2008 Conference
"Sharing Archaeology"
The International Centre for Chinese
Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA), a collaborative project between the
School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University and the
Institute of Archaeology of University College London, together with the
International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle
University, is organising an international conference on ‘Sharing
Archaeology’ to be held in Beijing (Peking University) between 4 and 7
November 2008.
中国文化遗产保护与考古学国际中心(ICCHA)——北京大学考古文博学院与伦敦大学学院考古学系合办机构,将联合纽卡斯尔大学文化与遗产国际中心,共同举办“共享考古学”国际讨论会。会期为2008年11月4日至7日,地点北京大学。
The conference has four major themes:
会议包括四个主要议题:
1. Sharing between archaeologists
与考古学家们的共享
2. Sharing between various associated subjects, distinguishing
与不同学科间的共享
2a. other ‘scientific’ specialists
其他学科的专门家
2b. heritage-related specialists (tourism etc)
文化遗产相关领域,如旅游业
Taking into account what other specialists want from archaeologists
3. Share with the general public, distinguishing
与大众的共享
3a. those who visit archaeological sites and monuments open to the public
主动参观遗址的大众
3b. the majority of the general public who do not visit sites and monuments
其他主要大众
Taking into account what the public and the media want from archaeologists
4. The relationship between sharing archaeology and the protection of cultural heritage.
共享考古学与文化遗产保护的关系
Contributions,
in the form of papers or poster presentations should be sent to
Catherine Todd (Catherine.todd@ncl.ac.uk) on or before 1 September 2008.
If papers cannot be accepted because of time constraints there will be
the opportunity of placing these on a conference web-site prior to the
meeting.
请于2008年9月1日之间,将拟发言稿寄给Catherine Todd (Catherine.todd@ncl.ac.uk),如因会期限制不能安排发言者,会将其投稿发表与会议网站上。
On
Tuesday 4 November all conference participants will take part in a
one-day site visit to Dabaotai Han Dynasty Tombs Museum near to Beijing
and to the Zhou Kou Dian Site (Peking Man Site). Participants’ common
experiences on these visits will help to inform discussion during the
rest of the conference.
会议将于11月4日组织与会代表参观大葆台汉墓博物馆和北京周口店遗址。会前参观将有助于代表们在讨论会上就一些共同的体会和感受充分交换意见。
A draft outline of the conference including speakers will be available in mid September.
九月中旬会议初步议程将确定,包括与会发言代表名单和顺序。
We hope to publish the proceedings of the conference within twelve months.
会后一年内我们希望可以出版发行会议论文集。
For further information please contact: Catherine Todd (Catherine.todd@ncl.ac.uk)
更多相关咨询,请联系Catherine Todd (Catherine.todd@ncl.ac.uk)
Professor Peter Stone
International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies, Newcastle University
Peter Stone 教授, 纽卡斯尔大学文化与遗产研究国际中心主任
Professor Zhao Hui
Director, School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University
Director, International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology
赵辉教授,北京大学考古文博学院院长,中国文化遗产保护与考古学研究国际中心 主任
Professor Stephen Shennan
Director, Institute of Archaeology, University College London
Stephen Shennan教授,伦敦大学学院考古学研究所主任
Professor Thilo Rehren
Executive Director, International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology
Thilo Rehren 教授,中国文化遗产保护与考古学研究国际中心执行主任
On behalf of the Sharing Archaeology organising committee
“共享考古学”会务组
INTRODUCTION AND ASPIRATIONS FOR THE CONFERENCE
Professor Peter Stone
International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies
Newcastle University, UK
That
we should, and do, share the results of our archaeological work seems
an obvious statement to make and thus, to some minds, might bring into
question why we are holding this conference. However, it only takes a
few moments of reflection to acknowledge that our sharing is, at best,
unstructured – if not downright haphazard – and could be seen, at worst,
as almost non-existent. And yet, surely, sharing our discoveries and
understanding of the past must be the oxygen in which our discipline
exists and thrives.
Most archaeologists now reject the view that
archaeology is an objective science with only one – “the correct” -
possible interpretation of our excavations and fieldwork. The previous
certainties of the culture-history and processual approaches to
archaeology have been replaced by an acceptance that archaeology is a
subjective discipline in which contexts and choices frame our research
questions, our understanding and presentation of data, and our
interpretations.
