Lukas Kerk
Curriculum Vitae
Academic career
since 06/2021 Member of the Münster School of Ancient Cultures (MSAC) since 02/2021 Participant in the international research cluster III "Body and Death. Concepts - Media - Practices" of the German Archaeological Institute 07/2019-06/2021 Research assistant at the Department of Pre- and Early Historic Archaeology of the Department of History at the WWU Münster since 11/2017
Doctoral studies in Pre- and Early History at WWU Münster (topic and working title: Archaeologically evident permanent body modifications) 04/2015-10/2017 Student assistant at the Department of Pre- and Early Historic Archaeology of the Department of History at WWU Münster 10/2014-11/2017 Master's degree in Pre- and Early History at the WWU Münster with the academic degree Master of Arts
(Topic of the Master's thesis: The human body as a medium: tattoos, artificial cranial deformations and tooth modifications from archaeological contexts)10/2011-09/2014 Study of 2-subject Bachelor of Archaeology-History-Landscape and History at the WWU Münster with the academic degree Bachelor of Arts
(Topic of the Bachelor's thesis: Tattoos on prehistoric bodies)Teaching experience
WWU Münster
Summer semester 2021
Tutorial: Archaeology of Tattooing Winter semester 2020/21 Tutorial: The Human Body as Artefact Summer semester 2020 Tutorial: Permanent Body Modifications - Archaeological Evidence and Interpretation Winter semester 2019/20 Tutorial: Techniques of scientific work
(together with Dr. Claudia Tappert)Conference presentations
in preparation Tätowierungen, verformte Schädel und gefeilte Zähne – Archäologie der permanenten Körpermodifikationen. (Tattoos, Deformed Skulls and Filed Teeth - Archaeology of Permanent Body Modifications.) Oral presentation at the PhD colloquium "Research for Future" on December 14, 2021, in Münster. 2021 Menschen als Dinge: Überlegungen zur Hybridität von Körpern in der Archäologie. (Humans as Things: Reflections on the Hybridity of Bodies in Archaeology.) Oral presentation held on November 19, 2021, at the first Jour Fixe of the Münster School of Ancient Cultures in Münster. Body-related Practices: Theoretical basics, Identification and Interpretation using the Example of Archaeologically Evident Permanent Body Modifications. Oral presentation held on September 2, 2021, at the kick-off conference of Cluster 3 "Body & Death" of the German Archaeological Institute. Römisch-Germanische Kommission, Frankfurt am Main, September 2-4, 2021.
Tattooed Skin, Deformed Skulls, Filed Teeth: Embodied Memories and Emotions in Archaeologically Evident Permanent Body Modifications. Oral presentation in the session 230: Stories and Compassion: Material Culture, Memory, and Emotion at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists. Virtual meeting Kiel, September 6-11, 2021.
2020 Wenn stumme Körper sprechen – Archäologisch evidente permanente Körpermodifikationen und ihre kommunikative Dimension. (When silent bodies speak - Archaeologically evidenced permanent body modifications and their communicative dimension.) Oral presentation on October 30, 2020, at the 1st International Workshop of the Münster School of Ancient Cultures with the topic "Beyond Borders: Migration, Exchange and Communication in the Ancient World" from October 28-30, 2020, via Zoom.
Publications
2021 L. Kerk, Rezension zu: Horn, M., Wollentz, G., Di Maida, G. & Haug, A. (eds) (2020). Places of Memory: Spatialised Practices of Remembrance from Prehistory to Today. Oxford: Archaeopress. Archäologische Informationen 44, Early View, online publiziert 15. Okt. 2021. 2020 L. Kerk, Ein zweiphasiger Hausgrundriss des Frühmittelalters an der Schultenstraße in Rheine. Archäologie in Westfalen-Lippe 2019 (2020) 95-97. Memberships
since 2021 AG Theorien in der Archäologie Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ur- und Frühgeschichte e. V.
