Richard Hingley (University of Durham; richard.hingley@durham.ac.uk) and Howard Williams (University of Chester; howard.williams@chester.ac.uk)

Barbarians have had a persistent presence in the history of archaeology for many regions, periods and within many different research paradigms, from the 16th century to the present day. However, the barbarian (whether appearing as Celt, Saxon, Hun, Pict or Viking) is more than the antithesis of the civilized, an ethnic attribution stuck onto archaeological material or a popular stereotype. Certainly ancient texts and contemporary socio-politics have frequently influenced and even directed archaeological interpretations of past material culture as ‘barbarian’ in character and quality. However, it is evident that throughout the history of archaeology, barbarians have been repeatedly generated, recreated and transformed through archaeological practices themselves.

In this regard, the session aims to focus on the contextual analysis of how particular antiquarians and archaeologists have 'worked with' barbarians when interpreting the past. Whether through the survey and excavation of sites, or through the conservation and presentation of the past, the session invites case studies in the history of archaeology that engage with how archaeologists have found the barbarian through practice. When dealing with artefacts, graves, monuments, settlements, landscapes and localities, how have antiquarians and archaeologists created and transformed ideas about barbarians? How do archaeological research strategies, narratives and representations portray barbarians and what do we gain or lose through the use of the concept?