The European Archaeologist
Creators: name: The European Association of Archaeologists (EAA)
name: Walsh, Matthew
name: Reiter, Samantha S.
Publisher: name: The European Association of Archaeologists
Year: 2022

description: Letter from the Editors

 

Dear Colleagues,

The long, warm days of summer are finally upon us. For many of us, this means a return to the possibilities and prospects of fieldwork. With this comes the ever-present possibility of new discoveries, new insights and new friends. One anticipated event for many of us is of course the EAA hybrid Annual Meeting taking place this year in Budapest as well as online. The Annual Meeting has always been a time and place to share research and findings. This year, it has the added bonus of being a welcome chance to catch up with old friends and meet new colleagues.

While summertime is a joy, these bright days are not as halcyon as they sometimes were. Conflict continues in Ukraine and many speculate that corona-related restrictions may lurk just beyond the doorstep of autumn. We ought not forget that the record-breaking temperatures already felt in many places across the globe this year are reflections of anthropogenic climate change, making this and future summer field seasons a different and more dangerous beast than those to which we have been accustomed in the past. As much field work takes place during the dog days of summer, we cannot stress enough the importance of using sun cream, keeping adequately shaded and covered from the sun, and—above all—staying hydrated! Take care of each other out there!

This issue of TEA marks our fourth issue as your new editors. We are grateful to the many people across the EAA community that have helped us, offered advice or insights, or taken the time and effort to make their own contributions to TEA – thank you! We look forward to continuing to serve you as we continue our search for exciting, intriguing and enjoyable content as we adapt the newsletter to the evolving needs and desires of the EAA community. 

Please consider making your own contribution to an upcoming issue. We are also always open to suggestions, inquiries and ideas on how to make TEA’s content even better. One such addition that is reflected in this issue is the recent announcement of TEA’s Photojournalist Award. Check it out here. Could one of your archaeology-related images be one of our next covers and win you a year’s free membership to the EAA? Submission is easy and takes just a few moments of your time! For inspiration, look no further than the current cover, a stunning advance taste of what Hungarian archaeology has to offer.

In addition to the usual TEA fare, including the Calendar, the ongoing segment ‘In Case You Missed It’ featuring links to popular archaeological news, and other such announcements and reminders, this issue includes a brief chat with Kateřina Kleinová, the EAA’s Events and Data Manager – an integral member of the EAA Secretariat, all of whom work behind the scenes to make the EAA run smoothly. 

As we gear up for the Annual Meeting in Budapest, this issue features a helpful guide oriented specifically for archaeologists to some of the exciting sites and experiences to which we can look forward when visiting the ‘Pearl of the Danube’. In like fashion, Magdolna Vicze from the Hungarian National Museum also offers perspective on her experiences in Hungarian archaeology in ‘Meet a Member over TEA’. 

TEA’s own Samantha Reiter describes colleagues’ views on working in the trenches as commercial archaeologists and the Early Career Archaeologists (ECA) EAA Community introduces their community and its mentoring programme’s efforts at supporting our discipline’s next generation. This issue also features two research reports: an update on exciting fieldwork and finds from the Early Bronze Age cemetery at Mokrin, in Serbia, and an overview of the fascinating and often entertaining work being produced on the subject of ancient graffiti by The Ancient Graffiti Project. It also includes a Project Announcement for the research project ‘Innovation Processes and Knowledge-Transfer Systems within South Scandinavian Stone Age Mobility’. Furthermore, we have a Newsflash from Norway on the unprecedented outpouring of support levelled by the public towards the ongoing preservation issues facing the famous Viking ships and assemblages housed in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Rounding out this issue’s offerings is a report on the seminar ‘Studies of Conflict: Bridging the Gap’ held this past June in Stockholm.

Whether you are in the field, in the office or at the beach, we hope that you enjoy this summer issue of TEA and we look forward to seeing you at the AM, either in person or online! As writes Bence Sóos, “Találkozunk Budapesten!/See you all in Budapest!”

 

Best Regards,

Matthew J. Walsh and Samantha S. Reiter