Robb and Harris's original article leaves the impression that there is an essentialist ‘Neolithic’ and ‘Bronze Age’ gender, the former being under-theorized, unclear, and unstable, the latter binary, unchangeable, and ideological. While Robb and Harris have clearly advanced the discussion on gender, the perspectives and case studies presented here, while critical of their views, take the debate further, painting a more complex and diverse picture that strives to avoid essentialism.
Science
Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asi... more Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom’s northern provinces. Anatolia exhibited extraordinary continuity down to the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its people serving as the demographic core of much of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome itself. During medieval times, migrations associated with Slavic and Turkic speakers profoundly affected the region.
Science
We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern... more We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and Levantine hunter-gatherers, forming a Neolithic continuum of ancestry mirroring the geography of West Asia. By analyzing Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic populations of Anatolia, we show that the former were derived from admixture between Mesopotamian-related and local Epipaleolithic-related sources, but the latter experienced additional Levantine-related gene flow, thus documenting at least two pulses of migration from the Fertile Crescent heartland to the early farmers of Anatolia.
Science
By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southe... more By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southeastern Europe and West Asia) over 10,000 years, we contextualize its Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age (about 5000 to 1000 BCE), when extensive gene flow entangled it with the Eurasian steppe. Two streams of migration transmitted Caucasus and Anatolian/Levantine ancestry northward, and the Yamnaya pastoralists, formed on the steppe, then spread southward into the Balkans and across the Caucasus into Armenia, where they left numerous patrilineal descendants. Anatolia was transformed by intra–West Asian gene flow, with negligible impact of the later Yamnaya migrations. This contrasts with all other regions where Indo-European languages were spoken, suggesting that the homeland of the Indo-Anatolian language family was in West Asia, with only secondary dispersals of non-Anatolian Indo-Europeans from the steppe.
Stratum plus, Apr 30, 2022
Praehistorische Zeitschrift
A new chronological study of the LBK in the central Polish lowlands shows that it emerged later, ... more A new chronological study of the LBK in the central Polish lowlands shows that it emerged later, lasted for a shorter period, and ended sooner than has been supposed up till now. LBK communities emerged, probably in the middle of the 53rd century cal BC, to form an enclave in the central Polish lowlands, probably as a result of colonisation from loess areas in the south of Poland. Settlement steadily intensified throughout the 52nd century cal BC, reaching its peak at the beginning of Phase III. In the middle of the 51st century cal BC there followed an abrupt decline or collapse, and LBK occupation of the lowlands had probably ended completely by the end of that century. There followed an appreciable gap before the re-emergence of settlement in the form of the Late Band Pottery culture (LBPC), characterised by significantly sparser settlement, changed dwelling structures and contacts with hunter-gatherer groups. A start to the wider task of comparing the situation in the central Po...
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2022
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Antiquity
Awareness of, and debate about, harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation (HABI) in archaeol... more Awareness of, and debate about, harassment, assault, bullying and intimidation (HABI) in archaeology has grown in recent years, but the issue remains under-researched. Here, the authors present the first Europe-wide survey to evaluate HABI in archaeological environments, from field to laboratory and classroom. The survey covers 18 forms of HABI, collecting more than 1000 responses from archaeologists of 49 nationalities. A total of 82 per cent of respondents report at least one HABI experience. The authors conclude that HABI is endemic in European archaeology, being experienced by all genders and ages, in multiple settings and countries. Documenting these behaviours is a critical first step to eradicating them and to achieving equity and safety in the discipline.
The Trypillia mega-sites (‘TMS’) form an exceptional aspect of the broader Cucuteni–Trypillia gro... more The Trypillia mega-sites (‘TMS’) form an exceptional aspect of the broader Cucuteni–Trypillia group in the Balkan and East European Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The TMS are currently the largest sites and the earliest urban complexes in Eurasia in the fourth millennium cal. BC. In this article, we chart the trajectories of theoretical and methodological development of TMS research. We build on the social implications of the Visibility Graph Analysis of Nebelivka and Bayesian modelling of three significant TMS. In the key section, we examine TMS in the light of three points made in Graeber and Wengrow’s book The Dawn of Everything: cultural schismogenesis, the three elementary forms of freedom and those of domination. The integration of the latest analytical results and political theory provides a new platform for future investigations of TMS. Dataset to: Bisserka Gaydarska, Andrew Millard, Brian Buchanan, and John Chapman, ‘Place and Time at Trypillia Mega-Sites. Towards a New Synthe...
