Thanks to the St John’s Opportunities Fund, Jay Ford was able to attend and present at a major archaeology conference earlier this year.
Thanks to the generosity of St John’s College and their Opportunities Fund I was able to attend the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) annual conference in Rome this year, to present my dissertation which I completed whilst at Durham.
This conference was a great opportunity to not only learn and discuss ongoing research being completed by some of the best minds in the field, but also contribute my own work to such discussions. With Rome being such a historic city promoting some of the most impressive archaeology in the world, there was no better city for such an event.
My presentation was entitled “Primate perspectives: Improving understanding of early hominid mortuary behaviour through comparison with extant chimpanzee observations” and I was to present as part of the session Invisible or Hard to See: Non-burial Treatment of the Dead in the Archaeological Record. Being a part of this session allowed me to discuss my research with researchers investigating similar topics, who provided me with valuable feedback, and possible avenues for further research. I was able to reciprocate this support to others’ presentations, creating a true sense of collaboration. Being able to attend a range of other sessions of varying topics was an added bonus to broaden my understanding of ongoing work across many archaeological disciplines.
Not only was the academic experience of this conference insightful and rewarding, but the EAA hosted a range of social events in the evenings to encourage networking and further casual discussions between delegates. These included an opening reception in a park overlooking the Colosseum. This was a great opportunity to further discuss research with my other session presenters and meet the other delegates from a range of countries and institutions. Furthermore, spending time with my fellow Durham student Xav was the cherry on top.
I want to thank the St John’s Opportunity Fund for providing me with the opportunity to present my research on the world stage, lending me ample inspiration to move forward. Rome was an incredible experience, and I cannot thank you enough!
Image credit: Jay Ford.
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