10.03.2016

Workshop: Wealth, society and transformation of resources Form and function of silver hoards and churches on Gotland (900–1400)

Vom 10. bis 12. März 2016 finden der vom Teilprojekt C 05 organisierte Workshop "Wealth, society and transformation of resources. Form and function of silver hoards and churches on Gotland (900–1400)" statt.

Wealth is not just economic prosperity but also the gain in well-being specifically based on social activity. In both cases wealth is often presented in material form. It is therefore traceable on material basis, which is accessible to historical focused cultural studies such as archaeology, history and arthistory. Fundamentally, wealth is measured according to there sources considered of specific value in a culture. Thesere sources can be either material or immaterial. First of all, there is a need to find a reliable approach to trace valuesystems within cultures, secondly, to ask what specific communities labelled as resources, and thirdly, to study how these concepts differed over time and between social groups. Focusing on the processes, dynamics and the forms of consensus of a certain valuesystem it is possible to describe cultural phenomena within an evolving society.
The workshop focuses on silverhoards and churches – two phenomena often described and highlighted for the isle of Gotland. Both are seen as items of value and therefore interpreted as material indication of wealth within their cultural contexts. Linking the societies of the Viking Age and the Middle Ages – within a period of 600 years – our focus is on the form and function of material culture and their social practice. Concerning methods and sourcematerials we are thereby seeking an interdisciplinary approach.

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