Abstract
Most archaeologists agree that public outreach is an important part of archaeological practice. Communication of fresh results from excavations and new research creates both legitimacy and greater understanding of our activities. In Norway, large scale archaeological excavations are often funded by the public sector, and public outreach is considered an important way of giving something back to society. Still, reaching out to the public is often downgraded during stressful fieldwork and considered as something you do when (or if) you have some spare time. This is unfortunate, because fieldwork is what most people associate with archaeology and has a huge potential when it comes to public outreach. In 2017-2019 the University of Bergen carried out a large excavation project, Sotrasambandet. While excavating 12 sites, we wanted to reach the public as well, to present fresh findings, introduce them to our methods, tell stories from the excavation and of course of what Stone Age life in Western Norway could have been like. In total, we produced 56 films and several different texts, and used social media as well as “open day” (evt. public day?), talks and small exhibitions to reach people. The films got great feedback, and were appreciated by schoolchildren, politicians and journalists alike.
Highlights
Most archaeologists agree that public outreach is an important part of archaeological practice
In Norway, large scale archaeological excavations are often funded by the public sector, and public outreach is considered an important way of giving something back to society
Still, reaching out to the public is often downgraded during stressful fieldwork and considered as something you do when you have some spare time
Summary
Hvor viktig er det egentlig å drive publikumsformidling underveis på et arkeologisk feltarbeid? Feltarkeologer er jo først og fremst fagpersoner, og ikke skolerte formidlere. Hvordan forholder vi oss til et publikum når vi mangler formell kompetanse? Hvilke arenaer og digitale plattformer skal en velge å formidle på? Og er det egentlig en feltarkeologs oppgave å lære folk flest om forhistorien?. Våren 2017 ble det klart at Fornminneseksjonen ved Universitetsmuseet, UiB, skulle i gang med et nytt stort steinalderprosjekt like utenfor Bergen, Sotrasambandet. Allerede tidlig i prosessen ble det store potensialet for formidling framhevet, og ambisjonene i prosjektet var høye. Og i kjølvannet av prosjektet, har det også vært rom for en del refleksjon omkring temaet feltformidling. Så vel som erfaringsbaserte forhold knyttet til utgravingene på Sotrasambandet
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