House and home tell who we are. They mirror practical needs, comfort and contemporary ways of living, as well as reflecting communication, reception and adaption of ideas of how to live and how to interact in social groups and as individuals.

This conference will address the rapidly changing forms of living and their social background and symbolic content in Europe over 800 years, from 800-1600 AD. It will seek to identify social strategies, cultural dynamics and international influence in relation to practical needs and local identities in a time of increasing Europeanization and flow of ideas on ‘how to live properly’. On the basis of ar-chaeological studies of material culture, as well as pictorial and written sources, the conference will explore the interaction of innovation, display of social standing, old and new factions, international connections, regional boundaries and ‘progress’.

We invite papers examining case studies, as well as those looking at the intersections of technical, so-cial, spatial and chronological perspectives on houses and homes. Questions may include, but are cer-tainly not limited to:How does material culture of houses and households interact and reflect social strategies and identities? Can Europeanization be identified in certain social milieus and how? How do practical needs and local preconditions meet new ideas? How do inventions, for example in heating techniques, spread? Does the introduction of new furnishings and fixtures reflect new ways of interacting in the household and how? Case studies on excavations and presentations on projects in progress or forthcoming projects are also welcome.