First conference (Geneva)

First conference Between history and archaeology : dialogues on peoples of pre-Roman Italy (Vandœuvres/Geneva, Fondation Hardt, 30.1-3.2.2013)

A separation between historical and archaeological studies has often characterised the studies on ancient pre-Roman Italy during the last years. On one hand historians have often shown a scarce interest towards material data and a Romanocentric perspective. On the other hand archaeologists have often worked especially on the detailed study of the material culture, losing sight of the final aim of a historical reconstruction and working on ancient sources in an insufficiently critical way.

This conference aims at going beyond this separation, opening a discussion between scholars that adopt especially a historical perspective and the ones that prefer an archaeological approach. We aim at reaching, thanks to the common work of the two scholars, a synthesis between the two approaches.

We would like to test the validity of this methodological approach on a limited number of peoples of preRoman Italy (Samnites, Sabines, Picens, Umbrians, Faliscans and Capenates, Latins, Volscians, Campanians and Lucani).

The analysis of each ethnos will have to be conducted bearing in mind the following questions and limiting the inquiry to the period preceding the Roman conquest:

• The emergence of the ethnos in ancient written sources and the possibility of recognising a cultural specificity in the archaeological record;
• The link between the ethnos and the territory (territorial organisation, relations between centre and periphery, …);
• The relationships with the neighbouring ethne.

List of orators and invited orators