Abstract
Archaeology is said to add value to development, creating a deeper sense of place, community identity as well as improving health and wellbeing. Accentuating these wider social values has been welcomed by a profession keen to broaden its public relevance and legitimacy and protect its seat at the table in modern cultural life, but how much, if at all, do the public actually benefit from developer-led archaeology? Benefits to individuals and communities from archaeology projects are often abstract, intangible and difficult to attribute, and the discipline arguably lacks a satisfactory frame of reference around which it can express and design for these additional social values. Drawing on the language of social impact investing, this article will explore how the UK-based collaborative platform, DigVentures, has addressed this challenge. It introduces a 'Theory of Change' and 'Standards of Evidence' framework to account for the impact of development-led archaeology programmes, illustrating the causal links between activity and change through the case of the Pontefract Castle Gatehouse Project. It is complemented by a short documentary film exploring the spectrum of digital and physical opportunities for participation by the public alongside a team of highly experienced professional field archaeologists, demonstrating how development-led archaeology can be designed to accomplish far more than answer a planning brief.
Highlights
SummaryArchaeology is said to add value to development, creating a deeper sense of place, community identity as well as improving health and wellbeing
Pontefract Castle has a rich and nationally important heritage; one of England's strongest fortresses throughout the medieval period and beyond, it played a crucial role in politics and the balance of power in the North of England (Figure 1)
The site is mentioned in numerous historical sources, including by Oliver Cromwell, who described the castle as 'one of the strongest inland garrisons in the kingdom', and William Shakespeare, who in his play Richard III wrote of Pontefract Castle, 'Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison'
Summary
Archaeology is said to add value to development, creating a deeper sense of place, community identity as well as improving health and wellbeing Accentuating these wider social values has been welcomed by a profession keen to broaden its public relevance and legitimacy and protect its seat at the table in modern cultural life, but how much, if at all, do the public benefit from developer-led archaeology? Drawing on the language of social impact investing, this article will explore how the UK-based collaborative platform, DigVentures, has addressed this challenge It introduces a 'Theory of Change' and 'Standards of Evidence' framework to account for the impact of development-led archaeology programmes, illustrating the causal links between activity and change through the case of the Pontefract Castle Gatehouse Project. It is complemented by a short documentary film exploring the spectrum of digital and physical opportunities for participation by the public alongside a team of highly experienced professional field archaeologists, demonstrating how development-led archaeology can be designed to accomplish far more than answer a planning brief
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