ABSTRACT
The use of sensory experiences to cast a lifeline to the “dead” ancient past offers a way for scholars and students of the ancient Near East to better understand, reimagine, and bring to life the human experience in antiquity. Sensory studies as an intellectual pursuit allows scholars to bring to life in a remarkably vivid, sometimes imaginative, as well as visceral way the lives of past humans. The field of sensory studies is growing rapidly, and attracts constituent scholars from multiple disciplines and time periods. At many sensory studies panels at conferences, presenters will often bring modern versions of frankincense and myrrh resins and oils and pass them around the audience in order to evoke the ancient smellscape. Local alternative archaeologies that are based on community practice and engagement with materials from the past and cultural heritage are encouraged. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
