Joint Conference on the Bioarchaeology of Ancient Egypt & The International Symposium on Animals in Ancient Egypt

The emergence of bioarchaeology as a field of research is strongly tied to the recognition that neither human or animals exist in a vacuum, and that the analysis of skeletal remains cannot be removed to the laboratory without taking into account the archaeological context in which they were found. Through such contextual analysis, bioarchaeological remains from ancient Egypt have provided a wealth of information on diverse topics, such as religion, cultural practices, the health and nutrition of ancient populations (both human and animal), animal husbandry, diet, agricultural practices, economy and the natural environment. In recent decades, the incorporation of both archaeological, historical, and ethnographic sources of data in skeletal analyses has greatly benefited our understanding of Ancient Egyptian lifeways. Nevertheless, archaeological context is frequently understood as static, while in reality the environment - whether physical or cultural - is apt to itself affect living beings to just as great an extent as it is affected by them. To that end, the theme for the 2019 BAE conference is “Interaction.” This theme will form the basis of the conversation initiated by the conference organizers and keynote speaker; however, conference participants are invited to interpret the theme in its broadest sense.

“Interaction” can be taken to emphasize:

- Interaction between humans and animals, humans and/or animals and the environment (with emphasis on the reciprocal), interaction between different human or animal groups
- Interaction between various fields or specialties of research (i.e. hard sciences, social sciences, humanities)
- Interaction between different groups across time

This joint conference will provide a venue for scholars from the different disciplines of Egyptology, archaeozoology, physical anthropology, and archaeobotany to meet, present and discuss their research in the hopes of future integrated collaboration. The conference will accept abstracts on both human and faunal remains, as well as archaeobotany, though scholars doing research on animal remains are particularly encouraged to apply.