The implications of this acceptance of
archaeology as a subjective discipline are wide-ranging as we have to
re-negotiate how we share our data and knowledge and how we justify and
present our interpretations. This has implications not only for the
sharing of information between archaeologists but also in how
archaeologists share knowledge and understanding with the wider public.
It has significant implications on how archaeology, and archaeological
interpretation, is used, and on occasion, abused, by society more
widely.
Our conference has therefore been divided into four themes:
1. Sharing between archaeologists;
2. Sharing between various associated subjects, distinguishing
2a. other ‘scientific’ specialists
2b. heritage-related specialists (tourism etc)
Taking into account what other specialists want from archaeologists;
3. Share with the general public, distinguishing
3a. those who visit archaeological sites and monuments open to the public
3b. the majority of the general public who do not visit sites and monuments
Taking into account what the public and the media want from archaeologists;
and
4. The relationship between sharing archaeology and the protection of cultural heritage.
This
paper will introduce some, but by no means all, of the issues
surrounding these themes through examples of sharing archaeology
collected over the last twenty-five years and will provide a context for
discussion over the next three days.
PARTICIPANTS AND ABSTRACTS
ARCHAEOLOGY AND NEWSPAPER REPORTS: A CASE STUDY OF JAPAN
Akira Matsuda
Archaeology
is a study very closely related to the public not only because of its
implications for people’s identities that are in part formed by the
interpretation of the past, but also because of its nature - intruding
upon people’s living space in an active and real, physical sense. This
second point is particularly concerned with rescue excavations, where
the vast majority of archaeological activity is carried out in most
countries in the world. One of the important questions to be addressed
from the perspective of public archaeology is, then, who informs the
public of the results of archaeological studies in each country, and
how. This paper examines the question through a case study of Japan.
Boasting
6,600 full-time professionals, archaeology today constitutes an
important area of study and employment in Japan. Despite a large number
of publications produced each year by archaeologists involved in rescue
excavations, it is predominantly journalism, in particular newspaper
reports, that informs the Japanese public of the latest results of
archaeological studies. Whilst archaeologists often criticise the way in
which newspapers report on archaeology, archaeology itself seems to be
in need of, if not reliant on, journalism to sustain its status-quo in
social and economic terms in contemporary Japan. Similar relationships
between archaeology and journalism seem to exist also in other parts of
the world.
THE MATRIX PROJECT (MAKING ARCHAEOLOGY TEACHING
RELEVANT IN THE 21st CENTURY): AN APPROACH TO THE EFFICIENT SHARING OF
PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WITH A LARGE AUDIENCE
Anne Pyburn
New
government initiatives in the 1970s and new technologies developed over
the past two decades have revolutionized archaeological research in the
United States. At the same time, rapid globalization has made
archaeologists increasingly aware of the need to communicate across
national boundaries to keep up with new methods and the continuous flow
of new discoveries. In countries like China, Great Britain, and the
United States where there is a highly educated public, public outreach
and education have been shown to improve the success of preservation
programs and to increase the rate of discovery, since people are more
willing to care for local sites and share local knowledge when they
understand it has more than commercial value.
The changes that
faced US archaeologists at the end of the 20th century were overwhelming
to many academics whose training did not include the skills they were
suddenly called upon to teach. The members of the Society for American
Archaeology responded to a questionnaire investigating their needs by
requesting help in designing new courses. In response George Smith of
the Southeast Archaeological Commission and Anne Pyburn of Indiana
University requested support from the US National Science Foundation to
design courses that could be posted in the World Wide Web for use by
anyone. Half a million dollars was granted to the MATRIX Project (Making
Archaeology Relevant in the XXI Century) and 30 professional
archaeologists from small colleges, large universities, government
departments, private contract firms, and museums around the US.
Participants were selected based on their professional stature,
including former presidents of the Society for American Archaeology and
the American Anthropological Association, several full professors from
outstanding institutions, directors of large government programs, and
owners of multimillion dollar contract firms.
MATRIX participants
peer reviewed and test taught sixteen courses over a period of four
years, which were then posted to the WEB in their entirety, with the
assistance of pedagogical specialists who shifted the focus from
professors’ typical concern for their teaching to a consideration of
what students are actually learning. The website has been well received
and has been used by as many as 30,000 people per month from around the
world. Each course contains complete texts of lectures and assignments
as well as statements by the designers about their teaching goals and
all course materials are searchable so that users can put teaching
materials together from several courses. Although intended to support
university professors, the materials can be used directly by advanced
students, or simplified by instructors for use in secondary schools.
