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Jen Baird

@jenbaird.bsky.social
866 followers 565 following 191 posts

Professor of Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London. Director of Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies. Excavator of archives. Syria, Romans, photographs, Dura-Europos. Newfoundlander.

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Reposted by Jen Baird
Lesley McFadyen @lesleymcf.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Memories of Ardeer - There are still some tickets left, come join us at the Scottish Maritime Museum this Saturday, morning drop-in or afternoon ticketed Brew&Blether with me and @linda83ross.bsky.social! #Ardeer #Ivine #CommunityHeritage www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2000317866...
eventbrite.co.uk
Memories of Ardeer
Brew & Blether - A space to reminisce about family members and friends who worked at the Ardeer.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We're hiring a (full-time, permanent) colleague to join us as Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage in @bbkhistorical.bsky.social and the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSY235/l...
jobs.ac.uk
Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage at Birkbeck, University of London
Apply for the Lecturer in Archaeology and Heritage role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Our Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies Seminar this year is "Activating/Excavating Archives", and we're thrilled that @clmorgan.bsky.social will be kicking it off with Archives as Playworlds: The Avebury Papers and Digital Creativity All welcome! Abstract and sign-up linked below!
Archival illustration of people positioning a megalith
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Author copy week for OUP I guess, my postie is not impressed with the chonky volumes arriving.
Hardcover Oxford handbooks on a rug
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
For too long, the people who have done the real work of archaeology have not been recognised. At Dura-Europos in Syria, one of the ways this is evident is in the lack of credit given, or even names recorded, for the many workers there.
Archival photograph from the Yale Dura collection of archaeological workers
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Lesley McFadyen @lesleymcf.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Join @archscot.bsky.social and the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies for the Sustainable Archaeological Futures Symposium, 10th and 11th September. Get your in person and online tickets for Day 1 here: lnkd.in/eRSCXhCa
Blue poster signposting the upcoming Sustainable Archaeological Futures Symposium from Archaeology Scotland and CISA.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Next week, at the site, we will launch a project to support Syrian names and voices being more present in the archive. facesofdura.org
Arabic invitation for event at Salhiyeh
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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 05/08/2026
Workers at the archaeological site of Dura-Europos, Syria, during 1920s-30s Yale-French Academy excavations. They were vital to the project, but were never named and local voices are largely absent from publications on the site. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... #WaybackWednesday 🏺 #Archaeology
Black-and-white photograph of several people in headscarves, some holding shovels, excavating next to a stone wall.
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Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"Looted communities: the local contexts of illicit excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria" @jenbaird.bsky.social & Adnan Almohamad www.cambridge.org/core/journal... @antiquity.ac.uk #openaccess
cambridge.org
Looted communities: the local contexts of illicit excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Looted communities: the local contexts of illicit excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria
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Dr Sarah Irving @drtermagant.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The Funds for Women Graduates Theodora Bosanquet Bursary is available to PG women studying History or English Lit to finance up to 4 weeks of basic accommodation in London in summer 2027. Email grants@ffwg.org.uk for an application form between 31 August and 31 October 2026. Details: www.ffwg.org.uk
ffwg.org.uk
Funds for Women Graduates – Funds for Women Graduates
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
With thanks to @sarahebond.bsky.social for the shout-out!
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I’m very proud our amazing undergrad students have rated us so highly on the NSS: ranked first for archaeology teaching in the country. @lesleymcf.bsky.social’s leadership of our BAs combines incredible archaeology with real care for students, and it shows!
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Christopher W. Jones @cwjones.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
An important article on local alienation from archaeological sites in Syria, in no small part due to the hidden but always present influence of the police and intelligence services and close ties cultivated between leading western archaeologists and the Assad regime.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
What is the long-term legacy of foreign excavations in places like Dura-Europos in Syria? Out today and open access in @antiquity.ac.uk with my colleague Adnan Almohamad: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Looted communities: the local contexts of illicit excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Looted communities: the local contexts of illicit excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Is it possible to tell if artefacts from Roman antiquity *were not* made by enslaved hands? In the Oxford Handbook of the Comparative Archaeology of Slavery, my co-authors and I think comparatively about objects made by the enslaved.
