Age as Artefact: On Archaeological Authenticity

1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelius Holtorf ◽  
Tim Schadla-Hall
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Resource ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Archaeological Objects

Authenticity is frequently seen as crucial in archaeology. In this paper, we examine the nature of authenticity and question by implication whether so much attention should be given to determining the actual age and thus the genuineness of archaeological objects. We show that numbers of authenticated objects are potentially fakes. There is an acceptance that many archaeological sites and reconstructions are not actually really old, although the acceptability of this view depends on one's flexibility towards the concept of authenticity. It is clear that the public does not necessarily put the same value on genuineness as do archaeologists. We suggest that certain aspects of the past have always been a potentially renewable resource. We suggest that a more relaxed approach to genuineness and authenticity is acceptable today and is already accepted by the public as consumers of the past.

scholarly journals Archaeological geophysics in Israel: past, present and future

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 45-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. V. Eppelbaum
Keyword(s):  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The Past ◽  
Geophysical Investigations ◽  
Limited Application ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Archaeological Objects

Abstract. In Israel occur a giant number of archaeological objects of various age, origin and size. Different kinds of noise complicate geophysical methods employment at archaeological sites. Geodynamical active, multi-layered, and geologically variable surrounding media in many cases damages ancient objects and disturbs their physical properties. This calls to application of different geophysical methods armed by the modern interpretation technology. The main attention is focused on the geophysical methods most frequently applying in Israeli archaeological sites: GPR and high-precise magnetic survey. Other methods (paleomagnetic, resistivity, near-surface seismics, piezoelectric, etc.) are briefly described and reviewed. The number of employed geophysical methodologies is constantly increasing, and now Israeli territory may be considered as a peculiar polygon for various geophysical methods testing. Several examples illustrate effective application of geophysical methods over some typical archaeological remains. The geophysical investigations at archaeological sites in Israel could be tentatively divided on three stages: (1) past (1990), (2) present (1990–2009), and (3) future (2010). The past stage with several archaeoseismic reviews and very limited application of geophysical methods was replaced by the present stage with the violent employment of numerous geophysical techniques. It is supposed that the future stage will be characterized by extensive development of multidiscipline physical-archaeological databases, employment of all possible indicators for 4-D monitoring and ancient sites reconstruction, as well as application of combined geophysical multilevel surveys using remote operated vehicles at low altitudes.

scholarly journals Objects or Narratives. Archaeological Exhibitions in Serbia: Foundations of Museum Archaeology

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 575
Author(s):  
Tatjana Cvjetićanin
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Theory ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Exhibition Space ◽  
Knowledge Presentation ◽  
Museum Exhibitions ◽  
National Museums ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Political Norms ◽  
Archaeological Objects

Although every local museum or parts of national museums keep archaeological finds, museums in general play a very limited role on the archaeological scene, often being passive and marginalized. Well-grounded investigation into the archaeological objects kept in museum collections and, above all, the public domain of museums, the nature of collections and exhibitions, both permanent and occasional, have not been adequately recognized, discussed or considered. In spite of the fact that museum exhibitions legitimize the dominant social and political norms of the present, museums remain marginalized, separated from the currents of various pertinent disciplines, and not prepared for the necessary changes. Archaeological theory, shaping the archaeological practice of museums as well, is not understood as its constituent part, and the interpretive context in which exhibitions are created, contents and nature of interpretation are not considered. The analysis of the exhibitions of the National Museum in Belgrade, being the paradigm of museum archaeology in Serbia up to the middle of the 20th century, has shown that the culture-historical approach, the idea of continuity and dynamic artistic presentations of alienated past have marked this public presence of museums. The Museum has developed from the storage space and knowledge presentation, over exhibition space to an ideal museum, dominated by estheticized expositions, establishing various official representations of the past. The changes in the theory of museology, somewhat coinciding with the changes in archaeological theory, have posed a new challenge to museum archaeology, that may be defined in short as the need for the new interpretation of the past.

scholarly journals How to align disciplinary ideals with actual practices: Transparency and openness in archaeological science

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Marwick ◽  
Li-Ying Wang
Keyword(s):  
Journal Article ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Data Files ◽  
Diverse Community ◽  
Community Of Researchers ◽  
Research Domain

Archaeology is a highly diverse community of researchers without universally adopted methods,concepts, or theoretical perspectives. One ideal that unites us is that we typically perceive of ourselves as contributing to the public good by helping to understand and preserve the past (Chippindale 1994). We act as stewards for archaeological sites and artefacts, and we work to correct misinformed views of the past that might have sinister motives. However, many of the current norms of archaeological practice are at odds with these ideals of archaeology. We share relatively little of our research with each other or the public. Typically we produce a journal article or monograph as a final product, but we rarely share the data files or computational methods that generated those final products, nor do we share our written work in ways that are readily accessible to the public. This suggests a gap between current practice and ideals. It also limits the reproducibility of our research, and the efficiency with which new methods can spread through the discipline. We show that an exploration of this mismatch between ideals and practice can reveal untapped potential for digital tools in archaeology to improve its sustainability as a research domain, and indicate new ways to engage with the public. We describe emerging norms in archaeology, and some new digital tools that archaeologists are using, that are helping to close the gap between ideals and current practices.

scholarly journals Lies, damned lies, and archaeologists: Antiquities trafficking research as criminology and the ethics of identification

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Yates
Keyword(s):  
Public Good ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Cultural Property ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Doctoral Fellowship ◽  
Antiquities Trafficking ◽  
Illicit Trafficking

