Recent work on the archaeology of migration has fruitfully adopted interdisciplinary and contemporary methodological approaches to the study of human movement in the ancient world. This session seeks to complement this often data-driven research by exploring object-centered transculturalisms and biographies of ancient material culture in motion: i.e., un/belongings, re/integrations, and dis/placements deeply entangled with and/or reflective of various ‘migratory’ processes, as understood through objects, practices and human agents of circulations past, present, and future. How are such movements visually commemorated, or materially documented (and re-documented) in and across the ancient world? In what ways do ‘immigrant’ objects resignify, reinforce, alter, and interact with established cultural and religious landscapes, in ancient and modern contexts alike? With regard to the afterlives of ancient objects in later periods, the historical canon in material culture studies has focused heavily on early modern artisanal production, reproduction and newfound global circulations, while 19th-century histories of commerce and materiality in relation to antiquity remain relatively understudied. Therefore, we invite papers that address these questions (and more) in regions spanning the ancient Mediterranean world, broadly defined; proposals might include the examination of ancient objects created by or for migrant communities, objects that have themselves become émigrés through networks of movement, or case studies on the integration, incorporation and/or reevaluation of (previously) ‘foreign’ artefacts in academic and museological discourses. These examples are only meant to be suggestive, however, and papers on related questions of material culture in motion are also most welcome.
Organizers invite scholars to submit proposals for 15-minute presentations. Questions about the session can be directed to Dr. Leticia R. Rodriguez at lrrodriguez9@uh.edu.
Key information:
Submission period: December 19, 2025 – February 5, 2026
Submission portal: submissions.e-a-a.org/eaa2026/login
Important guidelines:
Membership: You must have an EAA ID to submit. Membership payment for 2026 is not required at the time of submission.
Please always include EAA IDs for your co-authors if they already have one.
Abstract text: Between 150-300 words.
Title: Max. 20 words.
Further details:
Please find further details regarding contributions at https://www.e-a-a.org/eaa2026.
For questions or assistance, please visit the EAA 2026 conference website or contact us at helpdesk@e-a-a.org.
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