Public Archaeology as Renewer of the Historical Museum

Abstract

Working towards greater public interaction in the museum, and with archaeology reflecting on its contemporary context, traditional collection practices will inevitably be challenged. Archaeologies of the contemporary bring new kinds of artefacts to collections and raises ethical and political questions, since it must interact with the world of the living. Public archaeology, on the other hand, strives to involve people in the making of history, with an aim towards more inclusive, and even democratic, pasts and collections. Three recent research projects at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities have dealt with these issues. The case studies future memories, archaeologist for a day and public contract archaeology question artefact categorizations, policies for storage and display, as well as database organization, design, and availability. It clearly turned out that the way museums work with collections structure and limit the ways in which audiences can engage with them. To deal more intensively with the public relations of archaeology, and to get more engaged in the contemporary, has definite consequences for the collections and collection practices of archaeological museums. A public-need focus will inevitably give opportunities for archaeologists and institutions to renew their perspectives and practices.     

A Climate of Fear: Recent British Policy and Management of Coastal Heritage

Abstract

This article discusses the various environmental threats that exist to British coastal heritage sites and the steps currently being taken to monitor, manage, and address such threats. The article concludes by considering the possibilities of enhanced site management that could be offered by recent legislative reform.     

'Up ewig Ungedeelt!' Schleswig-Holstein 1864–1920

Abstract

The border region of present-day Denmark and Germany has had a turbulent history. This paper will discuss the different influences of both countries on the landscape and upon the local community, using a landscape biographical approach. The landscape is filled with monuments commemorating various violent events in the region. The paper analyses how the Danish minority of Germany and the small German population of Denmark reacted to these changes. It considers how these changes are marked in the landscape, looking at Schleswig-Holstein from both perspectives.     

SEX IDENTIFICATION OF SLAVE SACRIFICE VICTIMS FROM QIN STATE TOMBS IN THE SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD OF CHINA USING ANCIENT DNA

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis was employed to determine the sex of slave sacrifice victims from Qin State tombs during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. It is difficult to obtain sex information from fragmentary skeleton samples with the aid of skeletal morphology methods. aDNA was extracted from the dentine in selected tooth samples of sacrificial slaves using a modified traditional method, which combines together phenol/chloroform extraction, silicon dioxide adsorption and ultrafiltration concentration. Based on the sequence differences between the amelogenin homologous gene in the X and that in the Y chromosome, a pair of specific primers was designed to identify the sex of the selected samples. In the selected eight typical samples, the aDNA analytical results revealed that three were males and two were females. These findings indicate that molecular sex identification might provide more valuable information for archaeological research on the institution of slave sacrifice in the Spring and Autumn Period of China.     

CREEP OF LEAD DYEING VESSELS IN POMPEII: THE USE OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS TO ANSWER ‘UNANSWERABLE’ QUESTIONS

The scale of manufacture of the dyeing industry in Pompeii is a controversial subject. Previous studies have taken a theoretical approach. This study used full‐scale replicas of dyeing apparatus to investigate their operating parameters. To explore the physical effect within the materials during the dyeing cycle, a virtual replica was constructed. Finite element analysis was used to explore the long‐term mechanical effects of the dyeing process on the apparatus and on production as a whole. These combined methods have given an understanding of the significance of the industry and this new method has provided a foundation for further work.     

A CASE STUDY OF ARTHROPODS PRESERVED ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL BRONZES—MICRO‐ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION HELPS RECONSTRUCTING PAST ENVIRONMENTS

This paper offers new perspectives for improving our knowledge of arthropods in wet and aerobic archaeological contexts. The very‐near environment of uncleaned buried bronze artefacts, two ronde‐bosse ornaments of a Celtic grave from the Iron Age (275 to 250 bc , La Fosse‐Cotheret, Roissy‐en‐France), was studied by means of optical and scanning electron microscopies. Taking into account recent knowledge on bronze corrosion (decuprification), this micro‐investigation (micro‐archaeology) allowed identification of two fossilized arthropods—Cryptophagus sp. (Insecta, Coleoptera, Cryptophagidae) and Coccotydaeolus sp. (Acari, Tydaeoidea, Iolinidae)—which sheds some light upon the complex taphonomic process that occurred after the burial of a Celtic chariot. These first results support the idea that the local corroded metal/soil system has to be investigated for a better understanding of archaeological microenvironments. Efficient minute investigation of soiled bronzes could be performed prior to systematic cleaning of artefacts.     

RADIOCARBON DATES FROM THE OXFORD AMS SYSTEM: ARCHAEOMETRY DATELIST 34

This is the thirty‐fourth list of AMS radiocarbon determinations measured at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). Amongst the dates obtained for archaeological sites included here are the latest series of determinations from the key sites of Proskynas (Greece), Kova?evo (Bulgaria) and Khirbet Qeiyafa (Israel), as well as others dating to the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and later periods. Submitters of the material provide comments on the significance of the results.     

Saving the Sweet Track: The in situ preservation of a Neolithic wooden trackway,Somerset, UK

Abstract

The Sweet Track is the oldest known wooden trackway in Europe. Part of the trackway is preserved in situ in a nature reserve under an active system of hydrological management, designed to prevent damage to the monument from desiccation. The English Heritage-funded project, reported here, was established to assess the condition of the monument and the effectiveness of the management regime. The results have shown that although the trackway is highly deteriorated it still holds a wealth of archaeological information. The decay of the wood probably occurred gradually over several thousand years but the present management regime should be able to ensure its continued survival.     

High Desert Paleolithic Survey at Abydos,Egypt

Abstract

In the winters of 2000 and 2002–2003 we surveyed a portion of the high desert immediately adjacent to the Nile Valley at Abydos, Egypt. The initial field season assessed the area's potential to contribute to the existing database of Paleolithic landscapes. Limited work done prior to our initial survey indicated that such Paleolithic sites in this region, while present, were relatively infrequent. Contrary to this expectation, we found the desert landscape densely littered with Paleolithic artifacts. Our subsequent work documented the extent of the distribution and the nature of Paleolithic artifacts. The goal of this work is to develop models of desert landscape use, particularly during the Middle Paleolithic, which can be integrated into those existing for the Nile Valley. In doing this, we provide a more complete picture of hominid adaptations in a place and time period critical to our understanding of the origins of modern human behaviors.     

The Amarna Stone Village Survey and life on the urban periphery in New Kingdom Egypt

Abstract

Recent fieldwork at Amarna, the short-lived capital city of Egypt in the late 2nd millennium B.C., added a second area of peripheral settlement, the Stone Village, to the well-known Workmen’s Village, the subject of an intensive excavation campaign in the 1970s and 1980s. Both villages were evidently involved in tomb cutting and/or stone quarrying, but the Stone Village is smaller, conveys a particularly vernacular style of architecture, and seems to have had less state support than the Workmen’s Village. This paper describes the Stone Village as a source for the study of urban life in ancient Egypt. The two village sites offer a case study of the tensions that arose from controlling human populations in a border zone and from longestablished belief frameworks concerning desert landscapes and sacred space.