In
spite of its success, the MATRIX lacks an adequate international scope.
The next challenge for MATRIX must be in broadening its value by
incorporating courses designed by professionals from many nations. At
present, a course on Central Asian Archaeology is under development and
renovation of the original site with a greatly expanded inventory is
planned for the near future. Advice and comment from participants in the
Sharing Archaeology Conference will be of tremendous value to the
realization of this goal. http://www.indiana.edu/~arch/saa/matrix/
FROM EXCAVATION TO CONSERVATION: THE ROLE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK IN THE DESTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
Dominic Perring
For
many the primary purpose of cultural resource management is to preserve
and protect archaeological sites and remains for the future. If we are
to share archaeology with the future, does this mean that we have to
deny ourselves opportunities for excavation and research in the present?
Why should we permit continued excavations on important sites when
there is no danger to the archaeology? This paper will set out some of
the reasons that might justify destructive fieldwork, whilst advocating
approaches which are both sustainable and ethical.
HERITAGE DESTRUCTION IN CAMBODIA; EFFORTS TO STEM THE TIDE
Dougald O’Reilly
Heritage
Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of
Southeast Asia’s cultural heritage. Founded in 2003, Heritage Watch has
undertaken a diverse range of projects aimed at both the supply and
demand end of the international antiquities trade as well as promoting
responsible tourism in Cambodia.
Heritage Watch was founded as a
result of a sharp increase in the destruction of Cambodia’s precious
cultural patrimony, especially the looting of ancient cemetery sites
nationwide. Cambodia is famed for the temples of Angkor but little is
known of how these temples came to be and the secrets to the rise of
Angkor are to be found in the countless prehistoric settlements and
cemeteries.
A grass-roots education campaign saw local people
trained in the importance of preserving these ancient sites and national
TV and radio advertising campaigns have been implemented to encourage
preservation along with a hotline for people to report looting. Heritage
Watch has established a database of news stories on looting in Cambodia
as well as producing a Khmer language comic book, a bilingual
children’s book and training manuals. A new initiative for 2008 is the
DHARMA Project - the Database of Historical and Archaeological
Regulations for the Management of Antiquities
In 2007 Heritage
Watch launched the Heritage Friendly Tourism Campaign an effort aimed at
encouraging responsible tourism, longer stays in Cambodia, visits to
remote temple sites as well as encouraging local businesses to give back
to Cambodia. Many businesses already support the arts, culture,
heritage and development here and Heritage Watch is pleased to bring
attention to these operators. We hope that visitors to Cambodia will
patronize ‘Heritage Friendly Businesses’ by booking with responsible
operators and using their services when they visit Cambodia.
SHARING THE PAST: ARCHAEOLOGY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Innocent Pikirayi
Associate
Professor in Archaeology, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, SOUTH AFRICA
In the book
Archaeology and Ancient History: Breaking Down the Boundaries. (London
and New York: Routledge, 2004), Eberhard Sauer argues that the divide
between archaeology and history has long been problematical and there
seems little chance of resolution in the near future. It is quite
evident that within the wider discipline of archaeology, there are
divisions within the academic study of the past, and numerous
suggestions have been offered to narrow this divide, including
multidisciplinary approaches to the study and understanding of the past.
This sharing of the past by archaeologists, although it has gone a long
way in disentangling the complex nature of the past, has however failed
to define the role archaeology should play in history and its relevance
to society. In southern Africa, archaeologists still struggle to make
their work relevant to a variety of communities and the general public.
The main problem is the esoteric nature of the discipline and the power
of the artefact in the production of archaeological knowledge. This is
further distanced from the communities and the broader public where
archaeologists are confronted with issues such as environmental
conservation and sustainability, land claims, economic development,
heritage and identity, racism, etc. Thus the relevance of archaeology
lies in not only what archaeologists do by themselves in order to
understand the past, but also in what they achieve in the company of
non-archaeologists, including interacting and engaging with the
community.
