What are the major threats to our heritage today? It is always fascinating to have an inside view of what English Heritage sees as the looming threats to the heritage, so what does Simon Thurley, the Chief Executive of English Heritage think to be the major current problems?
Integrating amateur archaeology
March 11, 2008 By Filed Under: Opinion
Do we really have a way of integrating amateur help into field archaeology these days? At the Archaeology 2008 conference, university professors and leaders of archaeology’s commercial sector vied with each other to show they were deeply professional and amateur-friendly. And there was some success – but it was plain enough that the gaps were [...]
Community Archaeology: from the grassroots
February 20, 2008 By Filed Under: Opinion
In CA 213, the Opinion article on Community Archaeology: Against the Odds outlined a problem of exclusion arising from the commercialisation and bureaucratisation of archaeology in England. Whilst I agree whole-heartedly with the main points, I think the article used a worryingly narrow definition of Community Archaeology – that of professionals running one-off grant funded [...]
Archaeology 08:
February 18, 2008 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
The dust has settled on our first big Current Archaeology event, and I am happy to report it was a great success. Over 500 people attended, including delegates, speakers, moderators, press and guests; not bad for a first try! With big events like conferences, there will always be something that could have gone better, however overall [...]
Archaeology of the Sevso Treasure
February 18, 2008 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
On February 14, I attended the Society of Antiquaries London and the Annual All-Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group Lecture to hear Hungarian archaeologist Dr Zsolt Visy (a Fellow and expert in the Roman archaeology of central Europe) discuss his work in establishing provenance for the Sevso Treasure. This meeting was quite exciting, it being the first [...]
ARCHAEOLOGY 2008!
February 5, 2008 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
It is now just 3 short days until the Archaeology 2008 conference, which we are co-sponsoring along with the British Museum Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasure and the Traveller. For the first time in Britain, representatives from all aspects of our discipline will be together in one room: academics, diggers, bureaucrats, freelancers, amateurs, professionals, [...]
Professor Lord Renfrew's Society af Antiquaries lecture: The Dawn of Civilization
February 5, 2008 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
On January 28, I was fortunate to attend the London Society of Antiquaries Tercentenary lecture No. 3, The Dawn of Civilization, by Professor Lord Renfrew at the Royal Museum of Scotland. The lecture was followed by a reception at Old College, the University of Edinburgh. It was extremely well attended (which was no surprise, given [...]
Flagship national archaeology scheme faces crippling cuts
January 14, 2008 By Filed Under: Opinion
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is threatened with a realterms budget cut that might close its central unit and terminate the national database. Five jobs out of 50 are set to go, possibly leaving the scheme’s 39 Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs) to be grouped and managed regionally. Many FLOs think this would destroy the scheme.
Human remains: retain or return?
December 20, 2007 By Filed Under: Opinion
Several years ago when I lived in Bonn, I stayed just down the road from the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, which holds the original Neanderthal remains discovered just to the north near Düsseldorf in 1856. My regular visits to view these remains were always very moving and meaningful; gazing at them, I was establishing a connection to [...]
Blisters, bum smacks and humble pie: my first class at Gladiator School
November 5, 2007 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
Yesterday evening, I was killed at least 50 times. I was stabbed, slashed, poked, cut, beheaded, dismembered and left for dead. In other words: I attended my first class at the Schola Gladiatoria.
Deep inside Silbury Hill
October 24, 2007 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
Deep in the heart of Silbury Hill I was lucky enough to be invited along on the press tour of the Silbury Hill excavations on Wednesday, October 24. So, taking my life in my hands, I hopped in the infamous Selkirk camper van and headed down with Andrew. There's more going on there than I [...]
New light on the Black Death – Antiquaries lecture
October 18, 2007 By Filed Under: Lisa Westcott
Were the Great Plagues in Britain really caused by rats and fleas, or is a cosmic event responsible for poisoning the atmosphere? I attended a lecture at the Society of Antiquaries to find out.
The paradoxes of running a magazine…
July 17, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
It is one of the paradoxes of running a magazine that sooner or later the magazine starts to take on a life of its own.
Heritage counts?
July 17, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
Once upon a time English Heritage used to publish an annual report.
After the Middle Ages
July 17, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
What happened to England after the Middle Ages?
No maintenance shall take place
July 16, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
From an anonymous (but clearly knowledgeable) reader.
Inspired?
July 16, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
English Heritage is ‘spearheading’ yet another campaign, this time to save historic church buildings.
Oxford and Prehistory
July 16, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
Barry Cunliffe is about to retire as Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford.
The Museum of London rebuilds – yet again
July 16, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
The Museum of London has just received a substantial grant of some £11m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a major £18m rebuilding.
Who are the volunteers?
July 16, 2007 By Filed Under: Andrew Selkirk
Another yawning gap is opening in archaeology – and indeed I suspect in many other subjects, this time over the use of the term ‘volunteer’.
