ArchTalk Season 02: A Global Stage for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Soon the time will come - ArchTalk Season 02 will take place on 21 October 2023, and we have a great line-up yet again!

First of all: What is ArchTalk?

ArchTalk is an exciting open-access international virtual conference hosted by the Save Cultural Heritage Group (SCHG). This year marks the seventh year of collaboration with Archaeological Institute of America, and since last year, the annual event has been renamed ArchTalk. Designed to coincide with International Archaeology Day, it provides a global stage for both budding and seasoned researchers to showcase their work and ideas.

This event is a virtual conference where short papers are presented. The conference is packed with sessions on a variety of topics, including Accessibility, Archaeology, Climate Change, Cultural Heritage, and Social Media. It’s not just about listening - participants can engage with speakers and network with like-minded individuals.

We are hoping to gain academic insights and develop new pedagogical practices in order to foster a further emphatic and progressive praxis within the field. We will make sure to have a wonderful experience with all our brilliant speakers!

Keynote

In the keynote, the individual team leaders will briefly introduce the various projects of SCHG. Also this year we have the wonderful Dr. Gino Caspar as keynote speaker, who will talk about his work, what inspires him, and the importance of presenting cultural heritage online. We won't tell you more at this stage, so tune in to watch the live streams or join the Zoom meeting here.

Session 1: Ancient Paths & Modern Tracks

Session 1 will be hosted by the amazing Dr. Laura Castro Royo, who will also be speaking on the topic she just covered in one of our FOC courses, namely the Achaemenids! Here, however, the focus will be on representations of this ancient Persian dynasty in modern media. We love this topic as there is a lot to learn from modern media! Wouldn't you agree?

After that, speakers from various backgrounds will talk about topics related to the representation of cultural heritage in modern media such as video games, comics, or AI. Among them Alberto Azcueta on "superarchaeology" in comics, followed by Alba C. Coll on the case study of the video game "Hades". Mahour Pourghadim will talk about so-called negargari in the context of comics. David Morenza will speak about archaeology in video games, after which Robert Houghton will talk about roleplaying games - it will be a deep dive. Lastly, Niloofar Yazdkhasti will discuss Iranian cultural heritage in relation to artificial intelligence.

Session 2: Climate Change & Cultural Heritage

The second session was proposed by our great partner Rebeka Gergácz, who will also present on the topic. Climate change is a very important issue, as it impacts cultural heritage. As a valuable source of knowledge of past traditions and craftsmanship, various types of heritage continue to inspire present-day generations to build an innovative future. As such, creating strategies for safeguarding and restoring it has become more important than ever!

First Cezar Mahumane will talk about the fascinating topic of underwater cultural heritage in Mozambique. Then Rebeka will speak about climate change and archaeological topography, with a special focus on Hungary. This session is very close to our hearts, so don't miss it!

Session 3: Accessible Communication in Archaeology

Session 3 will be opened by Dr Matilda Siebrecht, a long-time partner of SCHG, who is very committed to ensuring that archaeology is properly communicated on social media, which will also be related to the topic of her presentation. As the founding members of SCHG are archaeologists themselves and SCHG's multiple formats deal with accessibility of cultural heritage, this topic is very dear to our organisation as well.

As in all sessions, there will be a variety of speakers on a wide range of topics, starting with Ashleigh Airey, who will talk about how candle-making can be used to disseminate archaeological information. Then Florencia Croizet will talk about a video game based on museum collections in Argentina. Lastly, Negar Sagharichi will give information on the alliance of Iranian museums and Internet Televisions.

At the end of each individual session there will be an opportunity for you to ask your questions in a Q&A - tune in and sign up here or join the LinkedIn event here to get the Zoom live access!

Are you as excited as we are?

We look forward to seeing you at the event!