4th International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt hosted at LSU during Fall Holiday

LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology hosted the 4th International Congress on the Anthropology of Salt October 12-17, 2022 in the Howe-Russell-Kniffen Geoscience Complex. The Salt Congress brought together researchers to present talks on Thursday and Friday, a visit to the Avery Island Salt Mines on Saturday, and zoom presentation on Sunday from colleagues in Ukraine, Spain, Japan, Panama, and Romania who were unable to attend in person. A round-table discussion on “briquetage” (pottery from boiling brine over fires) was held in the LSU DIVA lab, featuring artifacts from LSU research as well as samples and replicas from other researchers, as well as a tour of the LSU Archaeology and DIVA labs. Undergraduates Conan Mills, Eric Labar, and Isabella Lemoine demonstrated use of 3D scanners in the DIVA lab during the tour. The Salt Congress received generous funding from the LSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences, LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology, the Atchafalaya Heritage Basin Authority, the Louisiana Archaeological Society, the University of West Alabama, the Alabama Archaeological Society, Ruta Maya Coffee, and McIIhenny Company. The organizing committee consisted of LSU Professor Dr. Heather McKillop, LSU PhD graduate Dr. Rachel Watson (LA Division of Archaeology), Western Alabama Associate Professor Dr. Ashley Dumas, LSU Phd graduate Dr. E. Cory Sills (The University of Texas at Tyler), and LSU grad students Cher Foster, Hollie Lincoln, and Heidi Mayeaux-Wagner.

Photo Credits: Heather McKillop