UCL Institute of Archaeology

Mike Corbishley's volume on Pinning Down the Past. Archaeology Heritage and Education Today which aims to promote access to and understanding of the archaeology of past cultures in any part of the world has been published by Boydell Press.

In a relatively short period of time the pursuit of archaeology has evolved from an antiquarian interest to a specialised scientific activity. As each new method and technique is developed, and each new specialism is created, the challenge of making archaeology available as a learning resource grows with it. This book, the first to deal with the subject in such depth, examines the place of education and outreach within the wider archaeological community.

With numerous informative case studies - including the Ancient Merv Project with which he is involved and widening participation initiatives undertaken at the Institute, including the Kingsbury School project and the Young Archaeologists' Club  - this book examines how the teaching of archaeology has reached the point it is at today and suggests areas for further inquiry.

Mike, who is an Honorary Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology, has been teaching in Greece during the Spring Term 2012 on an MA in Heritage Management at a new centre opened by the University of Kent and the Athens University of Economics and Business, Eleusina, just outside Athens.

The course was an adaptation of his Institute of Archaeology course on Archaeology and Education and aimed to give students some understanding of the potential of using archaeology and the historic environment in both formal and informal education. 

Ten students completed the course which included on-site studies of the educational potential of the ancient sites of Eleusis and Corinth, as well as a visit to the education department of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens.