Public Archaeology Research Articles

Towards a Public Archaeology of the Working Classes

Towards a Public Archaeology of the Working Classes

Archaeo-media: breaking the binary and building agency in archaeological news reporting

ABSTRACT The role of news media in the dissemination of archaeological research is beginning to receive some attention, but this is inadequate when considering the scale of the news media as a tool for public archaeology and mass-distribution of archaeological research in digital news sites. Archaeology needs to urgently address this oversight and begin to construct appropriate and sustainable working relationships with the news media, founded on a critical evaluation of current strategies, to regulate the information that is disseminated through this medium. This paper takes a British perspective, though the themes and necessary improvements have global significance. I suggest that we begin to appreciate the role of the archaeologist in the construction of knowledge through the mass media by embracing ‘archaeo-media’- a neologism here proposed to explore the intersections and interactions between archaeology and news media.

Public Archaeology in Bangladesh: Saving Our Past for the Future Generation

Public Archaeology in Bangladesh: Saving Our Past for the Future Generation

A Forest Filled with Memories: The Role of Public Archaeology in the Revitalisation of Lumber Camp Heritage in Témiscouata, Québec (Canada)

A Forest Filled with Memories: The Role of Public Archaeology in the Revitalisation of Lumber Camp Heritage in Témiscouata, Québec (Canada)

Metodologías colaborativas en arqueología: reflexiones teóricas y avances prácticos en torno al patrimonio, su investigación y difusión

Centered around the questions of “whose” and “for whom” heritage is, this article explores various approaches in South America aimed at achieving a public archaeology that is inclusive and beneficial to communities. While the reflections and most case studies primarily focus on indigenous societies, specific efforts to develop collaborative methodologies that include other groups or collectives are also discussed. To provide a comprehensive view, a general review of relevant literature from different parts of the continent has been conducted, synthesizing it to present the state of the art on collaborative methodologies in the Americas, with a focus on South America. The core concepts addressed are heritage and community, their interrelationship, and the diverse ways their connection is crucial today, particularly in terms of collaborative methodologies in various research projects. The discussion highlights how the interpretation and presentation of the past become significant aspects when transitioning from theory to the practice of collaborations. After presenting several previously published examples and the articles comprising this dossier, the article concludes that significant advances have been made in the last decades in developing collaborative methodologies in archaeology. This progress marks a positive path toward the pluralization of the discipline. As an original contribution, the article offers a comparative reflection on collaborative work with communities in museums in Europe and the Americas, evaluating approaches and advancements. It concludes that researchers in the Americas have an advantage: working with materials that are closely connected to the groups that consider them their heritage, or considering themselves the heirs, allows for a more intimate and legitimate approach.

Arqueología pública y cartografías participativas: institucionalidad y resignificaciones locales del patrimonio arqueológico del Sígsig, Ecuador (2022-2024)

The objective of the article is to identify the perceptions, meanings, and resignifications that the inhabitants of Sígsig canton, Azuay province (Ecuador), assign to archaeological heritage. It also attempts to explain how these ways of understanding and using such heritage come into conflict and friction when managed exclusively within a legal and institutional framework. To analyze the ambiguities arising from the dichotomy between public management and the local populations’ uses and meanings of heritage, this study employs the theoretical frameworks of public archaeology and the methodological approach of participatory cartographies. By analyzing national and local heritage regulations and conducting interviews and mappings with actors from the educational, political, and general society sectors, it is suggested that institutional management views heritage as an identity, historical, and economic resource through tourism. Additionally, this management is characterized by a fiscalizing, regulatory, and sanctioning logic, while the inhabitants understand, incorporate, and use archaeological objects and vestiges in their daily lives. This usage fosters a direct connection with oral traditions, intangible aspects, and, above all, with nature. Thus, frictions were identified between the social and political uses of heritage, which regularly involve themes such as gold, mining, and water, within a framework of collective imaginaries and discourses.

Community Archaeology at Cerro de Trincheras

Beyond the knowledge derived from archeological research on pre-Hispanic societies, one of the most important experiences of the binational project at Cerro de Trincheras in northwest Sonora, Mexico has been the relationship developed with the local community over more than three decades; formative to archaeologists and trinchereños. There is no doubt that my personal experience is reflected in this article, but it also summarizes the link that has been woven in multiple ways with research, training, management, and museography with community to reinterpret an element of the landscape as their cultural heritage. I present the activities that we have carried out together with the community, since the opening of the site for public visit at the end of 2011. Cerro de Trincheras is one of the few places in northern Mexico where members of a community experience public archaeology.

Polska szkoła archeologii śródziemnomorskiej w audycjach Polskiego Radia (1971–1980). Nowe źródła w studiach nad historią dyscypliny i jej społeczną recepcją

The article provides an overview of radio programs dedicated to Mediterranean archaeology broadcast on Polish Radio during the 1970s and 1980s. This analysis represents the first such endeavor in Polish literature and aligns with the public archaeology trend, which examines the political, cultural, and economic dimensions of archaeological practice and its societal reception. By exploring this category of sources, the text offers a historical perspective on radio broadcasts, presenting them as a novel and previously untapped resource for studying the history of archaeology. Drawing from these sources, the article discusses the dissemination of knowledge concerning the activities of Polish researchers, the media portrayal of the archaeological profession, and the unique phenomenon of the Polish School of Mediterranean Archaeology in the context of Polish scientific history. It delves into the distinctive features and historical background surrounding its establishment. Additionally, attention is given to Kazimierz Michałowski, the visionary behind this initiative, and the strategies he employed to promote public awareness of the research conducted within the Polish School of Mediterranean Archaeology.

Praxis, Persistence, and Public Archaeology: Disrupting the Mission Myth at La Purísima Concepción

AbstractThis article introduces a model that harnesses praxis as a powerful tool for critique, knowledge, and action within the realm of public archaeology. The adopted framework focuses on persistence as a middle-range methodology that bridges the material past to activist and collaborative-based projects. Recent research at Mission La Purísima Concepción in Lompoc, California, shows the effectiveness of this model and its real-world application. Visitors to California missions encounter the pervasive “Mission Myth”—a narrative that systematically overlooks and marginalizes Indigenous presence while perpetuating ideas of White hegemony and Eurocentrism. Archaeological excavations in the Native rancheria and collaboration with members of the Chumash community help resist notions of Indigenous erasure. By activating notions of persistence through public archaeology, this study contributes to dismantling entrenched terminal narratives, paving the way for a more accurate representation of the past and fostering a more inclusive archaeological practice.

Археологія і комп’ютер: інформаційні технології в археологічних дослід- женнях.

In the modern world, the use of information technology is a mandatory condition for the efficiency and successful implementation of various projects, including scientific ones. Archaeology, dealing with a vast number of artifacts discovered during archaeological research, has long needed an automated system for the systematization and processing of diverse materials. In the late 1950s, the gradual implementation of systems for calculating archaeological sources using the electronic computing machines (ECMs) of the time began. This process did not bypass Ukraine, where the first attempt to use such ECMs in archaeological research was made with the participation of M. Braichevskyi. Currently, with the widespread availability of modern information technology for scientists, these technologies find extensive application in archaeology, contributing to higher quality scientific research and, most importantly, transforming traditional archaeology into digital or public archaeology. The purpose of the article is to highlight the current state of implementation of modern information technologies in archaeological activities and to demonstrate their capabilities in archaeological research. The methodological basis of the research includes principles of historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness, and systematicity, which are realized through the application of research methods such as analytical, synthetic, descriptive, chronological, synchronic, diachronic, and others. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it is the first to highlight the current state of implementation of modern information technologies in archaeological activities, revealing the directions and methods of their use in archaeological research through specific examples. Conclusions. As a result of the analysis of the implementation of information technologies in archaeological research in the context of the realization of domestic researchers' databases, geographic information systems, and the creation of 3D reconstructions and models based on them, it is noted that the process of using digital tools is at an initial stage. This is due to the fact that new tools require archaeologists to have extensive knowledge of a wide range of software, which includes blocks of geographic information systems, 3D modeling, programs for creating electronic databases, and so on. However, in our reality, it is practically impossible to demand this from an archaeologist. Given the funding of archaeological research by the state or institutions, mastering a new profession for domestic specialists seems doubtful and can only be carried out on the exceptional enthusiasm of the researcher. Outsourcing appears more logical, where the archaeologist only provides scientific support while working with IT specialists to implement the scientific project. Such a situation can only be resolved in the long run by preparing future archaeologists and introducing a cycle of disciplines in information technology into educational and professional programs, where higher education students will master digital tools and software that can be used in the professional activities of an archaeologist.