Screenshot of first page of a chapter, "made by the enslaved"
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Why do we talk about the “history of collection” when whole sites were torn apart and dispersed across the globe? Is it a collection, or a breaking apart? Read about Palmyra’s dispersal, out now in AJA www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
journals.uchicago.edu
Collecting Palmyra: The Global Dispersal of Palmyrene Funerary Reliefs | American Journal of Archaeology: Vol 130, No 3
Palmyra has been pivotal in archaeological and historical research due to the wealth of material and the long history of fascination with the site. Its material culture can be found on every continent...
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
We’re moving offices so saying goodbye to my lovely little Russell Square library of many years. Among the excavated materials, these Rite in the rain Transit notebooks. Can’t even remember what project I imagined needing these for!
Yellow transit notebook
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Our "World of Rome in the Museums of London" students were treated to a fantastic talk by @profyarrow.bsky.social this morning! She generously shared her slides here: livyarrow.org/2026/06/02/b.... Thanks again Liv!
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Lovely to see "Pathways to Inclusive Digital Archaeological Archives" available now via firstview in Advances in Archaeological Practice (open access). www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Pathways to Inclusive Digital Archaeological Archives | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core
Pathways to Inclusive Digital Archaeological Archives
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Lesley McFadyen @lesleymcf.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Thames through Time, the most important lesson? Work as a team! Teamwork in archaeology, it’s important - Birkbeck/MOLA!!
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Rachel King @rachelking.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Our paper on archival approaches to large digital cultural resource databases is now out open access! 🏺🗃️: doi.org/10.15184/aqy... We describe a method derived from #archive science as a complement to #BigData approaches to #development-led datasets, applied to #SouthAfrica but relevant globally
doi.org
Project biography: an archival approach to large digital cultural resource management datasets | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Project biography: an archival approach to large digital cultural resource management datasets
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Zena Kamash @zenakamash.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
It is with deep sadness that Dr Marianne Moen and I resigned our positions as Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Archaeology this morning. What follows is the letter we sent to the EAA's executive board, outlining the reasons for our resignation 1/n
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Today!
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Lesley McFadyen @lesleymcf.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Come join us in London! There are still spaces for our next CISA seminar on the 29th April with The 50 Layers Project and the amazing Cristina Gameiro!! Vir!!!
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Hard to process everything that’s happening, or know what to say, but here’s my fridge. 💔
I heart Lebanon fridge magnet
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Sadie Watson @drsadiewatson.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I’m thrilled to join the Carena Institute @bbkhistorical.bsky.social team, which will develop my teaching, build on my research, and also means @drclaireharris.bsky.social and I get to work with @lesleymcf.bsky.social @jenbaird.bsky.social and Esther Breithoff! ✨💚
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
We've set up a small exhibit on 'Sustainable Archaeologies in Times of Change' in our library as part of Birkbeck's Annual Climate Festival. If you're in Bloomsbury, please stop by! www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...
Jen Baird and Esther Breithoff standing on either side of a pink-and-white exhibit banner
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Working with sensitive archives or difficult histories? Join us next week for a workshop on “Methodological Approaches to the Margins of Violence.” Book via the link here: www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...
Archival document documenting human remains, with caption in Spanish
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Alice Stevenson @alicestevenson.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Come join me and the @uclarchaeology.bsky.social team! Teaching replacement post in Museum Studies, 1 year contract: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Gabriel Bodard @palaeofuturist.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
I'm told that one or two spaces have just become available on the ICS Summer School in 3D Imaging and Modelling for Cultural Heritage: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/... If you're interested in learning photogrammetry, RTI, 3D design, 3D printing, paradata and heritage ethics, join us!
ics.sas.ac.uk
3D Imaging and Modelling for Cultural Heritage
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
We're hiring at Birkbeck! Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, full-time and open-ended. Closing date March 18th. Details here: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics to join our dynamic team within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Autumn 2026. 