Journal of Urban Archaeology, Volume 7: Anomalous Giants, 2023
The Trypillia mega-sites (‘TMS’) form an exceptional aspect of the broader Cucuteni-Trypillia gro... more The Trypillia mega-sites (‘TMS’) form an exceptional aspect of the broader Cucuteni-Trypillia group in the Balkan and East European Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The TMS are currently the largest sites and the earliest urban complexes in Eurasia in the fourth millennium cal. BC. In this article, we chart the trajectories of theoretical and methodological development of TMS research. We build ont eh social implications of the Visibility Graph Analysis of Nebelivka and Bayesian modelling of three significant TMS. In the key section, we examine TMS in the light of three points made in Graeber and Wengrow’s book ‘The Dawn of Evering’: cultural schismogenesis, the three elementary forms of freedom, and those of domination. The integration of the latest analytical results and political theory provides a new platform for future investigations of TMS.
Early Urbanism in Europe
In this chapter, we outline recent trends in the global debate on urbanism and seek to locate Try... more In this chapter, we outline recent trends in the global debate on urbanism and seek to locate Trypillia megasites within that debate. We pinpoint a tipping point in our understanding of megasites, leading to a definitive break from the Maximalist position of very large, permanent, all-year-round occupations to alternative, shorterterm or seasonal positions based upon three models of Nebelivka settlement-the Distributed Governance Model, the Assembly Model and the Pilgrimage Model. Using Ben Anderson's concept of 'imagined communities', we try to imagine the possibility of creating a megasite for the first time, leading to the development of a theoretical framework for such a creation. We develop the notion of the Trypillia Big Other, relating it to Bourdieu's habitus. We also introduce the methodologies specific to each of the eight Project research questions, which sought to deliver a complete geophysical plan of Nebelivka, a welldated internal sequence for the megasite, the local and regional settlement contexts for the megasite, an assessment of the human impact of a megasite on its landscape, the experimental construction, burning and excavation of a 'Neolithic' house, an interpretative model of the growth and decline of Nebelivka, its architecture and artifacts, and the placing of Trypillia megasites in the context of global urbanism. 15 'PPNB' stands for the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, in which domesticated plants and animals are used but no pottery was made (Simmons 2007).
This is an Element about some of the largest sites known in prehistoric Europe – sites so vast th... more This is an Element about some of the largest sites known in prehistoric Europe – sites so vast that they often remain undiscussed for lack of the theoretical or methodological tools required for their understanding. Here, the authors use a relational, comparative approach to identify not only what made megasites but also what made megasites so special and so large. They have selected a sample of megasites in each major period of prehistory – Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages – with a detailed examination of a single representative megasite for each period. The relational approach makes explicit comparisons between smaller, more 'normal' sites and the megasites using six criteria – scale, temporality, deposition / monumentality, formal open spaces, performance and congregational catchment. The authors argue that many of the largest European prehistoric megasites were congregational places.
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Papers by Bisserka Gaydarska
The chapters included in the first part deal with themes in world archaeology that have little or no focus on gender, such as the Third Science Revolution (e.g. ancient DNA, stable isotopes analyses, big data), posthumanism (e.g. new materialism, symmetrical archaeology and the ontological turn) and digital archaeology and heritage. The second part focuses on themes in which gender archaeology has made serious advances (intersectionality, social inequality, violence, mobility). The third part deals with themes crucial for contemporary archaeology and society, namely, gender education, gender representation in museum exhibitions and the future of gender archaeology. The volume concludes with a coda chapter that critically assesses the preceding contributions and the volume as a whole. The book offers a gender-balanced and inclusive authorship consisting of both well-established and early career researchers closely connected to the EAA, whose professionally, culturally and geographically diverse backgrounds and experiences enrich the viewpoints discussed in the chapters. The targeted audience is archaeologists from all theoretical and scientific backgrounds at all stages of their career.
Were men the only hunters and producers of tools, art and innovation in prehistory? Were women the only gatherers, home-bound breeders and caregivers? Are all prehistoric female depictions mother goddesses? And do women and men have equal career chances in archaeology? To put it short, no. However, these are some of the gender stereotypes that we still encounter on a daily basis in archaeology from the way archaeologists interpret the past and present it to the general public to how they practice it as a profession.
This booklet is as a short but informative and critical response by archaeologists to various gender stereotypes that exist in the archaeological explanation of the past, as well as in the contemporary disciplinary practice. Gender and feminist archaeologists have fought for decades against gender stereotypes through academic writing, museum exhibitions and popular literature, among others. Despite their efforts, many of these stereotypes continue to live and even flourish, both in academic and non-academic settings, especially in countries where gender archaeology does not exist or where gender in archaeology is barely discussed. Given this context and the rise of far right or ultraconservative ideologies and beliefs across the globe, this booklet is a timely and thought-provoking contribution that openly addresses often uncomfortable topics concerning gender in archaeology, in an attempt to raise awareness both among the professionals and fans of the discipline.
The booklet includes the 21 most commonly encountered gender stereotypes in archaeology (see table of contents below IMAGE 1), from the classical image of men as hunters and producers of tools, art and innovation, and women as gatherers and home-bound breeders to queer archaeology being practiced by gay and lesbian researchers or the equal career opportunities of women and men in archaeology. Each stereotype is explained and deconstructed in 250 words by authors consisting of archaeologists with expertise on gender in the past and in contemporary archaeology, most of them being members of the Archaeology and Gender in Europe (AGE) Community of the European Association of Archaeologists. In addition, the stereotypes are beautifully illustrated by Serbian award-winning artist Nikola Radosavljević.
What will you find in the booklet?
Are you curious to discover which are the 21 stereotypes deconstructed in the booklet? See their list and authors below! Apart from these, the booklet will also include an introduction and a bibliographic list where you will find two references for each gender stereotype, in case you would like to read more about them!
Man the hunter and field archaeologist vs. woman the gatherer and laboratory analyst | Bettina Arnold | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States
Only women cooked in past societies | Margarita Sánchez Romero | University of Granada, Spain
Men were active producers of tools, art and innovation, while women were passive home-bound breeders | Bettina Arnold | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States
Only women took care of the old and sick in past societies | Margarita Sánchez Romero | University of Granada, Spain
Only women cared about children in past societies | Katharina Rebay-Salisbury | Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Women were young, thin and beautiful in the past, while men were young, tall and powerfully built | Brigitte Röder | University of Basel, Switzerland
Only men were violent in past societies | Uroš Matić | Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Prehistoric societies were either matriarchal or patriarchal | Julia Katharina Koch | Archäologisches Landesmuseum Hessen, Germany
Prehistoric female depictions are mother goddesses | Bisserka Gaydarska | Durham University, United Kingdom
Families always consisted of a father, a mother and children | Julia Katharina Koch | Archäologisches Landesmuseum Hessen, Germany
Two adult women buried together are the lady and her chambermaid | Julia Katharina Koch | Archäologisches Landesmuseum Hessen, Germany
Sex and gender are the same | Katharina Rebay-Salisbury | Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
The binary sex and gender system is natural | Sandra Montón-Subías | Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
There are only two genders | Pamela Geller | University of Miami, United States
Gender as studied by gender archaeologists is an ideology | Uroš Matić | Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Gender archaeology is practiced only by women and gay men | Rachel Pope | University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
Gender archaeology is only about women | Doris Gutsmiedl-Schümann | Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Same sex practices are a “modern” invention or a disorder | Uroš Matić | Austrian Archaeological Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Queer archaeology is just gay and lesbian researchers writing about gay and lesbian people in the past | Bo Jensen | Kroppedal Museum, Denmark
Women have equal career chances in archaeology as men | Maria Mina | University of the Aegean, Greece
Archaeology is free of harassment, assault, intimidation and bullying | Laura Coltofean and Bisserka Gaydarska | University of Barcelona, Spain and Durham University, United Kingdom
Part 1 offers a summary of field procedures.
Part 2 reviews the principal methods applied, above and below ground, and how the results are analysed.
