Comics and Archaeology

This book adds to the scant academic literature investigating how comics transmit knowledge of the past and how this refraction of the past shapes our understanding of society and politics in sometimes damaging ways. The volume comes at these questions from a specifically archaeological perspective, foregrounding the representation and narrative use of material cultures. It fulfils its objectives through three reception studies in the first part of the volume and three chapters by comic creators in the second part. All six chapters aim to grapple with a set of central questions about the power inherent in drawn images of various kinds.

Dr Zena Kamash FSA is a British Iraqi archaeologist and Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology and Art in the Department of Classics, Royal Holloway University of London, UK. She is an expert on the heritage and archaeology of the Middle East and Britain. Her current research focuses on crafting, heritage and healing in post-conflict Syria and Iraq.

Dr Katy Soar is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Winchester, UK. Her main areas of research are Greek Archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age Aegean, and the history and reception of archaeology. Her current research focuses on depictions of Knossos on historical postcards and on the representation of antiquity in folk horror.

Dr Leen Van Broeck is Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Classics at Royal Holloway University of London, UK, after completing a PhD on Tacitus there in 2018. She has taught undergraduate classicists and ancient historians on methods and approaches to (ancient) history and co-convened the Oxford Comics Network seminar series at the University of Oxford from 2019 to 2021.

Auteur

Dr Zena Kamash FSA is a British Iraqi archaeologist and Senior Lecturer in Roman Archaeology and Art in the Department of Classics, Royal Holloway University of London, UK. She is an expert on the heritage and archaeology of the Middle East and Britain. Her current research focuses on crafting, heritage and healing in post-conflict Syria and Iraq.

Dr Katy Soar is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Winchester, UK. Her main areas of research are Greek Archaeology, particularly the Bronze Age Aegean, and the history and reception of archaeology. Her current research focuses on depictions of Knossos on historical postcards and on the representation of antiquity in folk horror.

Dr Leen Van Broeck is Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Classics at Royal Holloway University of London, UK, after completing a PhD on Tacitus there in 2018. She has taught undergraduate classicists and ancient historians on methods and approaches to (ancient) history and co-convened the Oxford Comics Network seminar series at the University of Oxford from 2019 to 2021.

Contenu

1. Chapter 1: Why comics and archaeology?

2. Chapter 2: 'The Aliens from 2000 BC': Truth, Fiction, and Pseudoarchaeology in American Comic Books

2.1 Fortean Truth-Fiction 2.2 Pseudoarchaeololgy in American Comics

2.3 A Web of Fortean Truth-Fiction

3. Chapter 3: Panels from the South Seas: Pacific colonialism, archaeology, and pseudoscience in francophone Bande Dessinée

3.1 Europe and the Pacific: colonialism, races, and monuments

3.2 Rapa Nui and archaeology-fiction

3.3 Is the Truth out there? Science fiction narratives in the Pacific

3.4 Visual syncretism and collateral damage 3.5 Beyond the panels: Pacific studies, Indigeneity, and science communication

4. Chapter 4: Making Sargon Great Again: Reuse and Reappropriation of Ancient Mesopotamian Imagery in Fan-Art of the Online Right

4.1 The Copper Head of an Old Akkadian Ruler

4.2 An Old Akkadian artefact in new company

4.3 Fan art of 'Sargon of Akkad', the YouTuber

4.4 Fandom and fan art 4.5 Far right appropriation of ancient imagery

4.6 Conclusion: Negotiating meaning between academics, fans, and online media

5. Chapter 5: Creating Comics for Public Engagement in Roman Aeclanum: Illustrating Ancient History

5.1 The context of Aeclanum

5.2 Aims for the comic

5.3 Community engagement

5.4 2018 adult survey

5.5 2018 children's survey

5.6 Creating the comic as an artist-practitioner

5.7 Measuring impact

5.8 Feedback samples

5.9 Classroom outreach

5.10 Final outcomes

5.11 Project reflections

6. Chapter 6: 'Mix, Mould, Fire!': Comic Art and Educational Outreach Inspired by Archaeology

6.1 Introduction

6.2 The Archaeological Context: Pottery Manufacturing at Seyitömer Höyük

6.3 The Educational Context: Comics and Multimodal Pedagogies

6.4 Comic Art Interpretation: "Mix, Mould, Fire!"

6.5 Outreach at George K. Porter Middle School in Los Angeles, California

6.6 Outreach at University of South Florida Preschool for Creative Learning in Tampa, Florida

6.7 Discussion 6.8 Conclusion and Future Directions

7. Chapter 7: 'They do things differently there': Articulating the Unfamiliar Past in Community Heritage Comics