The Public Face of Archaeology in Britain (Part 2)

Meeting in the Middle of Nowhere: Sharing Archaeology with an Audience in Cyberspace

The WWW is a powerfully versatile medium for communicating archaeological information. Importantly, we need not consider the Web as a vehicle for either public outreach or formal academic publication; a single presentation can be meaningful to a diverse audience, from professional archaeologists to curious schoolchildren. The flexibility inherent in hypertext means that websites can be layered in complexity, allowing the reader to customise their viewing experience.

Basic websites are very simple to design - for newcomers, we will demonstrate the creation of a basic hypertext document. Drawing from the experience of founding Assemblage, we will describe how a team of Sheffield graduate students launched a much visited electronic journal, showing that a site need not be complicated or exclusively dedicated to 'the public' to find a wide readership.

For the more technically inclined, there is enormous potential for more elaborate sites which integrate complex visual materials (e.g. from GIS and QTVR) as both presentational and analytical tools, as examples based on current landscape archaeology projects in the Peak District will show.

Public Faces

Archaeological facial reconstruction exhibits feature in a number of British museums and have proved popular with the public. Portrayal of forensic facial reconstruction on television and in film, in relation to crime also captured the public imagination. Whilst this presentation will clarify the limited scientific basis of facial reconstructions, a basis which is all too often overstated, it will also emphasise the positive aspects of the technique. A carefully produced facial reconstruction can create empathy with individuals whose lives we hope to portray. Its popularity may also be cautiously used to encourage the development of a broader interest in archaeology. Facial reconstruction, and advanced 3D graphical simulation methods which lie behind computerised reconstructions, are archaeological techniques which have valuable applications inside and outside the discipline.

'We're Quite Interested'. An Enquiry into what the people who live in one of the richest archaeological landscapes in Britain feel.

Kilmartin House is a new archaeological museum in one of the richest archaeological landscapes in Britain. It was built up over a four year period in a community which was uncertain about the value and meaning of archaeology and doubtful about what interpretation of landscapes could contribute to local communities.

Now open, Kilmartin House is a focus for debate on matters of central importance in archaeology: the balance of the cultural and economic in the landscape, the destiny of artefacts, the care of monuments and the pitch of interpretation. The results of a survey on how people react to the presentation of archaeology, both at Kilmartin House and elsewhere, will be given.

From Concept to Country House

In characterising heritage management as a 'product' within a suite of wider environmental initiatives, analysis of its various components and model-building using a strategic management perspective gives some clarity to an already complicated and important subject area. It may also allow re-integration with the academic discipline of archaeology, and as a product able to be ever more accountable when drawing on government or public support.

No Longer Can Objects Speak For Themselves

Despite the enormous success of museums in the UK in attracting rising numbers of visitors in recent years, it is clear that at least some of the public remain resistant to entering museums. This is despite museums being recognised as publicly accessible resource centres to the past, and huge changes in display - often away from object filled cases and into the field, in 'out of hours' activities, or through interactive and user friendly approaches. Museums have provided innovative approaches to excavation accessibility, to landscape studies and to (even!) collections. The value of museums will continue, and expand as the Treasure Act comes into force. Hopefully, this will introduce a wider public to the importance of objects and records. Objects are increasing in importance in the popular press as regional and national disagreements over the final resting place of archaeological finds develops. Possibly one route is to encourage people to identify with the material from their past, and 'keep it local'.

Making Time Team

Mick Aston is the Time Team 'team leader'. It is hoped that Tony Robinson will be able to join him, and they do a joint presentation. The key points covered will be:
1. How the Time Team series has evolved
2. The key elements in each programme
3. The philosophy guiding Time Team
4. Examples from the recent series, plus the world's first ever 'live' dig
5. Personal appraisal
6. What next for Time Team and archaeology generally