Media and Materiality in Ancient Art
Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
Date: January 5-8, 2023
Location: New Orleans, LA
Organized by Rhiannon Paré (Princeton University) and Roko Rumora (University of Chicago)
In art history, medium (pl. media) primarily refers to the materials (e.g., stone, clay, wood) employed in the
making of a work of art, often in relation to a particular technique or process (e.g., oil painting, mosaic). Within
the ancient world, works of art and crafted objects were produced in a variety of media, ranging from simple
linear designs to complex multimedia installations. Beyond discussions which focus on the economic and/or
symbolic value of the raw materials, recent scholarship on ancient art has begun to consider how the
characteristic physical properties of those materials (their materiality) or the processes of mediation (in which
raw materials are transformed into images as carriers of meaning) become significant elements of the work, its
function, and its reception. As part of the broader turn towards interpreting the material properties of ancient
objects and their processes of production, the aim of this panel is to consider how the choice of visual medium
(or of multiple media in combination) affected not simply the formal appearance of an object but also its
iconographic content and/or the experience of the viewer.
We invite papers of 15-20 minutes that explore issues of medium and materiality in the material culture and
built environments of ancient societies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The panel is not limited to a
particular geographical region and global perspectives are welcome.
Points of inquiry could touch upon:
● Medium as social or cultural message
● Remediation and the usage of one medium to represent another
● Artistic media as physical channels for storage or transmission of information
● Choice of material as a religious, social, or political statement
● Rethinking hierarchies of media within or across ancient cultures
● Interplays of materials within “multimedia” built environments
● Antiquity-related topics in media archaeology
● (Multi)-sensory experience of materials and media
● Suitability of certain media for particular spatial contexts
● Aniconism and aspects of “unmediated” experience
Abstracts of no more than 300 words, alongside a brief bio or CV, should be submitted as a pdf email
attachment to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! or Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! by Monday, March 14th. The subject line of your
email should read “AIA 2023: Media and Materiality in Ancient Art .” Notifications of decisions will be
made no later than April 1st. Should you have any questions, please contact the organizers at the emails above.
The text of your abstract should follow AIA guidelines.
Note: Limited funding opportunities for graduate students and international presenters are available through the
AIA Travel Funds program. More information available here.
Date: January 5-8, 2023
Location: New Orleans, LA
Organized by Rhiannon Paré (Princeton University) and Roko Rumora (University of Chicago)
In art history, medium (pl. media) primarily refers to the materials (e.g., stone, clay, wood) employed in the
making of a work of art, often in relation to a particular technique or process (e.g., oil painting, mosaic). Within
the ancient world, works of art and crafted objects were produced in a variety of media, ranging from simple
linear designs to complex multimedia installations. Beyond discussions which focus on the economic and/or
symbolic value of the raw materials, recent scholarship on ancient art has begun to consider how the
characteristic physical properties of those materials (their materiality) or the processes of mediation (in which
raw materials are transformed into images as carriers of meaning) become significant elements of the work, its
function, and its reception. As part of the broader turn towards interpreting the material properties of ancient
objects and their processes of production, the aim of this panel is to consider how the choice of visual medium
(or of multiple media in combination) affected not simply the formal appearance of an object but also its
iconographic content and/or the experience of the viewer.
We invite papers of 15-20 minutes that explore issues of medium and materiality in the material culture and
built environments of ancient societies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The panel is not limited to a
particular geographical region and global perspectives are welcome.
Points of inquiry could touch upon:
● Medium as social or cultural message
● Remediation and the usage of one medium to represent another
● Artistic media as physical channels for storage or transmission of information
● Choice of material as a religious, social, or political statement
● Rethinking hierarchies of media within or across ancient cultures
● Interplays of materials within “multimedia” built environments
● Antiquity-related topics in media archaeology
● (Multi)-sensory experience of materials and media
● Suitability of certain media for particular spatial contexts
● Aniconism and aspects of “unmediated” experience
Abstracts of no more than 300 words, alongside a brief bio or CV, should be submitted as a pdf email
attachment to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! or Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! by Monday, March 14th. The subject line of your
email should read “AIA 2023: Media and Materiality in Ancient Art .” Notifications of decisions will be
made no later than April 1st. Should you have any questions, please contact the organizers at the emails above.
The text of your abstract should follow AIA guidelines.
Note: Limited funding opportunities for graduate students and international presenters are available through the
AIA Travel Funds program. More information available here.