This presentation examines archaeologists and
community engagement in southern Africa, showing, among other things
that engaging the public can address and reshape the structure of
communication with descendant communities, and experts from other
disciplines. As demonstrated clearly by some of the papers presented at
the 6th World Archaeological Congress (WAC) in Dublin in June-July 2008,
this exercise also has the potential to recast the roles and
responsibilities of archaeologists to the communities in and with which
they work. Community engagement enables archaeologists to recognize the
voices of the communities and other stakeholders, ensuring that these
are active participants in the course of the archaeological process.
Engaged are also regarded as useful archaeologies that provide relevant
and timely information which serve as a tool for solving social and
scientific problems, thus making archaeology an integral part of the
broader heritage discourse.
The presentation specifically
highlights issues pertaining to archaeologists’ experience of community
engagement in some parts of southern Africa, the concept of community
involvement in archaeology, the power relations underpinning community
involvement, and, how the past, in this context represented by the
archaeological heritage, is negotiated and contested between various
communities. It is argued that the conservation of some archaeological
sites is best achieved by integrating ‘scientific knowledge’ with
community-held knowledge of these places. Community-held knowledge,
which is acquired through a process of engaged and collaborative
conversation and dialogue with communities, provides information to
archaeologists and heritage managers for use on the conservation of
sites and monuments. I perceive this sharing of archaeological and
related information that situates the archaeologist as the learner,
instead of that long perceived ‘expert’ who ‘tells’ communities what to
do. It is this latter practice which continues to alienate archaeology
from communities that it seeks to study.
"SHARING THE TRENCHES”:
WHEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND JOURNALISM FIGHT THE SAME WAR - SPECIALIZED MEDIA
COVERAGE AS A TOOL IN SAVING HERITAGE (CASE STUDY OF BEIRUT'S
EXCAVATIONS IN 2008)
Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly
When Lebanon's so
called civil war ended in 1992 the reconstruction of Beirut city
started. The nation was soon to discover what was meant by the
government's plan to "rescue archaeology". As some archaeologists were
racing to delay the coming of the bulldozers, developers were using the
same vehicles to destroy the, what in their minds was "old and
destroyed", in other words - the country's heritage. At the time, a
massive media campaign was launched in order to save part of Lebanon's
heritage. The campaign never achieved its goals - a large part of
Beriut's old city was destroyed, making way for modernism.
Then,
archaeologists and politicians were not always helping journalists and
rarely backed their comments with evidence. Archaeology became a
political tool, and discoveries were largely politicized, either
promoting or criticizing the government's actions. Hundreds of sites
were destroyed for ever, giving birth to the need for a new form of
lobbying, using "specialized journalists in archaeology and heritage" to
cover this aspect of everyday life in the country. A page dedicated to
Archaeology and heritage became a necessity, and local papers regard
this as prestigious and being loyal to the country's history. Still,
gaining media support was not enough to save heritage as archaeologists
are reluctant to talk to just any journalist, they need to know them and
trust them. This is crucial for saving heritage, since archaeologists
are the main players. This has formed a new bond. Another obstacle
needed to be cleared – the archaeologist's ego for great discoveries,
and the journalist's ego for scoops. Recently, in 2008, new ways were
paved for saving heritage.
The tangible and fruitful
collaboration between archaeologists and journalists and the unlimited
and unconditional support of "Al Akhbar" newspaper opened doors saving
of Beirut's Roman Hippodrome in situ and the redeposit of the Roman
bathes of Al Saifi towers.
The "battle" for saving Lebanon's
heritage is definitely not over, but there are signs of new ways to win
the next phases and in that aspect, Lebanon can be considered a pioneer
in the entire Arab world.
WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES TO SHARE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TOURISM: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
Lyn Leader-Elliott
Acting
Head, Flinders Humanities Research Centre for Cultural Heritage and
Cultural Exchange; Senior Lecturer in Cultural Tourism
This paper
discusses principles of collaboration between archaeologists and
communities in presenting and interpreting cultural heritage. Recent
international charters have identified the importance communicating
meaning as an essential part of the conservation process and note the
necessity of collaboration with communities and other stakeholders. The
paper briefly introduces key principles of two relevant ICOMOS Charters:
the 2007 draft ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation
of Cultural Heritage Sites and the 2002 ICOMOS International Cultural
Tourism Charter.
For instance, the 2007 draft of the ICOMOS
Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage
Sites notes the importance of public communication as an essential part
of the larger conservation process, whether it is called
“dissemination,” “popularization,” “presentation,” or “interpretation”
(ICOMOS 2007:1).
