Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, skeptic, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
The Swedish Research Council just released the list of researchers who are getting funding this year. The following archaeological projects are on the list.
- Ingela Bergman: Trade, trade routes and Sami settlements -- socio-economic networks in northern Sweden AD 1000-1500.
- Gunilla Eriksson: Individual relationships -- cultural diversity and interaction in Neolithic Poland.
- Henrik Gerding: Lateres coctiles -- the early use of fired brick in Europe.
- Ulf Hansson: "The Linnaeus of Archaeology" -- Adolf Furtwängler and the great systematisation of Classical Antiquity.
- Ragnar Hedlund: Propaganda and dialogue -- visual media and societies in the Roman empire.
- Kristian Kristiansen: National data base for rock-carving documentation and research.
- Johan Ling: Was copper ore mined in Sweden during the Bronze Age? Reality, mode of thought or myth? A comparative study of lead isotopes between bronze objects and copper ore in Dalsland, Värmland and north-east Småland provinces.
Congratulations, guys! There is almost always somebody on the list that makes me whince and grind my teeth, but not this time. Eriksson and Ling are awesome, they really deserve some dough.
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
GO-Art (Gothenburg Organ Art Centre at the Univ. of Göteborg) got 15.000.000 kronor for a group of projects relating to historical organs. This is one of the largest grants ever awarded to a musicological project - let the champagne flow!
/ Mattias
Posted by: Mattias | October 20, 2009 2:25 PM
That's excellent, most of the organ-building period is intensively studied by archaeologists. I learned just the other day that the Romans had them.
Posted by: Martin R | October 20, 2009 2:30 PM
Yes and the Hebrews and Greeks, even! Early organ music from the West is best enjoyed in meantone tuning, as with this Starck instrument in Zlatá Koruna, Bohemia:
http://www.oldorg.net/zlata/walt_eid_zkm.mp3
I am so happy for GO-Art - so well deserved!
Did you have an application in yourself this round, Martin?
/ Mattias
Posted by: Mattias | October 20, 2009 2:46 PM
I did. Pretty much the same one as last year. Same negative result. When other people get a funding application turned down, they come up with a new project description. I just stick to the one I've got and keep sending it around my usual funding bodies.
Posted by: Martin R | October 20, 2009 4:19 PM
Shout out to Henrik Gerding! Great classical archaeologist who did his Post-doc at Uppsala. The great thing about him is that he takes a subject that sounds like an absolute snore ("fired brick!") and shows how interesting it is as it reveals so much about information networks, social structures, the foundation of cities and economic priorities in prehistory.
Good to see he gets a chance to keep going. Also good to see the council put some money into very material focused projects.
Posted by: ArchAsa | October 20, 2009 4:33 PM
Actually I just realized Ragnar Hedlund, a fairly new PhD in Classical Archaeology from Uppsala University, also got a grant! Its a project about the use of different kinds of materials to create visual propaganda in the Roman Age.
Way to go Ragnar!
Posted by: ArchAsa | October 20, 2009 5:31 PM
How could I miss Ragnar? Sorry man! And congrats! I'll put you in now.
Posted by: Martin R | October 21, 2009 6:10 AM
I'm not sure if I understand the last project. Either copper ore was mined in Sweden during the bronze age, or it wasn't. If it wasn't, but people thought it was, these people were wrong. What's this 'mode of thought' thing?
Posted by: Akhôrahil | October 23, 2009 3:30 AM
I don't understand that bit either. Judging from Ling's earlier work it is unlikely to refer to knowledge relativism. Now that the project has received funding, I believe you should be able to find a detailed description at vr.se .
Posted by: Martin R | October 23, 2009 3:52 AM