By definition, our interactions with those that we consider to be ‘extradisciplinary’ are predicated on our own self-identification as archaeologists. It isn’t news that some stakeholders react negatively to archaeologists. To them, we are not neutral, well-meaning stewards of the past, but rather a competing group that doesn’t compromise and stifles dissent by claiming a mandate on defining ‘the public good’. How can I effectively engage with such groups when my identity as an archaeologist is unforgivable?Perhaps the archaeologist must leave archaeology.This paper is about transitioning from a PhD in archaeology to apost doctoral fellowship in a criminology department. As part of theUniversity of Glasgow’s Trafficking Culture project, I study the looting of archaeological sites and the illicit trafficking of cultural property. For half a century archaeologists have clashed with antiquities intermediaries, collectors, and dealers leaving wounds and scars on both sides. These folks will not engage with an ‘archaeologist’, but they are willing to talk to a ‘sociologist’ or even a ‘criminologist’ which is how I now present myself.This paper will focus on the ethical issues of disciplinary labelling. What are the primary benefits of presenting myself as ‘extra-archaeological’? Of not asserting archaeological expertise? Am I obliged to reveal my archaeological background? Does this change of discipline have a tangible effect on the research that I conduct? Do I protect cultural property or protect informants? Am I still an archaeologist?

scholarly journals Crime, Controversy and the Comments Section: Discussing archaeological looting, trafficking, and the illicit antiquities trade online

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Yates
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cultural Property ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Popular Discourse ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Take Back ◽  
Antiquities Trade ◽  
Sensitive Issues

In this article we will discuss the challenges involved in presenting the looting of archaeological sites and the illicit trade in cultural property to the interested public. We will contrast our experiences of building two popular illicit antiquities-focused blogs (Things You Can’t Take Back and Anonymous Swiss Collector) with the process of developing an informative academic website on the same topic (Trafficking Culture). We will discuss our motivations for starting these blogs, our struggles with the tone of the popular discourse on this topic, and our inability to escape our own emotions; why we have moved away from illicit antiquities blogging in the past year and why we are coming back. Finally, having learned from our mistakes, we will make recommendations to others wishing to engage with the public about sensitive issues via social media.

The Suffering of the Perpetrators: The Ethics of Traumatic German Historicity in Karen Bass's Young Adult World War II Novels

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-77
Author(s):  
Doris Wolf
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
World War ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adult World ◽  
The Public Sphere

This paper examines two young adult novels, Run Like Jäger (2008) and Summer of Fire (2009), by Canadian writer Karen Bass, which centre on the experiences of so-called ordinary German teenagers in World War II. Although guilt and perpetration are themes addressed in these books, their focus is primarily on the ways in which Germans suffered at the hands of the Allied forces. These books thus participate in the increasingly widespread but still controversial subject of the suffering of the perpetrators. Bringing work in childhood studies to bear on contemporary representations of German wartime suffering in the public sphere, I explore how Bass's novels, through the liminal figure of the adolescent, participate in a culture of self-victimisation that downplays guilt rather than more ethically contextualises suffering within guilt. These historical narratives are framed by contemporary narratives which centre on troubled teen protagonists who need the stories of the past for their own individualisation in the present. In their evacuation of crucial historical contexts, both Run Like Jäger and Summer of Fire support optimistic and gendered narratives of individualism that ultimately refuse complicated understandings of adolescent agency in the past or present.

The End of History Museums: What's Plan B??

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cary Carson
Keyword(s):  
Historic Sites ◽  
The Public ◽  
End Of History ◽  
House Museums ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Plan B ◽  
The End Of History ◽  
The Way

Abstract Are historic sites and house museums destined to go the way of Oldsmobiles and floppy disks?? Visitation has trended downwards for thirty years. Theories abound, but no one really knows why. To launch a discussion of the problem in the pages of The Public Historian, Cary Carson cautions against the pessimistic view that the past is simply passéé. Instead he offers a ““Plan B”” that takes account of the new way that learners today organize information to make history meaningful.

E-Projects Challenges in India – Role of Human Resource Management and Technology

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Ramnik Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Services ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Government ◽  
Traditional Approaches

E-governance is a paradigm shift over the traditional approaches in Public Administration which means rendering of government services and information to the public by using electronic means. In the past decades, service quality and responsiveness of the government towards the citizens were least important but with the approach of E-Government the government activities are now well dealt. This paper withdraws experiences from various studies from different countries and projects facing similar challenges which need to be consigned for the successful implementation of e-governance projects. Developing countries like India face poverty and illiteracy as a major obstacle in any form of development which makes it difficult for its government to provide e-services to its people conveniently and fast. It also suggests few suggestions to cope up with the challenges faced while implementing e-projects in India.

Prawne regulacje pobierania i transplantacji narządów oraz tkanek w ujęciu europejskiej konwencji bioetycznej

2016 ◽  
pp. 52-65
Author(s):  
Patryk Kołodyński ◽  
Paulina Drab
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
European Convention ◽  
The Public ◽  
Additional Protocol ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reliable Source ◽  
International Legal Order ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Source Of Information

Over the past several years, transplantology has become one of the fastest developing areas of medicine. The reason is, first and foremost, a significant improvement of the results of successful transplants. However, much controversy arouse among the public, on both medical and ethical grounds. The article presents the most important concepts and regulations relating to the collection and transplantation of organs and tissues in the context of the European Convention on Bioethics. It analyses the convention and its additional protocol. The article provides the definition of transplantation and distinguishes its types, taking into account the medical criteria for organ transplants. Moreover, authors explained the issue of organ donation ex vivo and ex mortuo. The European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine clearly regulates the legal aspects concerning the transplantation and related basic concepts, and therefore provides a reliable source of information about organ transplantation and tissue. This act is a part of the international legal order, which includes the established codification of bioethical standards.

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