Community archaeology

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Community archaeology is archaeology by the people for the people. The field is also, more commonly, known as public archaeology. It is empowered by the idea that within a locality there will be many people interested and excited by the material evidence for the past which lies beneath their streets, houses, gardens, workplaces and is scattered across fields and woods. Although fascinated by the discoveries of professional archaeologists, these people want passionately to be directly involved in the actual process of discovery themselves and in the research and imaginative reconstruction that flows from these discoveries.

Community archaeology has existed for many years, although only recently has it come to be known by that name. The roots of archaeology lie in the long tradition of antiquarian and amateur work, and many county or locally-based archaeology and history societies founded over a century ago have continued to enable the involvement of local people in archaeology. Up until the 1970s volunteers often had opportunities to initiate or take part in archaeological investigations. Since then the recognition that more investigations were required by the subsequent establishment of archaeological units eroded some of these opportunities; more significantly the introduction of archaeology to the legalities of the planning process through Planning Policy Guidance note 16 (PPG16) and the full professionalization of archaeology, has made public participation in archaeology extremely limited. This project design has been created to counteract this problem in an area renowned for its archaeological remains and historical background, York and its hinterland. Where possible, this project design has been prepared in accordance with the project specification outlined in Management of Archaeological Projects (MAP2) (English Heritage 1991, 27-29).

Archaeology (including historic buildings, landscapes and monuments, as well as ‘traditional’ archaeology) is about people and the discovery of the past of all of us. As a subject, archaeology has been increasingly brought into the public eye in recent years, particularly as a result of the popular television programmes Time Team, Meet the Ancestors, Restoration and the number of historical and archaeological documentaries aired on the Discovery channel. The public have become more aware of their past, and as a result an increasing interest in archaeology has developed.

Community archaeology projects flourish when local people get involved in exploring and discovering their historic environment. This can happen at several different levels and in numerous different ways. The most common form of public participation in archaeology comes from grass roots level; local people who are interested in their local historic environment setting up local groups to investigate a particular area, feature, or theme. These local groups are smaller than the large, county societies, and operate in their own area and at their own pace. The work produced is often of a high standard, reflecting the amount of time and effort local people are willing to put in to local projects they themselves initiated.

On another level, public participation can mean local people taking part in training excavations, such as the annual training dig at St. Leonard’s Hospital in York run by York Archaeological Trust. This type of involvement results in a hands-on learning experience in archaeological techniques, which leaves the participant with new skills and a sense of achievement at the end of it. Public lectures, site tours and open days at sites on which fieldwork is being carried out provide an educational experience for the passive consumer, but do not allow people to participate actively in the fieldwork itself. It is the physical, hands-on process of discovery that many people want to take part in, and there appears to be no substitute that will satisfy.

Increasingly, over the last two decades, public participation has been pushed aside by developer-led, commercial archaeology, with the bulk of work going to contracting units. The reasons behind this relate to the professionalization of the discipline and the implementation of PPG16, as discussed by Morris (1998), and more recently by Faulkner (2000; 2002) who proposed a return to community-led archaeology in his article entitled “Archaeology from below”.

This project will help to develop relationships of trust and respect between the community and those who work in archaeology. It will benefit communities by heightening their sense of place and pride in their local past, providing them with the opportunity to help make decisions about the long-term management of the local historic environment. It will also change ways of thinking within the archaeological profession regarding methodology and research agendas. Archaeologists will become more aware of and will start to accept ‘other’ ways of viewing the past through working with local communities. Smith (2004, 410-11) has highlighted the repatriation of human remains as an opportunity to bring communities into ethical debates, an idea that can be easily translated to community archaeology. Furthermore, community involvement in archaeological debates will encourage those who work in the profession to look at community aspirations for archaeological research (ibid).

Local groups and societies have a valuable role to play in the development of archaeology on a local, regional and national level. Local people are potential providers, not just consumers, of archaeological information. The merits of individual community projects have been highlighted by Selkirk (1995) and Manley (1999).

English Heritage recently suggested moves towards more local involvement in understanding and interpreting the local historic environment in Power of Place (English Heritage 2000). This community archaeology project for Greater York will significantly contribute towards English Heritage’s goal of promoting public appreciation and enjoyment of archaeology through increased participation (English Heritage 1997, §D). This goal has been reflected in the creation of grant-giving programmes such as the Local Heritage Initiative (LHI), which was launched in 2000 and will run for ten years. The LHI scheme is administered by the Countryside Agency with funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Nationwide Building Society. So far over 500 local projects in England have been funded by this scheme, including two in York. On a larger scale, the Heritage Lottery Fund has also provided grants for community-based heritage projects and has recently appealed for more archaeologists to apply to their funding schemes (Current Archaeology 2003, 288).

A recent investigation carried out by the Council for British Archaeology (Farley 2003) identified the main perceived barriers to public participation, gave examples of good practice in encouraging public participation, and made several recommendations for future improvements. Its first recommendation was the establishment of full-time Community Archaeologist posts across the country, as it states, “such dedicated posts represent a very effective way of stimulating and guiding public participation at a local level” (ibid, 14). Those posts that already exist, and the benefits they have brought to their local communities, are highlighted below.

The Valletta Convention is one of the most important documents to have been produced and publicised in recent years. It largely concerns the work of non-official or amateur groups who have been, or are, investigating their local historic environment. The European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (Revised) (Council of Europe 1992) was signed in Valletta in 1992, and ratified by the UK government before coming into force on 21st March 2001 (http://www.britarch.ac.uk/valletta/). Article 3 of the document caused considerable debate as it stated that all archaeological work should be carried out by suitably qualified, authorised people (Current Archaeology 2001a; 2001b). This form of ‘licensing’ for archaeologists already exists on the continent, where it has crippled the work of voluntary archaeologists and local societies. While the government recognises that this is not the best way forward for British archaeology, which has a long tradition of community involvement, it is proposing that guidelines be drawn up by English Heritage, the Institute of Field Archaeologists (IFA) and the Council for British Archaeology. These guidelines will undoubtedly be of use in the future for Community Archaeology groups and for Community Archaeologists.

One of the longest running and most successful community archaeology projects is based in Leicestershire (Schadla-Hall, forthcoming). Leicestershire County Council (which incorporates the museum service) established the project in 1976 and today they have 400 members within 20 local groups across the county. Peter Liddle (Keeper of Archaeology) is the Community Archaeologist and was probably the first to use the term ‘community archaeology’ as the title for his fieldworker’s handbook (Liddle 1985). Its project was primarily based on getting local communities to go out fieldwalking, it has been very successful and as a result a lot of new information has been discovered about the archaeology of the Leicestershire landscape (Liddle 1982a; 1982b; 1994; Liddle et al. 1986).

In North Yorkshire a community archaeology scheme was initiated by Harrogate Museums and Arts Service in 1995. The pilot scheme had three main aims: 1) to feed information into the SMR; 2), to promote the benefits of non-destructive archaeological fieldwork; and 3), to promote community engagement with professionals (Kershaw 1999). A Community Archaeologist (Kevin Cale) was appointed to guide and administer the project. Field survey work in Ellingstring Parish and a desk-top survey of the prehistory of Harrogate Borough were the first two volunteer-led projects; both significantly increased the amount of information on the SMR. Local archaeology and history groups then began to approach Kevin Cale for help with their projects and he began to give professional guidance, help with funding applications, and promoted a standardized methodology.

The Community Landscapes Project in Devon was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Devon County Council, and managed by the University of Exeter, School of Geography and Archaeology. The project was set up in 2001 and was designed to run for three years, although it is hoped the project will be extended. The project manager, Sean Hawken, and two assistants who are PhD candidates in landscape and environmental studies, provide training to local people in several survey techniques, including archive research, earthwork survey, environmental surveys and pollen analysis.

The Community Archaeology Research Project (CARP) in Lincolnshire was established in 1999, and is based at the North Lincolnshire Museum in Scunthorpe (part of North Lincolnshire Council). The project started out as a Millennium project (with Millennium funding), based around a course of evening classes run by the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Hull. In 2003 the North Lincolnshire Council received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to appoint a Community Archaeology Assistant, and convert a room in the museum into a resource room for finds processing. Like that in Leicestershire, this project is also strongly based on fieldwalking. Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, Community Archaeologist posts have been appointed in Boston and North and South Kestevon, and the responsibilities and achievements of their work have been outlined by Start (1999).

These examples are but a few of the community archaeology projects that exist across the country. The project in York has evolved out of the need for guidance for the members of the public wanting to get involved in discovering their local historic environment in the York area. The background to this is described in the next section, but it should be viewed in the context of the emergence of more community archaeology projects nationally, and against the constraints of funding and resources on non-developer funded archaeology as a whole.

[edit] Other Community Archaeology Projects

Community Archaeology Forum - help, information & guidance from the Council for British Archaeology
A Community Archaeology project in York
communityarchaeology.co.uk A number of community archaeology projects based in North Yorkshire with professional expertise provided by Kevin Cale
communitynature.co.uk A community nature and heritage project based at Studfold Farm, Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire with professional advice provided by Nigel Heptinstall
Leicestershire project
Cambridgeshire course
Shropshire information
Binghamton, NY academic program
Baltimore, MD academic program