European Association of Archaeologists
Archaeological field research
04/2020-09/2020 Responsible excavation director (scientist) and archaeological excavation technician with special qualification
Projects:- Harsewinkel, district of Gütersloh, Olden Hof, multi-phase farmstead of the High Middle Ages (excavation director)
- Hamm, district of Hamm, Burg Mark, high to late medieval ‘motte’ (excavation director)
- Gronau, district of Borken, castle, late medieval to early modern castle complex (excavation technician and temporary excavation director)
- Ibbenbüren, district of Steinfurt, Medienquartier, modern findings (excavation technician)
08/2019-12/2019
Responsible excavation director (scientist)
Projects:- Spenge, district of Herford, Lange Straße 67, single Neolithic findings
- Anröchte, district of Soest, Gewerbegebiet-West, Teil IV, documentation of geoprofiles
Responsible excavation director (scientist)
Project:- Rheine, district of Steinfurt, Schultenstraße, multiphase farmstead of the early Middle Ages
11/2016-10/2017 Working student for excavation purposes at different archaeological excavations in Westphalia under the direction of the LWL-Archaeology for Westphalia, Münster 07/2015-10/2016 Student volunteer at the LWL-Archaeology of Westphalia, Münster 05/2015 Working student for excavation purposes at an archaeological excavation in Saerbeck, district of Steinfurt, under the direction of the LWL-Archaeology of Westphalia, Münster
04/2015-06/2015 Student excavation assistant at an archaeological excavation in Bad Sassendorf, district of Soest 02/2015 Internship as excavation assistant at an archaeological excavation accompanying the construction of the new B16 bypass Dillingen an der Donau 08/2013-09/2013 Internship as excavation assistant at an archaeological excavation accompanying the construction of the new B16, bypass Dillingen an der Donau 07/2013-08/2013 Excavation assistant at the archaeological excavation of the Neolithic collective grave Schmerlecke II, municipality of Erwitte, district of Soest 02/2013-03/2013 Internship as excavation assistant in the area of a settlement and a presumed smelting site of the Middle Ages in Neufahrn/Schäftlarn, district of Munich
09/2012 Internship with the city of Rheine, district of Steinfurt, as a lower monument authority during archaeological excavations in the project area "Emsgalerie" under the direction of the specialist department for medieval and modern archaeology of the LWL Archaeology for Westphalia
08/2012-09/2012 Surface prospection in the Soester Börde; introduction to the method of geomagnetics in archaeology and geophysical prospection of the surroundings of a Late Neolithic collective grave of the Wartberg culture near Anröchte-Uelde, district of Soest Dissertation project
Archaeologically evident permanent body modifications
Abstract
Body modifications represent a global phenomenon with enormous temporal depth.
Especially their archaeologically verifiable permanent forms of expression, which appear among other things as tattoos, scarification, skull deformation and tooth modification, hold a high potential of knowledge with regard to the human body as a socio-cultural unit and projection surface of culturally determined messages. Moreover, the ability to shape the human body provides important indications for conceptualising it as an artefact and part of material culture, and for systematising it as a medium of communication processes. Despite the scientific relevance of this research field, there is currently a significant international research desideratum. In the context of the dissertation, the question is pursued whether the causes of the implementation as well as the meanings and functions of archaeologically evident permanent body modifications can be profoundly interpreted on the basis of an elaborated theoretical and methodological framework as well as with the inclusion of context and analogy. The aim of the dissertation is to open up a completely new field of research for the archaeological sciences in an interdisciplinary approach.
Introduction
In the past twenty years, within the framework of the practice turn in cultural and social sciences, the view has increasingly prevailed that the human body, in addition to its biotic characteristics shaped from a natural science perspective, also has a function as a socio-cultural unit and projection surface of culturally determined messages. Despite this development, the human body as a cultural construct has not yet received sufficient attention in all cultural sciences. The archaeologically verifiable formability of the human body forms the basis for firmly anchoring such a view of the human body in the archaeological sciences within the doctoral project.In general, body modifications can be divided into two categories: On the one hand, temporary or ephemeral body modifications, which include, for example, body painting or, in a broader sense, hairstyle, jewellery as well as clothing, and, on the other hand, permanent body modifications, which include, among others, tattooing, scarification, skull deformation and tooth modification. Unlike temporary changes to the human body, permanent body modifications are irreversible. This irreversibility gives them a finality that manifests itself in the individual's attachment to the corporeal modification for the rest of his or her life. In contrast to temporary body-modifying practices, permanent body modifications go beyond a situational context and mark their bearers permanently. It is precisely this permanence that makes this form of body modification in its various manifestations a highly interesting object of research and evokes the need to take a look at the motives, meaning and purpose of this archaeologically detectable phenomenon.
The archaeological evidence of permanent body modifications is principally based on three categories of finds: 1. pictorial and figurative representations, 2. artefacts associated with the respective body modification or its creation, and 3. the human body itself. The latter is the most suitable source for determining permanent body modifications with the highest degree of certainty. Depending on the area of investigation, this may involve not only the complete body but also individual parts such as the skull, teeth or (tattooed) body parts. Nevertheless, pictorial and figurative representations as well as artefacts are an important proxy for the existence of permanent body modifications.