As Lecturer in Ancient History and Classics, you will contribute to the teaching of ancient Greco-Roman history and Classics in the School of Historical Studies - this includes our BA Ancient History and Archaeology, BA Classics, BA Classical Studies, as well as MA Classical Civilisation and MA Classics.

This post is offered on a permanent contract at Birkbeck, full time, 35 hours per week, with a salary of £44,247 rising to £60,858 per year. Teaching hours will vary from 6-9pm Monday to Friday. 

To be successful, you will bring research expertise in ancient Greek history, broadly understood (this could include the history of Greek-speaking lands under the Roman empire), as well as ancient Greek literature, and demonstrate a capacity to contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching, participate actively in curriculum development, supervise doctoral students, and help shape the intellectual life of our vibrant academic community.

We would also welcome applicants who could contribute to collaborative teaching programmes or research in the Faculty, in areas such as identity, race/ethnicity, or gender - experience of collaboration with cultural institutions, whether through research or teaching, is also welcome. The postholder could potentially take advantage of Birkbeck’s new Immersive Learning Centre for teaching or research.

As Lecturer, your core responsibilities will initially include programme/module administration, teaching, supervision, assessment, student support and pastoral care. You will also be equipped to supervise doctoral students.

With a PhD in any area of Ancient History/Classics relating to the ancient Greek world,...
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Can heritage contribute to recovery after conflict? We're holding a roundtable in March at the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies on the role of heritage in recovery and transitional justice in Syria. All welcome!
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Lesley McFadyen @lesleymcf.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
March news! Come join us for our next CISA seminar on March 4th to hear Dr Muna Dajani, Fellow in Environment at LSE, talk on 'Wadi Gaza: a river valley recalcitrant to erasure'. More information and link on the CISA website to sign up. www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...
The importance of a river's life.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
I have been called many things, but "Joseph Armstrong Jr" is a new one. Le sigh.
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Julia Laite @julialaite.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Wonderful news from Birkbeck's School of Historical Studies. We're hiring not one but TWO open-ended, full-time roles: Medieval Studies, and History of Art! cis7.bbk.ac.uk/home.html#fi...
cis7.bbk.ac.uk
Current Vacancies - Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Next week at the Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies (Birkbeck), we'll hear from Layla Renshaw about 'The Recovery and Identification of WWI Soldiers on the Western Front: Citizen Science, Nationalism, and Memorial Diplomacy'
Statue memorial on stone plinth with French flag in background
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Working on a thing, distracted by a headpot. Please behold this incredible likeness of Syrian empress Julia Domna from York (York Museums H2132).
Vessel (head pot / face urn) in the shape of a woman's head.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Absolutely this. Carney (and Canada) are not perfect but such a relief to hear from someone who sounds like a grown-up for a change.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
In mid-2023 I was invited to speak about the 3rd Century Crisis at a conference in Copenhagen. By the time I was writing the paper later that year, the irony of writing about ancient crises from a position of safety in a world full of real violence (in the very same places) was almost too much.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Today! And if you tried to sign up and were waitlisted, we now have more space (Keynes library, Gordon square)
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Birkbeck is hiring a Lecturer in Medieval Studies (c.1300-1500), full-time and open-ended. They will be formally based in English but expected to be able to contribute about 0.5FTE to History, including teaching and supervision. Closing date Feb 23rd: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Birkbeck, University of London, is seeking a Lecturer in Medieval Studies to join our dynamic team within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Autumn 2026. 

As Lecturer in Medieval Studies you will contribute to the teaching of Medieval English literature and Medieval history across the Faculty, within our School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, and School of Historical Studies - this includes our BA English and BA History programmes, as well as postgraduate taught programmes in the two subject areas.

This post is offered on a permanent contract at Birkbeck, full time 35 hours per week, with a salary of £44,247 rising to £60,858 per year. Teaching hours will vary from 6pm - 9pm, Monday to Friday. 

To be successful, you will bring research expertise in the literature, history and culture of the Late Medieval period (c.1300-1500), and demonstrate a capacity to contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching, participate actively in curriculum development, supervise doctoral students, and help shape the intellectual life of our vibrant academic community.

