12 February 2012      29 January 2012

Sunday 1 April @ 3PM in 237 University College
Professor Hasket Greenfield
Department of Anthropology
University of Manitoba

“Goliath, Philistines, Gath and the Excavations at Tell es-Safi, Israel”

Through the years, there has been a great deal of research on the historical validity of events described in the Hebrew Bible and related holy books. This talk will present recent some dramatic new archaeological evidence from the excavations at Tell es-Safi (Israel) for the conquest and occupation of the region by Philistines, the city of Gath (one of the 5 major Philistine cities), and  Goliath (their most famous warrior).

Sunday 12 February  @ 3PM in 237 University College

Dr. Nicola Terrenato
Department of Classical Studies,
University of Michigan 

The Gabii Project Excavation in Central Italy:
The Mystery of the ‘Lead Burrito’

In 2009, large-scale excavations were resumed in the Latin city of Gabii, less than 20 km from Rome, for the first time since the 1700s. Slowly, the urban fabric of a center that in its early days rivaled Rome is coming to light. A regular grid of streets, houses, larger buildings and tombs being uncovered over an area of thousands of square meters. The lecture presents an overview of the recent discoveries, focusing in particular on a massive lead coffin found in the later levels of the city. This unique artifact poses all sorts of complex questions, from who was buried inside to how to conservate it properly. The Gabii Project as a whole is shedding important light on the rise and fall of a great city of the first millennium BCE.

 

 Sunday 29 January 2012 @ 3 PM in 237 University College

 

Dr. Lea Stirling

Department of Classics

University of Manitoba

Archaeology of the First Age of Globalization:
Leptiminus in the Roman Empire

Under the olive groves of modern Lamta in Tunisia lie the remains of an ancient city, Leptiminus. Although there are few standing ruins, the modern plowed fields are littered with traces of that city: broken pottery, industrial debris, mosaic pieces, and the like. The city reached its peak size and prosperity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries C.E., under the Roman Empire. For two decades, an international archaeological team has intensively studied ancient Leptiminus through field survey, excavation, and a host of other methods. The archaeological findings let us ask questions that resonate today: What was it like to live in a globalized world (the Roman Empire)? How did taxes affect the local economy? What role did cities play in the economy? What did it mean to be connected to goods and trade around the entire Mediterranean? How did local and global (Roman) trends interact in different aspects of life? This overview of the archaeological results emphasizes the city?s development and economy, and highlights the wide range of archaeological methods that have contributed to addressing these questions.