The Past in the Present by Laurent Olivier

The Department of Archaeology is excited to welcome Professor Laurent Olivier of the French National Museum of Archaeology to deliver our inaugural Richard Bradley Lecture. The archaeological past continues to occupy the present, even though its time has long since passed. This talk will explore the idea of ‘transformission’, whereby the archaeological past is transformed as it is transmitted. It will also consider how the ‘Great Acceleration’ – the rapid increase in human activity which began in the mid-twentieth century – is crushing both past and future into a dead-end present. Can archaeology, which restores the memory of people and places, become a tool of resistance the age of devastation introduced by the advent of the Anthropocene? This lecture will be held in honour of Richard Bradley, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology, whose work has transformed our vision of the archaeological past. We hope to see many of you there!

For more information contact: d.j.garrow@reading.ac.uk