BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Goldsmithing in Hierarchical and Heterarchical Iron Age Steppe Soc
 ieties - Saltanat Amir (University of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20250124T131500Z
DTEND:20250124T140000Z
UID:TALK227710@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Qin-Qin Lü
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\n\nGoldsmithing was practised on the East Eurasian s
 teppes from at least the 3rd millennium BCE. However\, the significance of
  gold increased substantially with the emergence of the Saka societies at 
 the end of the 8th century BCE\, in the territories of East Kazakhstan and
  western Siberia. The Saka were among the earliest Eurasian nomadic popula
 tions to practise the famous “Animal Style” in gold. In this presentat
 ion\, I will outline some of the results from my PhD research\, which focu
 ses on Saka goldsmithing.\n\nThe presentation will cover several key stage
 s in the development of Saka goldsmithing and Saka society.\n\n8th to 6th 
 centuries BCE – The emergence of a hierarchical society\, including the 
 development of Saka elite fashion\, which incorporated\, among other items
 \, gold plaques and microbeads. The technological and traditional evolutio
 n of these objects\, the elite’s control over gold sources\, and the pre
 sence of specialised goldsmiths will be discussed.\n\nPost-6th century BCE
  – A shift towards heterarchical societies\, marked by a partial collaps
 e of control over local goldsmiths and gold sources. These profound societ
 al changes led to the adaptation of local goldsmithing practices and trans
 formations in the organisation of production. This section will examine th
 e mechanisms of adaptation and the resulting changes in technology and the
  range of manufactured gold objects.\n\nThe probable causes of this collap
 se will also be briefly addressed. The influence of Saka elite fashion\, w
 hich spread across the Eurasian steppe and came to dominate local nomadic 
 elites’ taste\, will be explored.\n\nFinally\, I will highlight a few di
 stinguishing features of Iron Age Saka goldsmithing traditions\, including
  the use of hollow cone granulation\, tin-containing joining method\, and 
 tin-gold intermetallic compounds (tin-gold IMCs).\n\nPlease join us in-per
 son in the McDonald Institute seminar room or join online.\n\nhttps://team
 s.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDc2MDk1ZGQtNmNkZC00M2U2LTliYjM
 tN2EyZWE0MDI5ZTAz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2249a50445-bdfa-4b
 79-ade3-547b4f3986e9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%227c42dde3-f200-49ed-9a81-5aa7e67f9
 45e%22%7d
LOCATION:Seminar Room\, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research\, D
 owning Site
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR