TransPergMikro 2nd Milestone Workshop
“Social Metabolism and Historical Human-Environment Interaction:
The Pergamon Micro-Region and Beyond“

Aims and direction:
The 2nd milestone workshop of the interdisciplinary research project “The Transformation of
the Pergamon Microregion between Hellenism and the Roman Imperial Period”
(https://www.dainst.blog/transpergmikro/) will focus on the topic of social metabolism, i.e.
the material and energy flows between natural space and society. Phenomena of social
metabolism and its perception will be discussed for different areas such as nutrition,
production, waste disposal, etc. The combination of speakers from the fields of archaeology,
physical geography, building archaeology, classical philology, history, palaeoanthropology
and social and economic geography is designed to ensure that the topic can be discussed on
a broad theoretical and interdisciplinary basis. On the one hand, the results are to be
incorporated into the further work of TransPergMikro in a formative way, on the other hand
they are to initiate new collaborations and, above all, stimulate an even broader historical
application of the concept of “social metabolism”. A roundtable discussion at the end
provides the chance of a first critical reflection on the results of the workshop and on the
second phase of TransPergMikro as presented in various papers, and will discuss some
potential future directions.
It is intended to publish the results in the same format as the 1st TransPergMikro Milestone
Workshop: https://publications.dainst.org/books/dai/catalog/book/2106
Date: Fr. 10th – Sat. 11th January 2025
Place: Orient-Institut Istanbul
Galip Dede Cad. No. 65
Şahkulu Mah., Beyoğlu
34421 Istanbul
Program:
Friday, 10.1.
9:30 Felix Pirson – Brigitta Schütt – Thekla Schulz-Brize
Welcome and Introduction TransPergMikro and Workshop
1st Session “Social metabolism: Dimension and Perspectives“
(Chair: Brigitta Schütt)
10:00 Manuel González de Molina
“The dynamics of historical agroecosystems: The drivers of intensification under organic
metabolic regimes”
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Eberhard Rothfuß
“Neither city nor countryside - The rural-urban interface as an ‘intrinsic socio-spatial
context’”
11:30 Gerrit Schenk – Rüdiger Glaser
“’Fluvio-social metabolism’ as a bridging concept of medium range. On the interdisciplinary
investigation of social relations to nature”
12:00 Discussion
12:30 Lunch Break
2nd Session “Social Metabolism in the ancient Mediterranean: Practice and Perception”
(Chair: Felix Pirson)
14:00 Paul Pasieka
“Roman agriculture in Italy: a socioecological perspective on microregions, specialisation, and
integration”
14:30 Jeroen Poblome
“Cities and socioecological systems in the Roman world”
15:00 Dominik Maschek
“The ecological footprint of roman building projects: A valid Indicator of social metabolism
and human-environment Interaction?”
15:30 Coffee Break
16:00 Chiara Thumiger
“Roads, rivers, fields: ecological images of the body and its functions in Galen of Pergamon”
16:30 Sabina Fiołna
“Social network analysis of Roman provincial coinage - linking the micro-, and macro-
perspectives on Anatolia”
17:00 Discussion
20:00 Conference Dinner
Saturday, 11.1.
3rd Session “Social Metabolism of the Pergamon Micro-region” Part 1
(Chair: Thekla Schulz-Brize)
09:00 Fabian Becker – Brigitta Schütt – Robert Busch ‒ Joris Starke
“Roots to ruins: Environment perspectives on the social metabolism of the Pergamon micro-
region”
09:30 Wolf-Rüdiger Teegen
“Humans and animals as agents of social metabolism – ancient Pergamon as an example”
10:00 Bernhard Ludwig - Felix Pirson – Anneke Keweloh-Kaletta ‒ Mete Aksan – Güler Ateş - Philip
Bes ‒ Berglind Hatje
“The rural landscape and its role in the social metabolism of the Pergamon Micro-region:
Challenges and perspectives of archaeological research”
10:30 Coffee Break
4th Session “Social Metabolism of the Pergamon Micro-region” Part 2
(Chair: Victor Walser)
11:00 Léa Geisler – Ulrich Mania – Ursula Quatember - Thekla Schulz-Brize
“Planning, use and decline of urban spaces as elements of social metabolism in the Pergamon
Micro-region”
11:30 Nicole Neuenfeld
“Rubbish heaps of history – The significance of waste and waste disposal in the Pergamene
urban organism”
12:00 Julian Laabs ‒ Fabian Becker ‒ Robert Busch
“Exosomatic and endosomatic flows: Modelling Pergamon's social metabolism, review and
prospects”
12:30 Discussion
13:00 Lunch Break
14:30 Roundtable Discussion
“Social metabolism as a bridge between ancient studies and contemporary challenges?”
(Moderation: Marianne Braig)
Manuel González de Molina, Dominik Maschek, Jeroen Poblome, Eberhard Rothfuß, Gerrit
Schenk, Chiara Thumiger, Victor Walser
to be followed by a plenary discussion
16:30 Coffee Break
Special session Archaeoseismology
17:00 Mahmut Drahor ‒ Ökmen Sümer: “Active tectonics of western Anatolia, seismicity of the
region and the impact of Earthquakes on archaeological sites in the context of
archaeoseismology in western Türkiye”
Organizational details
Language: English
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The conference can be followed online. Please register in advance:
https://dainst-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtdOuvqjMrE9IE4M9Lytc1QTTCc6sykFJx
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