Zoom Lecture Announcement, 1/31

Dear Archaeology Friends,

I hope that you are all finding the strength and hope to believe that this new year will be a better one!  Thanks again to all our members and new friends who have attended the first half of this academic year’s Zoom lectures.  In a time when we cannot all be together in person, these virtual interactions are so very enjoyable and educational.  While we are not requiring membership or any fee for attendance, the Society would greatly appreciate any donations to aid us in keeping the programming coming!  Please see the details below if you are able to donate.

Thanks to Dr. Celia Bergoffen for a wonderful presentation in December. The recording of “Excavating Schnaderbeck’s Lager Cellar in Brooklyn” can be found on our website here.  

Our next Zoom lecture will feature Dr. Jenifer Schaffer Foster from the University of Buffalo.  She will speak on a timely topic: “Healing Places: Intersections of Archaeology, Folklore, and Health in Ireland.”  Dr. Foster was originally scheduled to share her work with us last spring, so we are grateful that this re-scheduling has moved ahead!   Her abstract can be found below.  This event will be offered live in Zoom, and recorded.  Be sure to attend on 1/31 so you can ask questions!

In order to attend the virtual lecture via Zoom, you will first need to register. After registering, you will be sent a confirmation email with information approving your registration and on how to enter the virtual lecture on the day of.  Be sure to register as soon as possible in order to receive reminders and secure your spot.

While the official start time for our meetings are 3:00, know that you will be placed in a virtual ‘waiting room’ at that time.  Once the host and speaker are ready to go, they will admit you to the live event; be patient – we know you are there!  During the lecture we will keep your microphones on mute.  We will do our best to make sure everyone’s video feed is on.  We look forward to having you ask questions.  You can feel free to write your questions into the ‘chat’ function, in which case Sarah will ask them for you once the lecture is over.  Otherwise, please be patient and wait until the end of the lecture when we will give participants the option to raise their hand, be called on, and then ask their question.  Good virtual lecture etiquette is essential in order to keep things streamlined and functioning well.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://wagner.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIuceirqD0pGdfSSaPMo86CQXS4jZGkLYaw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Remember that our calendar of lectures is posted on our website, www.siarchaeology.org. An email announcement like this one will come in advance of every lecture.   All announcements and notification of lectures will be made via email. If you know of someone else who is interested in attending, please have them email us at info@siarchaeology.org so they can be added to our e-newsletter list.

We are pleased to offer this year’s lecture series at no cost to participants.  However, there are still expenses that need to be covered.  Please think about joining or renewing your membership at $30 per year.  Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated.  And new members are certainly welcomed!  Please send your check to: ASSI, PO Box 140504, Staten Island, NY 10314.

Be well, and I look forward to ‘seeing’ you on January 31st!

Sarah J. Scott, President

Sunday, January 31, 2020 at 3pm

Dr Jennifer Shaffer Foster – University of Buffalo

Healing Places: Intersections of Archaeology, Folklore, and Health in Ireland

Archaeological approaches to health and healing are often focused on the skeletal remains of past populations. In this lecture, I will instead address past and present understandings of archaeological sites and landscapes as healing places. Healing, as a concept, overlaps with, but is not identical to a biomedical understanding of successful treatment. What it meant to heal, and how once could go about healing, varied with time, location, and ailment. Thus, healing places were highly diverse and include sites that were specifically constructed for that purpose and those that were reused by much later, and even modern people. One good example, which will be discussed in depth, is the historical and contemporary use of rag trees as healing sites. Historically affiliated with Ireland’s many holy wells, those suffering ailments left rags or other symbolic tokens at these trees since at least the 19th century, and in some areas the tradition has continued to the present day. In the past few decades rag trees have also appeared in other places, both archaeological sites and areas that are considered to be “ancient”—and not always accompanying holy wells. Thus, understanding healing places in Ireland necessitates exploration of archaeology, folklore, and the role that perceived connections to the past play in health and wellbeing.