Part 3 illustrates the huge variety confronted by field workers with a series of exemplary commercial and academic projects enacted in downland, jungle, desert, permafrost, road schemes and towns. Approaches also differ according to the traditional methodologies that have evolved in particular countries.
In Part 4 we give examples of some the strongest and oldest of those practised on four continents.
have brought to light 15 prehistoric burials whose grave goods and AMS dating have unequivocally related them to the famous Copper Age cemetery in Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The newly excavated area was called Varna 3 and the ten AMS-dated individuals from there and 19 individuals from the Varna 1 cemetery were subjected to FRUITS modelling for the purposes of dietary reconstruction. There is no link between diet and grave deposition but differentiation in diet does exist in terms of sex. The results showed overall isotopic consistency with a small group of five outliers, among whom is a five year- old girl with steppe aDNA ancestry, who is considered to be a migrant to the Varna area. We discuss the social implications of the dietary and aDNA results that reveal a more complex pattern than had previously been considered.
ное использование фрагментов. В данной статье рассматриваются многочисленные возможные причины фрагмен-
тации предметов и человеческих тел, с акцентом на преднамеренный характер этого явления. Итогом исследований
фрагментации последних лет является «положение о фрагментации», которое подробно обсуждается в нашей работе.
Представлен ряд примеров преднамеренной фрагментации и повторного использования фрагментов, прежде всего,
из мезолита, неолита и энеолита Центральной и Восточной Европы. Эти примеры включают керамику, глиняные стату-
этки, украшения из раковин Spondylus и человеческие тела. Также представлен обзор исследований по фрагментации
последних 15 лет. В конце статьи определены вероятные направления будущих исследований.
does knowledge of the archaeology with the radiocarbon dating of carefully chosen samples of
known taphonomy in association with diagnostic material culture. The risks of dating bone samples
are reviewed, along with a brief history of the development of approaches to the radiocarbon dating
of bone. In reply to Strien (2017), selected topics concerned with the emergence and aftermath of
the LBK are discussed, as well as the early Vinča, Ražište and Hinkelstein sequences. The need for
rigour in an approach which combines archaeology and radiocarbon dating is underlined.
In this session, we aim to discuss all aspects, challenges and also potential and real pitfalls of radiocarbon dating. We welcome contributions addressing:
1) New achievements in radiocarbon dating regarding materials, precision and techniques
2) Chronological modelling
3) The relationship between relative and absolute chronology
4) Ways in which new chronologies have influenced our interpretative inferences
5) Limitations of the radiocarbon method
A range of contexts and spatial units could be addressed, from individual sites to regions or periods.
How to cite:
Laura Coltofean-Arizancu, Bisserka Gaydarska, Sébastien Plutniak. Breaking the taboo: harassment and assault in Central-East and South-East European archaeology. 26th Virtual Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists, Aug 2020, Budapest, Hungary. ⟨hal-03287731⟩
Abstract: In recent years, the practitioners of archaeology have slowly begun to publicly open up about the harassment and assault that occur within the discipline in different settings (e.g., universities, fieldwork) and regardless of gender. However, research on this topic and disclosures have mostly taken place in Western archaeologies and have especially focused on sexual misconducts. Yet, in Eastern archaeology, this matter is predominantly still a taboo which is often only discussed in small, private and unofficial circles. In response to the status quo, in 2020 the board of the Archaeology and Gender in Europe (AGE) Community of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) carried out a survey to determine the degree to which various forms of harassment and assault happen in Central-East and South-East European archaeology. The survey particularly centred on three countries – Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – and addressed offensive behaviours that include sexual harassment and assault; gender, racial, religious, personal, sexual orientation-based, age-based and disability-based harassment; psychological and power harassment; physical harassment and assault; online harassment; and retaliation. The survey assessed whether the professionals and students of archaeology in these countries 1/ are aware of the existence of harassment and assault in their working, research and study environments; 2/ have been the recipients of such acts and if yes, 3/ in which ways did these affect them on a personal and professional level, 4/ whether they reported them and 5/ if any measures were taken. This paper presents and discusses the results and efficacy of the AGE survey, and it reflects on the measures that could be taken to prevent such incidents, to protect and support the victims, and to change the behaviour of perpetrators.
Keywords: harassment, assault, archaeology, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria