This second conference (ICA II) aims to show the interest of using experimental science in the context of archaeological excavations. The originality of the proposed approach lies in the use of this tool prior to excavation in order to be operational on the field more quickly and to refine the excavation of craft structures. The meeting will be held in three places, over two stages:

 

• Stage I: Conference. Egyptological day and thematic days

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The Sorbonne University – CNRS Faculty of Arts, Pharaonic Worlds team (UMR 8167, Orient & Méditerranée)  and MSH Paris-Saclay University will jointly host the conference days in order to make the symposium as accessible as possible to researchers and students. The goal is to invite archaeologists and archaeometrists to testify to the contribution of experimentation to excavation and laboratory studies. All research areas may be the subject a presentation, as long as a feedback to the field and/or laboratory practice is evident. A specific session will be dedicated to technical ceramics which have particular characteristics in relation to "fire", for example: moulds, crucibles, nozzles, cooking dishes, furnace linings, etc.

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• Stage II: Experimental days

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During this second part of the meeting, an opportunity is created to foster future collaborations and interdisciplinary archaeological research. To this end, all conference participants are invited to attend the experimental sessions at Melle in Poitou. At this unique and interactive meeting place, speakers who have proposed an experimental subject that fits the conference theme of will participate directly in the experimental sessions. All structures will have to be built and prepared for use in June 2019 to be operational by September 2019.

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Theme

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Experimental archeology is a research tool developed within interdisciplinary teams, often in relation to excavation sites. The first contribution of the reconstructions is to allow a better a posteriori interpretation of the archaeological structures and artefacts brought to light. It is a matter of understanding these techniques for themselves, as proposed already by François Sigaut.

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However, it is possible to go beyond the classical approach of experimentation as a test of conclusions formed at the end of the excavation. Experimental experience can now also be positioned upstream of the fieldwork and help to better organize excavation strategies. The interest and originality of this symposium will be to illustrate the positive influence of experiments in the practice of archaeological excavation:

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• How does experimentation improve the reading of complex structures?

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• What can the act of experimentation bring to the act of excavation?

 

• How do we interpret archaeological structures in terms of requirements of a reconstructed craft?

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• What can the use of historical texts contribute to the construction of experience? How can one experimentally approach production chains for which little or no archeological evidence exists? How does it contribute to the archaeologist's practical work for a better reading of the field evidence? How does the use of written sources enable our sensory development for a better reading of the field?

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• How can we come to an interaction between these craft structures and excavation sites as a whole? Can we better define the micro-economy of a site? What are the human means put into place at the time to meet the production requirements?

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• How does experimental taphonomy influence our approach to sites and structures?

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Each question constitutes an avenue for reflection and this list is of course not exhaustive.