The 2002 ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism
Charter states that ‘A major reason for undertaking the protection,
conservation and management of heritage places, the intangible heritage
and collections is to make their significance physically and/or
intellectually accessible to the host community and to visitors’ (ICOMOS
2002:2). It observes that ‘cultural heritage and living cultures are
major tourism attractions’ and emphasises the necessity for host
communities, heritage professionals and the tourism industry to work
together.
These principles are discussed in relation to
Indigenous cultural tourism in Australia. Indigenous culture is promoted
as tourism product by all Australian government tourism marketing
organisations and by many tour companies. Indigenous community members
are interested in earning income through tourism ventures which are
frequently based in sharing culture and sharing knowledge: the brand tag
on the Indigenous Tourism Australia website is ‘Share the Knowledge’.
(Indigenous Tourism Australia 2008 and see also Canada Heritage 2006).
Government Indigenous tourism strategies promote the active engagement
of the traditional owners to some degree, acknowledging that they range
from wholly indigenous owned and operated businesses to ‘mainstream’
tourism businesses that ‘deliver authentic Aboriginal cultural
experiences (developed by way of joint ventures or collaborative
marketing)’ (Tourism WA 2005:27, Aboriginal Tourism Australia 2008).
However,
there is no practical working set of protocols that could enable more
effective collaboration between the Indigenous communities and the
tourism industry and an international study of Aboriginal cultural
tourism concluded that ‘[c]ommunication between Aboriginal
culture/heritage and tourism stakeholders is minimal’ (Canadian Heritage
2006: p7).
Many communities lack the experience and expertise
necessary to work effectively as tourism businesses. Many Aboriginal
cultural tourism organizations need assistance with marketing, as well
as programme and product development (Canadian Heritage 2006:7),
including interpretation and communication strategies.
Archaeologists
and other cultural heritage professionals can play a lead role in
developing workable protocols for collaborative, sustainable cultural
tourism. They can also play a major role in helping to develop the
capacity of Indigenous communities to share their knowledge and culture
with a wider world. These activities must be carried out in conjunction
with communities, tourism professionals and other stakeholders. Three
Australian examples illustrate different ways of achieving these
objectives in line with, and extending, the principles of the
international charters. (Ngarrindjeri and Adnyamathanha people of South
Australia, and Regional Arts Australia Indigenous training pilot
programme).
References
Aboriginal Tourism Australia 2008. http://www.aboriginaltourism.com.au/downloads/Incredible Journeys PDF.pdf
Accessed 1 September 2008.
Canadian
Heritage Aboriginal Tourism and Cross-Cultural Understanding Project
Executive Summary 2006
http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/pubs/tourism/documents/2006-02/2006-02_e.pdf
Accessed 1 September 2008
ICOMOS 2007. The ICOMOS Charter for the Interpretation and Presentation
of
Culltural Heritage Sites, Proposed final Draft, 10 April 2007. Revised
under the Auspices of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on
Interpretation and Presentation.
http://www.enamecharter.org/downloads/ICOMOS_Interpretation_Charter_EN_10-04-07.pdf
Accessed 20 August 2008.
ICOMOS 2002. ICOMOS International
Cultural Tourism Charter International Council on Monuments and Sites
ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee. December 2002
http://www.icomos.org/australia/images/pdf/ICOMOS%20International%20Cultural%20Tourism%20Charter%20(English).pdf
Accessed 20 August 2008.
Indigenous Tourism Australia 2008.
Case Studies http://www.indigenoustourism.australia.com/casestudies.asp.
Accessed 1 September 2008
Tourism Western Australia nd. 2005?.
Draft Aboriginal Tourism Strategy for Western Australia
http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/parks-and-recreation/industry-information/aboriginal-tourism-development.html
Accessed 1 Sept 2008
Tourism Australia 2008. Indigenous Tourism
Visitors in Australia Snapshot
http://www.tra.australia.com/content/documents/Snapshots/2008/Indigenous_07_FINAL.pdf
Accessed 1 Sept 2008.
PERFORMING PLACES
Mike Pearson
Site-specific
performance responds to, and is staged in, non-theatre spaces: in
natural and man-made environments; in places of work, play and worship,
both used and disused, ancient and modern, and at a variety of scales.
