The sixth Kleos issue is published! As always we are proud to present the work of starting scholars of (r)MA or PhD-level.

The papers included in the issue cover a wide range of subjects. Below, we present you the authors and their papers one by one. All the papers are accessible here as well through the links in the title of each paper. This will bring you to the Kleos Academia page.

You can also download the entire issue here: Kleos Issue 6

Previous Issues of Kleos can be found on our Previous Issues page.

Florence Cobben 

This paper summarises the debate on the topic whether Jewish history should mark the events of 70 AD as a “watershed”, and provides further points for consideration and discussion. For example recent works written by modern scholars, including R. Clements, D. Levine, and J. Klawans, all argue that the importance of 70 AD has been a product of either uncritical history-making influenced by ancient interpretations, or anachronistic readings of ancient attitudes. These authors have called for new approaches to the topic, which have already been successfully carried out by academics like A. Cohen.

Florence Cobben is currently finishing her Research Master in Ancient History with a thesis on the nocturnal behaviour of Early Christians. In the meantime, she is working her way through a Master’s in Archeology at Leiden University hoping to write her second thesis on the spiritual wellbeing of indigenous cultures in relation to archaeological digs and heritage sites.

Thomas Hijzen

This review is about the ARCHON Day 2022, held on October 28th 2022 at the State Service for Cultural Heritage in Amersfoort. The conference was centred around the concept of interdisciplinary archaeology. Archaeologists in different stages of their career discussed this theme through poster presentations, workshops and a panel discussion. In his review, Thomas summarises the contents of the conference and he critically reflects on the results it yielded.

Thomas Hijzen is in the final stages of the research master in archaeology at Leiden University. His primary interest lies in combining digital techniques with landscape studies to assess archaeological patterns. For his research, he is currently using predictive modelling to analyse the organisation of the rural world in central Italy throughout the Roman Republican and Early Imperial periods.

Claudia Zancan

This paper sheds new light on the study of the decorated Mezurashizuka tombs (6th century CE) by considering them as a further element born of centuries of relations and interactions between North Kyūshū and the continent, specifically with the Korean Peninsula.

Claudia Zancan is a PhD candidate at the Department of Asian and North African Studies – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Her field of research is Art and Archaeology of Ancient Japan with a focus on the social meaning of decorated tombs in Late Kofun Kyūshū society. She holds a first Ma Degree in Archaeology (Leiden University), and a second Ma Degree in Language and Civilisation of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (Ca’ Foscari University).

Aurora Hamm

This paper focuses on German and French colonial restitutions, in which restituted objects take on new meaning. It is is argued that the restituted objects are instruments of soft power through public and cultural diplomacy. The (former) coloniser states utilise these objects, with geopolitical considerations in mind, as a means of ‘restarting’ their bilateral relationships and thus obtaining a certain reciprocity from the restitution. The materials act as ambassadors, adding a level of symbolism to their specific materiality. As such, Aurora argues that (former) coloniser states can benefit from their former empires a final time.

Aurora Hamm holds a BA degree in political science and history from the University of Bonn and a BA in art history from the University of Vienna. She just finished her Research Master in heritage, memory and archaeology at the University of Amsterdam, where she was able to combine all her research interests. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the European University Institute in Florence and is investigating the use of heritage in EU foreign policy.

Martine Mussies & Dr. Mar Guerrero-Pico

In this dialogue paper, Mussies presents an innovative analysis of the representations of archaeological artefacts in modern fanfictions of the English King of Wessex. Mussies – and subsequently Dr. Guerrero-Pico – reflect on the use of this online genre to explore how archaeological narratives are constructed outside academia nowadays.

Martine is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. As an artistic researcher, Martine uses her writing, music and visual work to explore new worlds and ideas. She is fascinated by stories about Alfred the Great, as well as by mermaids and other hybrid creatures from fairy tales, mythology and fantasy literature. Her interests include Asian studies, autism, budo, cyborgs, fanart, languages, neuropsychology, and video games. More @ www.martinemussies.nl

Dr. Mar Guerrero-Pico is Lecturer in Participatory Cultures and Media Literacy in the Department of Communication at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra‐Barcelona (Spain). Her PhD research is focused on the study of fanfiction as a narrative expansion modality in transmedia fictional universes. She has also worked as a research assistant for projects focused on exploring the transmedia skills and informal learning strategies of adolescents. Her research interests include fan cultures, transmedia storytelling, (trans)media education, and television shows.
 

Dr. Silvia Berrica

This paper focuses on the social and religious differences shifts of Visigothic Spain through the case study of Gózquez. The site is a village built at the end of the 6th century during the period of territorial reorganisation by the local aristocracy. Nonetheless, during the 8th century there was a progressive Islamisation, which led to new ceramic forms and a change in the funeral rite. Silvia considers that focusing on the Gózquez site and its archaeological materiality, it is possible to reflect on the wider social dynamics and changes occurred between the Visigothic and Islamic periods.

Silvia Berrica is a doctor at Alcalá University. Her Thesis with International Mention, “Formación y consolidación del paisaje andalusí (sig. VIII-XI) en la zona centro-occidental de la Marca Media”, received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award unanimously from the University of Alcalá, where she also received Outstanding Cum Laude. She specializes in Landscape Archaeology, Early Medieval Archaeology, Islamic Archaeology, and Archaeology of Production.