Department of Medieval Archaeology of the Baltic Countries
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Sciences

has a great pleasure to invite to participate in the conference

In gremio – in praxi
Leather without borders

Leatherwork is one of the oldest areas of production, often considered even as the beginning of civilization. Research on leather products, which is today much more advanced, creates great opportunities for studying sociological, social and economic issues. Assemblages of objects recovered from dated cultural contexts are especially of great importance, as they enable studies on variability of manufacturing techniques and style of products from prehistoric times even to the present day.

Leather products, including footwear which is the most often represented in archaeological materials, are an excellent and still not fully used source for the research on the history of attire and clothes. The archaeological materials are perfectly supplemented by observations resulting from the analysis of iconography and written records in the field of clothing reconstruction in different periods from vast areas. It is worth considering what does leather products have in common, what is typical for a specific area, city, or maybe only for an city district? What were the stages of leatherwork development – were they the same for all centres, resulting from the development of civilization in general, or perhaps developing under the influence of external impulses? When can we talk about fashion, and not only about aesthetic preferences resulting from the tradition and specificity of a region or a centre?

These and many other questions can be answered by direct exchange of thoughts, ideas, news, summary remarks and research results. I would like to invite you to take part in the online meeting on December 11, 2020, under the theme of  In gremio – in praxi that already has been functioning in the Polish literature. I would like to propose “Leather without borders” as the main idea for this year’s edition.

Ironically, “the COVID situation” might turn out to be favourable for organising this meeting. I would like to suggest relatively short presentations, about half an hour long, which, in case of an online meeting, does not need to be the rule.

I would like to invite you to this meeting organised by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology Polish Academy of Sciences. In my opinion, this is a great way to exchange thoughts that could later result in a direct meeting in the post-pandemic times. Any suggestions, and comments are welcome and appreciated. Please, send your submission until November 10, 2020 on: pasziae@sz.onet.pl

Contact person:
dr hab. Anna B. Kowalska
pasziae@sz.onet.pl
+48 600 677 663