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  • Introduction
  • Anastasia Dakouri-Hild, Guest Editor (bio)

Putting the ‘Public’ in Mediterranean Archaeology: The 2015 Colloquium

Two decades ago, I received my baptism of fire in public archaeology as a neophyte archaeologist in the Greek Archaeological Service. While this term was not used at the time to describe any aspect of archaeological work in Greece, working in the Service frequently entails immersion in classic dilemmas of public archaeology: for instance, how to parse one’s enthusiasm about the archaeological process—excavation, analysis, and interpretation of the material remains of the past—to the public; how to marry an arguably esoteric, dry discipline, with inquiry pertaining to contemporary issues in society and genuinely interesting to lay audiences; how to balance the need to protect, preserve, and curate the non-renewable resource of the past, with the complex needs, desires and visions of various stakeholders in the community.

Nevertheless, the notion of public archaeology remains somewhat alien to archaeology in Greece. This is hardly surprising given that: (a) most archaeological work (putting aside projects run by domestic and foreign academic institutions) is in the form of rescue excavations, which are oriented primarily towards preservation as part of the government’s heritage management programs; and (b) archaeology is seen as inherently linked to both national education and national identity. Both these characteristics seemingly eliminate the need to argue for the relevance of archaeology in present-day communities, let alone consider multiple or ignored stakeholders within a given community, and to identify the unique purpose, value and flavor of the qualifier ‘public’ in archaeology.

Since the advent of public archaeology in the 1970s in Anglo-American scholarship, thinking on this topic has evolved significantly. As discussed in more detail below, public archaeologies vary considerably in approach and objectives. A common direction is that of public education as effective heritage management and protection. Other approaches include public relations or fundraiser efforts in support of continuing projects, educating the public on the methods, benefits and uses of archaeology, and community service learning. Recent paradigms place emphasis on ‘democratizing’ the archaeological process by involving the public in all stages of knowledge production (e.g., constructivist, experiential, hands-on, inclusive, informationally open, crowdsourced archaeologies). The very meaning of ‘publics’ and ‘communities’ to be served by archaeology, the role of archaeology in shaping community identities, and the inherently political nature (intentional or not) of archaeological work in society have also been intensely scrutinized as part of the public-archaeology debate.

Despite extensive writing and debate along these lines in the broader realms of archaeological thought, especially from the late 1990s onward, community-friendly or ‘engaged’ archaeologies of the ancient Mediterranean have been comparatively rare, little publicized, or very recent. A colloquium entitled “Public Archaeologies of the Ancient Mediterranean” (116th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, New Orleans, 8–11 January 2015), organized by the author, sought [End Page 251] to take the pulse of public-archaeology thinking in the Mediterranean, with the geographic determination broadly applied (community-oriented activities undertaken in contemporary Mediterranean countries or those closely associated with the Mediterranean world historically, or work related to the ancient Mediterranean without necessarily having taken place in that region). While the colloquium did not aim at comprehensive geographic ‘coverage’ and a Greek predisposition was necessitated by the specific forum where the colloquium was held, an effort was made to include contributions representing a variety of regional perspectives as much as possible. The stated goals of this colloquium, and the resulting volume, are: (a) exploring the emerging roles of archaeologists in the Mediterranean as educators, mediators, and facilitators in the interpretation of the past; (b) gauging the local resonances (as opposed to a priori-determined benefits) and nuances of archaeological work in the daily lives of inhabitants; and (c) showcasing projects that engage a variety of stakeholders (including disenfranchised ‘others’) through excavations, site-based initiatives, community-embedded efforts, media, virtual, online projects, and so forth.

‘Public,’ ‘Community,’ ‘Engaged,’ ‘Democratic’ Archaeologies: A Brief Primer

A vibrant interest in the topic of public archaeology as a significant component of the discipline manifests itself in an enormous number of publications spanning five decades but culminating from 2000 onward, with titles such as...

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