Research question
The central subject of my doctoral project is the question, relevant not only to prehistoric and early historical archaeology, but to all archaeological sciences, whether the causes of the implementation as well as the meanings and functions of archaeologically evident permanent body modifications can be interpreted in a well-founded way on the basis of an elaborate theoretical and methodological framework and by taking context and analogy into account. The doctoral project is rooted in my lively interest in permanent body modifications, which has crystallised and steadily developed over the course of my Bachelor's and Master's studies (topic of the final theses: "Tattoos on prehistoric corpses" (Bachelor) and "The human body as a medium: tattoos, artificial skull deformations and tooth modifications from archaeological contexts" (Master)). An essential motivation for the realisation of the project is the fact that, with regard to studies on archaeologically evident permanent body modifications, there has so far been a distinct research desideratum, which not only concerns the German-speaking area, but also characterises the international research literature. The scientific relevance of the project thus consists in the interdisciplinary development of a completely new field of research in the German-speaking sphere with an international scope.The aim of the dissertation project is to conceptualise the modified human body on a theoretical level as an artefact and thus part of material culture, as well as to systematise it as an independent archaeological source and as a medium of communication processes. This view of the human body is intended to give new impetus to the current research discussion on epistemological foundations in prehistoric and early historical archaeology.
Methodology
Taking into account the state of research and due to the source material, which is largely characterised by fragmentation, isolation and a detachment from the original context, both in the nature of the archaeological finds and in their scientific processing and publication, the methodological approach of analysing the archaeological context and creating analogies is chosen. A chronological and geographical limitation of the area of investigation is deliberately avoided, since 1. the source material is limited anyway due to its nature, 2. this would limit the methodological approach in its possibilities, and 3. a global perspective can thus be adopted, which opens up the possibility of working cross-culturally and can also result in potential serendipities.Within the PhD project, the archaeological context is understood to be the entire find context in which the modified human being in focus is embedded, as well as the archaeologically proven environment from which the body originates. Its analysis is carried out with the aim of gaining more detailed knowledge about the modified human body as part of the material culture and to make statements regarding potential facts that go beyond mere description. The premise is that material culture is to be understood as a system of signs that can convey meanings.
In order to approach the substantial problem that a coded message can be seen in archaeologically evident body modifications, but that their decoding by today's viewers is not possible for prehistoric times and only rarely possible for historical times, analogies and written sources must be included in addition to the descriptive observation of the physical condition and appearance of body modifications and the analysis of the context. Depending on the specific area of investigation, a variety of written sources containing references to body modifications (including tattooing, scarification and many others) can be drawn upon. These range from the Codex Hammurabi (§ 127; 226 f.) to biblical writings - primarily from the Old Testament (e.g. Ex 21:6; Lev 19:28; 21:5; Deut 14:1) - and a wealth of Greek and Roman authors that can hardly be outlined here, to texts from the Middle Ages and modern times. However, since written sources, despite their manifold usefulness, do not allow a direct reference to a large part of the archaeologically evident permanent body modifications, various forms of analogy-building are made useful for the methodological procedure. These are primarily archaeological-cultural-historical as well as cultural-anthropological comparisons.
An important object of the doctoral project is the drafting of a comprehensive concept of the human body as an artefact and part of material culture. This is based on the premise that intentional and artificially carried out as well as culturally motivated permanent body modifications characterise the human being at the same time as a modified individual, but also as a man-made thing that manifests itself through the modification. The modified human body thus has a hybridity in which it can be seen simultaneously as a human being (in the sense of the mortal remains of a once living individual) and as a man-made thing (in the sense of an artefact produced as part of material culture). However, in order not to persist in the pure descriptiveness of this newly opened view of the human body, taking into account the turn towards a semiotic-communication-theoretical concept of culture, the spiritual level transporting meaning is also included with regard to the human body as a 'mentefact' (Eggert 2014). In this context, there continues to be a detailed media- and communication-theoretical location of the modified human body, which provides an impetus for a conscious and theoretically grounded approach to the concept of media and communication in the archaeological sciences.
Within the doctorate, work is done in equal parts theoretically and empirically. The theory forms the basis for the formulation of hypotheses, which are empirically tested on the basis of the source material. Due to the special characteristics of the source material already mentioned, a qualitative selection of archaeologically proven cases of body modification is made. From the examination of the hypotheses and a comprehensive interpretation, further conclusions can be drawn which, in feedback to the theory, help to conceptualise the human body as an artefact and its culture-specific modifications in a innovative way. Initial hypotheses on the mediality of modified human bodies in an archaeological context have already been formulated and confirmed in my master's thesis and can now be further supplemented within the framework of the doctoral project and subjected to renewed scrutiny on a broad basis.
Research interests- Body modifications
- Archaeology of the human body
- (Epistemological) theory in pre- and protohistoric archaeology
- Archaeological field research