PeClA 2015












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            * PeClA 2015
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            There are three institutes dedicated to the study of Archaeology at Charles University in 

            a member of the Faculty of Arts. The Czech Institute of Egyptology is world-famous due to 
            important discoveries in Egypt and Sudan, whilst the Institute of (Prehistoric and Medieva
            is the most active of the three when speaking of the excavations running in the Czech Repu

            present, the Institute of Classical Archaeology is attracting the highest number of intern
            scholars to Prague, however. Young archaeologists specialised in the research of the Ancie
            Ancient Rome period come to Prague annually, pre-Christmas, to present and discuss their s

            from all around Europe. This event is best known under the abbreviation PeClA; the acronym
            “Perspectives of Classical Archaeology.”

            The fourth year of the international conference took place in the Celetná Street building 
            of Arts on Thursday and Friday December 10 and 11, 2015, and attracted several dozens of y
            active in the field. 25 postgraduate students held lectures introducing their studies, whi

            other participants prepared contributions for poster sessions. Both conference days were o
            lectures by visiting professors on the subject of Roman and post-Roman lower classes, or s
            elites”.

            On the first day, the keynote lecture by Emanuele Vaccaro from Siena (Italy) was on the to
            rural non-elites of Central Italy and their archaeological visibility. The speaker introdu
            from the excavations of Roman time peasant settlements in his speech. On Friday morning, h

            Alessandro Sebastiani (Sheffield, UK) addressed another fascinating issue – the reuse of l
            and urban houses in early medieval Italy. Being a historian specialised on medieval time m
            the most interesting part of the conference for me. Mr. Sebastiani’s lecture discussed the

            of the Roman villas as new settlements for small farmers, their replacement or reconstruct
            houses or churches and the introduction of small houses in the rural regions, built out of
            A dialogue was also opened on the topic of the end or reforming of a civilisation. In the 

            tended to speak about the end of an era, the dissolving of an imperium or fall of a civili
            talking about the descent of Ancient Rome. Nowadays, a change, transition or transformatio
            of a society settled in the former Roman territory is more frequent. This is actually well

            reuse of some of the former Roman buildings. If you take the example of Colosseum, it will
            surprise you that the rising Christian society opted to no longer use it as venue where gl
            for life or death but rather found it a second use as a block of flats for the post-Roman 

            of the Eternal City.
            The primary aim of the conference was to gather and introduce young researchers in the fie
            the students’ lectures were various – reaching from the discussion of research methods to 

            role of certain individuals in the Ancient Greek or Roman society. For example, conferred 
            of women, mercenaries and warriors, patients or painters and their workshops. The producti
            metal, glass or coins was discussed as well as the significance of certain areas of Ancien

            towns (e.g. harbours). While the life of the elites was addressed in some of the lectures,
            speeches were on the issue of common people or even those living in poverty. In summary, t
            were numerous and very diverse; PeClA 2015 was again a success.
                                                                                                      
            Katie Tener is a third year undergraduate student from Northern Ireland, the University of
            travel and learn from different cultures. Her host faculty at Charles University is the Fa