Issue 115

Nov / Dec 2010

news

All the latest archaeology news from around the country

features

On the Trail of Viking Women

Jane Kershaw reports on an astounding quantity of Viking-style jewellery found in England

THE BIG DIG: Bestwall Quarry

At this large site in Dorset local, largely unfunded amateurs were nominated to manage the archaeology with fascinating results

Life Between the Nations

The wartime correspondence of German refugee archaeologist Paul Jacobsthal

Excavating the Living Dead

Alistair Barclay examines the stories of the many people who were buried on Boscombe Down, Wiltshire

The Human Remains Crisis

Change is promised, but fieldwork continues under conditions that many are unhappy with

The Little House by the Shore

The directors of the Star Carr excavation update readers on the endangered organic remains

The Varmints Show

In the Varmints' third exploration, we introduce Great Excavations – The Musical

on the web

Neolithic excavations online and the Cranbourne Chase gets an overhaul

CBA Correspondent

From CBA Director, Mike Heyworth on academia

letters

Your views and responses

ISSN 1357-4442

Editor Mike Pitts

CBA Correspondent

Campaigns, comment and communications from the CBA

Understanding where we came from is not just an academic pursuit, says Mike Heyworth.

In line with its mission to encourage "Archaeology for all", the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) was pleased to be able to support a seminar about community heritage and engagement with groups at risk of social exclusion, held in Gloucester in mid September.

The event included presentations from archaeologists who have been involved with relevant projects in Bristol, Gloucester, Manchester and York. One of the aims of the seminar was to encourage discussion between archaeologists and professionals working in social welfare and health care.

A community heritage project was among those featured, co-run by Gloucester city council's Heritage Service and the Gloucestershire Emergency Accommodation Resource (GEAR). A programme of archaeological excavation, documentary research and art exhibition has been designed around the heritage of Gloucester, intended to raise self-esteem within its participants. The project's long term aim, as part of GEAR's wider programme, is to help the participants use that newly generated self-confidence to move towards more sustainable tenancies, personal relationships and enhanced employment and education prospects.

The Gloucester city council Heritage Service has also initiated a project with a local aphasia group (aphasia is a disorder that impairs the expression and understanding of language, as well as reading and writing, develops suddenly and is commonly associated with people who have had a stroke or head injury). The Heritage Service, upon instruction from the aphasia group, created and provided "discussion boxes". These acted as a focus around which the group could improve their language skills and thought processes; but perhaps most importantly the venue was somewhere they could meet and interact. The increased confidence engendered by this allowed the group to develop an exhibition, and, especially, to talk to members of the public about aphasia.

These and other similar projects, such as the work with homeless people in Bristol recently reported in British Archaeology (Jul/Aug), are considered by some to be controversial. They argue that archaeological practice is not a social service, and that archaeology is a search for knowledge and is therefore predominantly a "middle class" activity. These were not the views of those present in Gloucester, nor are they the views of the CBA.

Archaeology has the potential to transform people's lives, at the same time as contributing to our understanding of ourselves and the past. It is surely something to be celebrated that archaeologists working in appropriate partnership with colleagues from the social care sector, can offer opportunities which lead to empowerment, increased self-confidence, and enhanced well-being for people throughout society.

We have seen much evidence of this in our research relating to the growth in community archaeology across the UK in recent years (see British Archaeology Jul/Aug). Community groups, often working closely in partnership with professional archaeologists, engage a wide range of individuals where the common factor is not their class, but where they live. Many people come together because they care for the area around their home. Increasingly, local groups are not just involved in finding out more about the archaeology of their area for themselves through fieldwork, but they are also involved in passing on that information to a wider audience. With the expanding interest often comes a desire to look after the heritage better, and many groups report a drop in vandalism and wilful damage to heritage sites in areas where local people have taken "ownership" (not necessarily in the legal sense).

To link in with this interest, the Marsh Archaeology Award 2010, which opened for nominations in August, is seeking the best examples across the UK of voluntary groups and individuals engaged in the stewardship of their local archaeological heritage. The award, sponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust and run annually in conjunction with the CBA, will provide an opportunity to showcase many of the models for local stewardship projects across the UK, such as the Adopt a Monument programme in Scotland, the county models in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, and regional projects like the Friends of Ancient Monuments (FOAM) group in Wessex. The award winner will receive a cheque for £1,000, but as many groups will say, it is often the recognition they appreciate, more so than the money. Details of the Marsh Archaeology Award 2010 are available on the CBA's website.

Archaeology also has much to offer people through formal and informal education. The CBA's biennial archaeology in education conference, held in September in conjunction with the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology at Liverpool University, heard a wide range of presentations about how archaeology has much to contribute at all levels of learning. Right the way through from primary schools and early years learning, to lifelong learning for adults, there were inspirational examples of educational projects which are engaging a wide range of audiences in archaeology. These projects often involve people in exciting and original research.

An increasing variety of resources is available for teachers to help them use archaeology and the wider historic environment in their schools; many of these resources are available for free on archaeology-related websites for everyone to access. Coming out of the conference, the CBA is planning to develop some web facilities which provide links to many of these resources, to help others to find them more easily. We also hope to develop a Hub for Archaeological Learning in the year ahead (funding permitting!) which will bring together links and resources to opportunities across the UK. Where there are gaps in provision (often due to the demise of traditional adult education), we aim to find ways to ensure that everyone can access opportunities to learn about the past.

Younger audiences still have the opportunity to join the CBA's Young Archaeologists' Club; club members receive regular updates, including their own magazine, Young Archaeologist. YAC members also have an opportunity to visit many archaeological sites, museums and heritage centres across the UK for free or at a discounted rate through the YAC Pass scheme.

As we await the outcome of the UK government's spending review on October 20, it is timely to consider these various aspects of archaeology. There is so much that society can gain from the cultural heritage of the UK, but it remains fragile and in need of investment and care. We must nurture and build on existing archaeological endeavour to sustain our discipline and all that it offers in such challenging times.

Mike Heyworth is Director of the CBA.

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