Archaeology as a method and tool for resilience

ABSTRACT Climate change is having an immediate and devastating effect on archaeological sites in Florida. The Florida Public Archaeology Network's Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS Florida) program empowers local communities to document the impacts of climate change at sites throughout the state. Our ability to document sites shows humanity's resilience to climate fluctuations in the past while also making it clear that adaptation and mitigation of coastal areas in the face of modern anthropogenic climate change must be paramount. This article describes two case studies from coastal Florida that have served as visceral points of focus for local communities to see the impacts of climate change. At Shell Bluff Landing in the northeast part of the state a site stewardship program was developed to closely document changes in time starting in 2016 with alarming results. In the opposite corner of the state at Calusa Island, a private land trust was created to protect local natural environments from the impacts of development. The coastal island has subsequently seen massive loss due to erosion. The article concludes with actions archaeologists can take today to make the communities they work with more resilient, using a prioritization system developed with Palm Beach County as an example.

Evaluating wellbeing with participants in archaeology at the National Trust

Wellbeing has not been at the core of the practice of public archaeology in the UK. Instead it is a niche practice focusing on specific therapeutic needs. The idea of wellbeing as a policy objective at a more strategic level has, however, been gaining ground across the arts, cultural heritage and archaeological sectors. The three-month secondment at UCL that is the focus of this piece took place at the end of 2021 and evaluated participatory archaeology in order to understand the outcomes of archaeological activities involving volunteers at the National Trust. This fitted with the Trust archaeologists’ aspirations to integrate wellbeing evaluations into their participatory projects. While mental health is a core focus of wellbeing in the heritage agenda writ large, National Trust priorities determined that it was not the focus of this project. Rather, the aim was to help the Trust build an evidence base for reflective practice to inform future programmes and to support the development of a bespoke evaluation framework and strategy for participatory archaeology for its volunteers and visitors. Considerable work had already been undertaken by the Trust staff to inform them about wellbeing, public benefit, nature connection and evaluation, although consultation with their archaeologists and partners in the sector revealed organisational needs for strategic guidance on evaluating participation in archaeology.

Does archaeology deliver evidence about the past or co-create contemporary values?

The paper focuses on heritage value systems, particularly investigating the archaeological understanding of heritage values and evaluation. The literature review shows that the postmodern archaeological paradigm predominantly covers the topic, while the perspective of the intrinsic value is less explored. The starting point of our research is the thesis that archaeological paradigms obstruct better public support if they refrain from using axiological considerations. By archaeological paradigm, we refer to the processual and post-processual ones (the latter focusing on understanding past social phenomena). Axiology, as the theory of values, developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its approach is now used in many areas of social sciences (for example, education and medical care). Public archaeology is more open to societal needs than processual and post-processual archaeology but has yet to apply a values-based approach consistently. To clarify our thesis, we analyse the theoretical and practical considerations on the values of (archaeological) heritage, including the issues of the categorization of values, reflection on who assigns values to heritage and how this affects the reception of archaeological knowledge in society. The paper addresses some critical aspects of the evaluation in archaeological heritage conservation, management and building alliances with locals and communities who identify with heritage. I outline a comprehensive archaeological evaluation system considering systemic, extrinsic and intrinsic archaeological values in the conclusions.

At the Intersections of History

ABSTRACTThe Bolivar Archaeological Project exemplifies the possibilities of archaeology as service, incorporating descendant communities and local stakeholders into the fabric of the research design and planning for a state infrastructure project. This collaborative, multidisciplinary project attends to marginalized histories to offer a model for how publicly funded cultural resources management archaeology can serve multiple goals. The Bolivar Archaeological Project was conceived as a public archaeology project, with dual goals of being community driven and yielding scholarly contributions. In the shifting rural–urban landscape of Denton County, a Texas Department of Transportation road improvement project has supported archaeological investigations of two nineteenth-century sites—a blacksmith shop and hotel—associated with the historic Chisholm Trail. The blacksmith shop belonged to Tom Cook, an African American freedman, whose descendants reside nearby and became active participants in the investigations, including as collaborative authors in this article. The project illustrates the importance of representation and praxis to realize inclusive community engagement, with this article outlining the development of the project and ongoing research. Informed by Black feminist archaeologies, the project works at the intersections of local communities and state infrastructure while navigating landscapes of fraught histories and presents to forge an archaeology for the twenty-first century.

The Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network (OKPAN)

ABSTRACTAs the venues for professional training and education, universities have always shaped the future of the archaeological discipline—for better but also, in important ways, for worse. Historically, university structures promoted practitioner homogeneity and social inequity and, at the largest research-intensive universities, even managed to turn “service” into a dirty word. However, using the same structures that perpetuated damaging practices in the past, universities can just as readily transform archaeology into the inclusive, community-engaged discipline it should always have been—while serving communities in ways that matter to them. This article explains and illustrates how and why we have tried to do this through the founding and operation of the Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network (OKPAN) at the University of Oklahoma. OKPAN seeks to improve relationships among diverse Oklahoma communities by framing archaeology as a tool that that can serve communities’ interests while creating pathways within universities for members of historically excluded groups to join and help further transform the discipline.

Connecting Public and Urban Archaeology: Enhancement of Urban Archaeological Heritage Through Local Archeo Plans

The paper presents some definitions and tools developed as part of the ArcheoDanube project. The contribution, as well as the project, connects the fields of urban archaeology, public archaeology, management of archaeological sites and archaeological tourism. In doing so, of course, we come across basic concepts, some of which are still lacking clear definitions. This applies especially to the term »archaeological park«, which has several uses. After reviewing various definitions in recent international doctrinal documents, we propose one based on the excellent definition in the Croatian legislation. Following is a brief discussion of the specifics of archaeological tourism. Archaeological parks namely represent an important component in its development. Afterwards, we discuss the main topic of the paper: the Local Archeo Plan, which is one of the main products of the ArcheoDanube project. The Local Archeo Plan represents a new, broader form of management plan, specially designed for the specific situation of archaeological remains. Unlike conventional management plans for monuments or monumental areas, a Local Archeo Plan can be prepared for wider areas, e.g., a city, and offers us the possibility of dealing with the archaeological remains of different areas, with various solutions for presentation and interpretation, in the frame of a common outline. We then compare the Local Archeo Plan to similar plans in force in Slovenia and elsewhere and assess its relevance and usefulness in the development of archaeological destinations.

Excellence and craft. A network of museums to challenge post-earthquake crisis in the Marches, in "Archeostorie. Journal of Public Archaeology" III, 2019, pp. 13-24.

Excellence and craft. A network of museums to challenge post-earthquake crisis in the Marches, in "Archeostorie. Journal of Public Archaeology" III, 2019, pp. 13-24.

The Political Ecology of Archaeology and the Archaeological Imagination in the Honduran Frontier

ABSTRACT Integrating political ecology and archaeology has resulted in innovative approaches for reconstructing past human-environment interactions and understanding the legacies that shape environmental degradation and resource struggles today. This paper contributes to this emerging interdisciplinarity by proposing a political ecological approach to investigate how archaeological remains are assigned value as resources, drawing on interpretive theories in both archaeology and political ecology. This article applies this approach to examine the archaeological imagination driving expeditions in eastern Honduras that aimed to find the remains of a site of monumental importance associated with the legend of the White City. Through a political ecological lens, it becomes clear that the interpretation of the region’s archaeological heritage within the context of a legend is the result of displacement and resource control dynamics. Although archaeologists reject the legend as a credible source, actors continue to exploit its symbolism for prestige and profit. This approach highlights the disjuncture between profit-driven narratives of archaeological heritage and the socio-natures that underpin our imagination of such sites. The paper suggests that engaging with the socio-nature of archaeological sites may lead to more inclusive and nuanced interpretations of the past, showing how political ecology can contribute to public archaeology.

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Robert J. Walker: The History and Archaeology of a U.S. Coast Survey Steamship

Robert J. Walker: The History and Archaeology of a U.S. Coast Survey Steamship