We would also welcome applicants who would be able to contribute to collaborative teaching programmes or research in the Faculty, in areas such as identity, race/ethnicity, or gender - experience of collaboration with cultural institutions, whether through research or teaching, is also welcome.

Core responsibilities will initially include programme/module administration, teaching, supervision, assessment, student support and pastoral care.  You will also be equipped to supervise doctoral students.

With a PhD in any area of Medieval Studies, you will contribute the Faculty’s and Schools’ research impact and culture, and to the intellectual and cultural life of the institution and the various communities and partners with whom we work and serve.
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
The first Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies Seminar series, on Collaborative Archaeologies in (Post)Conflict Contexts, kicks off next week with Hiba Alkhalaf. All welcome! Sign up via the link: www.bbk.ac.uk/events?tag=1...
Seminar schedule, Collaborative Archaeologies in
(Post)Conflict Contexts,  Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies
Spring Seminar 2026

Weds 14 January, 4:00-5:30pm
Hiba Alkhalaf, Voices of Heritage/Aswat Alturath
From Destruction to Recovery: Syrian Heritage,
Fourteen Years On

Weds 4 Feb, 4:00-5:30pm
Layla Renshaw, Kingston
The Recovery and Identification of WWI Soldiers on the
Western Front: Citizen Science, Nationalism and
Memorial Diplomacy

Weds 4 March, 4:00-5:30pm
Muna Dajani, LSE
Grieving Dying Rivers: An Ode to Wadi Gaza in Times of
Genocide

Weds 29 April, 3:30-5pm
Cristina Gameiro, Universidade de Lisboa
Portuguese Archaeology after the Carnation Revolution:
The 50Layers project

Weds 27 May, 3:30-5pm
Alfredo Gonzalez-Ruibal, Spanish National Research Council
A Country where Nobody Sings: Doing Archaeology
after Dictatorship in Spain
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Alexandra Sills @belovedofoizys.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
FB memories tells me that it is exactly 8 years since I received my unconditional offer for my Classical Studies BA at Birkbeck. I'm a little bit stunned to think how much I've managed to cram in since then. Seems like a good time to reshare this: ancientalexandra.weebly.com/blog/an-ode-...
ancientalexandra.weebly.com
An Ode to my Alma Mater
Note: this post was originally published on 29/08/2022​ Since this blog was conceived to chart my adventures in adult education, it would be remiss of me not to write about how I feel as I...
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
A year ago yesterday, everything changed for Syria. This January, Hiba Alkhalaf will speak at Birkbeck about "From Destruction to Recovery: Syrian Heritage, Fourteen Years On".
Aleppo with tidied-up destruction
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
No points for guessing which of these articles is mine!
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
*pinches bridge of nose* Rachel explain to me again how the university funding model works
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
The Carena Institute of Sustainable Archaeologies seminar series will start next term at Birkbeck. The topic will be Collaborative Archaeologies in (Post)Conflict Contexts. All very welcome!
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Scott Rodgers @scott-rodgers.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Join us Nov 25 for Engaging Publics in Media, Cities & Space -free online conference on research impact in media and urban studies. Talks on monographs, journals, podcasts, walking tours + networking, incl. a special session for ECRs. 👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...
docs.google.com
Engaging Publics in Media, Cities and Space - Online Conference 2025
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Jen Baird @jenbaird.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Item on the Damascus Museum thefts, including quotes from @bbkhistorical.bsky.social’s own Adnan Almohamad
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Sadie Watson @drsadiewatson.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Proper treat yesterday listening to Dr Ana Vale of Uni of Porto speaking on her incredible research into social lives in Late Prehistory. Thank you to @bbkhistorical.bsky.social and @lesleymcf.bsky.social for the invitation, the Carena Institute for Sustainable Archaeologies is up and running 🌟
Two women at the start of a lecture, one sitting and the other standing to introduce her. The first slide says: Networks of Sociability in Portuguese Late Prehistory.
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