Archaeology (in Times) of Crisis

Abstract

Although exceptional from our point of view, our present experience is far from unique, and the human history is replete with turbulent periods of crisis, profoundly disrupting the habitual order. These dramatic events, inevitably leaving material traces, have always commanded the special attention of archaeologists, and were often marked as turning points and demarcations between distinct periods of relative stability (Chapter 6, Gošić). Along with other fields of inquiry dealing with the past, a framework has been created and presented to the public, narrating the history of mankind as a continual path, interspersed with temporary setbacks – crises overcome by various means and strategies. From school textbooks to mass media, this catalogue of past crises constitutes a set of cautionary tales, alerting to the dangers that may befall us again. At the same time, past achievements act as a repository of templates, successful solutions that may inspire subsequent solutions. The plague that killed Pericles, the Black Death of the 14th century, the Spanish flu – most of these past events have been vaguely familiar to us before the winter of 2019/2020, but since we have been witnessing the current spread of the virus around the globe, these episodes have become much more relevant to our own modern experience. The aim of this collection is therefore to investigate some of the situations of crisis in the past from the archaeological perspective, in a search for insights that may help us to better understand and cope with the present one. At the same time, the papers demonstrate some of the vast possibilities of archaeological investigation to contribute to our understanding of the world we live in, as well as of the past societies whose material traces we study. This final chapter therefore aims to highlight the versatility of approaches and the resulting potential of archaeology to contribute not only to an understanding of the past, but also of the present we live in, and the possibilities for future trajectories.