From empty factories to deserted beaches, from busy streets to quiet
cathedrals…As the latest occupation of a location where former
occupations are apparent and still cognitively active, it can provide a
vital tool in the live interpretation of archaeological and heritage
sites. But it need not attempt to re-enact the multitude of things that
have happened there; it may even be in conflict with or ambivalent to
the site. But in the clash of contemporary and historic, in the
interpenetration of that which is of the place and that which is brought
to it, performance may serve to reveal its particular qualities and
resonances in ways that data-rich guided tours may obscure.
Taking
a ruined farmhouse in an upland forest in Wales as its model, this
paper suggests a series of performative engagements with the site that
take into account the conflicting cultural and political narratives that
have accumulated around it. Commencing with the option of doing
absolutely nothing – and thus resisting explanations that might close
down the imagination of the visitor, the paper examines the various ways
in which the experience of visitation might be enhanced through the
techniques of site-specific performance. Three main options are
discussed: first, sending audiences there, unaccompanied, with our
instructions, choreographic diagrams and alternative kinds of travel
manual so that they themselves perform individual and collective
movements through the site; secondly, taking or bringing them there in
our co-presence, in performances that range from intimate solo
interventions to large-scale scenographic intrusions; and thirdly,
involving them in events that draw together live and recorded media,
from other times, other places.
The overall aim is to recommend formats that might inform approaches at more fragile and prestigious locations.
Mike
Pearson trained as an archaeologist. Between 1971 and 1997 he made
performances professionally with Cardiff Laboratory Theatre (1971-80)
and Brith Gof Theatre Company (1981-97). He is currently Professor of
Performance Studies, Aberystwyth University and continues to present
performances with the Pearson/Brookes group (1997-present). He is the
co-author with Michael Shanks, Professor of Classics, Stanford
University of Theatre/Archaeology (2001) and author of In Comes I:
Performance, Memory and Landscape (2006).
IMPORTANT TO WHOM?
HOW DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES CAN HAVE DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE: A CASE-STUDY FROM XI’AN, CHINA
Rui Pang
To
what extent does the public really benefit from archaeology? A survey
undertaken at Chang’an, Xi’an China, designated on the tentative list of
World Heritage, shows that different stakeholders – archaeologists and
professionals and other interest groups – have very different
understanding and needs of an archaeological site. Three main interest
groups are defined here – heritage professionals (archaeologists and
others); the local community (particularly economic ‘stakeholders’ such
as developers, local businesses and residents); and the educational
sector (school teachers and students). Different value systems have
developed within each sector, often based on preconceived ideas rather
than a direct engagement with the site itself. There is consequently
very little overlap between these competing value systems. This is a
hindrance to effective site management and a barrier to finding ways in
which the archaeological site might benefit the local community. A
community value based paradigm, based on direct engagement with the
archaeological resource, is recommended as a way of breaking down
barriers between the different interest groups in the future.
FROM EXCAVATION TO DISSEMINATION - BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE PUBLIC
Shahina Farid
Çatalhöyük Research Project – Field Director & Project Coordinator
Institute of Archaeology, UCL
The
world famous site of Neolithic Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia attracts
an international team of scholars from within archaeological circles and
related scientific disciplines. However, archaeologists are not the
only group of people who are interested in the interpretation of the
site. Çatalhöyük is embedded within a wider social, political,
historical and cultural context. Çatalhöyük is being interpreted,
consumed and co-opted by various groups with different interests and
agendas, which impacts on the methodological practices and dissemination
implemented by the archaeologists at the site and how the data is
presented. How should we, as archaeologists, maintain control over the
data that we are generating but at the same time recognise and deliver
it to interest groups for their reinterpretation?
At Çatalhöyük
we share our primary data online to our global audience whilst catering
for visitors to the site with a Visitor Centre, areas of excavation
under permanent shelters and a replica Neolithic house. Our Community
Archaeology and Education programmes involve the local population whilst
nationally interest comes from the fact that the site is taught in
schools and features in the press regularly.
Artists visit the
site to be inspired by the wall art and relief sculpture that we uncover
and fashion shows, jewellery collections and music scores have been
inspired by the work done at Çatalhöyük. Naturally politicians and our
sponsors claim a stake in our discoveries and want the project to invest
their interests within the structure of our work.
