Abstract
This paper explores the idea of excavation being only the first stage in communicating the benefit of archaeology to the public. The role of museums, social media and scientific publication are all important, as are the support from private developers and the personal role of the archaeologists themselves. The use of social media can be positive but this paper also details problems with metal detectorists groups, some of which are not acting responsibly.
Highlights
In 1980, an Estonian puppet animation 'Välek Vibulane' about the life of Stone Age people appeared on TV
Often the owners raise questions: why is it necessary to do the fieldwork; what benefit can be expected from the excavation of these specific settlement layers; or from studying inhumation burials from the Christian period? Given the context of the personal example presented at the beginning of this article and the discussions in my everyday work, there is a reason to ask: how quickly should public benefit of archaeology appear and how quickly does it appear, if at all?
The Heritage Conservation Act of Estonia (HCA 2019) follows the principles of the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, adopted in 1992 (CoE 1992): the maintenance of an inventory of archaeological heritage, the mandatory reporting by a finder of a chance discovery, to ensure that excavations are carried out only by qualified persons, and that archaeological heritage is reflected in planning policies etc. (Kadakas 2017)
Summary
This paper explores the idea of excavation being only the first stage in communicating the benefit of archaeology to the public. The role of museums, social media and scientific publication are all important, as are the support from private developers and the personal role of the archaeologists themselves. The use of social media can be positive but this paper details problems with metal detectorists groups, some of which are not acting responsibly
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