Presenting
Çatalhöyük is integral to understanding it in its living context and
recognising the investment in the site by multiple groups criss-crossing
multiple disciplines. At Çatalhöyük our method for inclusiveness is in
the recognition of multivocality that we cater for through different
mediums.
PRESERVATION, SHARING AND REUSE: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A 21st CENTURY DIGITAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Stewart Waller
It
has become common place for a typical archaeological investigation to
produce vast amounts of digital data: be it word-processed site reports,
a database of artefacts, or megabytes of raw data produced by a survey
of the ocean floor. In the majority of cases, the archaeological data in
question can not be recreated because a site may have been lost through
the very process of excavation or data collection. Thus the concept of a
digital archive becomes important to ensure that primary data is not
lost and is available for generations to come.
While the
preservation of data is indeed of utmost importance, equally so is the
ability to retrieve this data from the archive in a suitable format.
What use is a digital archive if the data is inaccessible for future
research or incompatible with current information systems? Therefore
appropriate dissemination mechanisms must be implemented to maximise the
value of a digital archive.
The technology available in the 21st
century provides us with tools to manage our digital data more
effectively in ways that have hitherto been unavailable. Advancements in
communication systems, specifically the internet, allow data to reach
an international audience. It is on this global stage that the
collaborative development of recognised data standards can play a key
role to ensure optimum interoperability is achieved.
This paper
briefly looks at various case studies to highlight where mistakes have
been made in the past. Further, it is hoped that by examining current
projects, and drawing from experience gathered at the Archaeology Data
Service over the last 12 years, an insight into current practices of
preservation, sharing and reuse of digital archaeology in the 21st
century can be gained.
BOUNDARIES? WHAT BOUNDARIES?
Thilo Rehren
The
modern World is criss-crossed by a multitude of artificial boundaries,
between nation states, social groups, academic disciplines, and
religious and political beliefs. However, this superficially
disconnected assemblage of individual units is of course well-connected,
both at the immediate boundaries and as part of an overall picture:
like a jigsaw where each piece fits into its place, and only makes sense
as a part of a whole. Modern society is just such a gigantic jigsaw,
with the boundaries often acting more as glue than as dividing lines.
There
is no reason to assume that ancient societies were any different, and
archaeology is, together with its sister discipline history, at the
forefront of reconstructing and interpreting this huge jigsaw of past
societies.
My experience from working in archaeology as a
scientist underlines the significant gains that arise from sharing in
archaeological practice: sharing knowledge, sharing questions, sharing
methods, sharing dreams. The key topic I will explore in the talk is
that it is comfortable to share with people of one’s own type,
conviction, upbringing and interests: but sharing with like-minded
people renders a group static and conservative, but does not change
much. It is more difficult to share with others, with people unlike
oneself. The talk will explore some of the costs and benefits of this
sharing across boundaries, showing how sharing across boundaries is a
positive driver of innovation and cross-fertilisation. Thus, by sharing
across faculty and other boundaries we help them to hold societies
together as well as to structure and advance them, but reduce the risk
that they divide or separate and petrify their members.
PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY’ IN CHINA
Tao Wang
This
paper started as a field investigation on the current situation of
‘public archaeology’ in China. As everywhere else in the world today,
Chinese archaeologists are faced with the challenge of public
accountability and of promoting their research in a fast-changing
environment. Whilst archaeologists from different countries are asking
similar questions, we cannot expect the answers to be the same. Modern
Chinese archaeology was introduced from the West in the early 20th
century, but China’s traditional antiquarian scholarship has continued
to play a significant part.
In this paper I will address three
issues. First, I will give a historical review of the relationship and
interaction between archaeologists and the public during the excavations
of Yinxu, the capital of the late Shang dynasty. The impact of this
experience is still felt today. Secondly, I will analyze the policy of
the ‘archaeology of the workers and farmers’ under the PRC and in
particular its role in movements such as the Cultural Revolution. These
two aspects illustrate how Chinese archaeology developed in a very
different context from other countries. China’s recent political history
has influenced people’s concept of the role of ‘public’ archaeology.
This is sharp contrast to the development of ‘public archaeology’ in the
US and the UK. The third part of the paper will examine the current
trends of ‘public archaeology’ in China, with the expectation that China
will very likely develop its own interpretation and practice of ‘public
archaeology’.

