A World of Summer and Autumn: The Romano-British to Early Medieval Weald and Signs of Continuity

Recent developer funded projects conducted by Archaeology South-East, the contracting division of the Centre for Applied Archaeology (CAA) have, over the last decade or so, begun to fill a void in our knowledge of one of the most archaeologically under-researched areas in Britain. It is becoming clear that rather than being a marginal landscape beyond more habitable zones, the Weald of South-East England was actually one which experienced significant and widespread periods of colonisation. By examining the evidence from a number of sites the author is starting to explore the area’s early medieval landscape, which is beginning to show degrees of continuity from Roman and prehistoric times. This brief update is intended to highlight a revolution in our understanding of South-East England in the centuries surrounding the Roman Conquest. The ongoing research is a case study in landscape analysis and landscape regression. Results will be discussed in forthcoming articles as well as a ‘Spoilheap monograph’ due for release this year ( Margetts 2018 ).

Ethics of Archaeology

Ethics has abandoned its niche status to become a shared concern across archaeology. The appraisal of the sociopolitical context of archaeological practice since the 1980s has forced the discipline to take issue with the expanding array of ethical questions raised by work with living people. Thus, the original foci on the archaeological record, conservation, and scientific standards, which are behind most deontological codes, have been largely transcended and even challenged. In this line, this review emphasizes philosophical and political aspects over practical ones and examines some pressing ethical concerns that are related to archaeology's greater involvement with contemporary communities, political controversies, and social demands; discussion includes ethical responses to the indigenous critique, the benefits and risks of applied archaeology, the responsibilities of archaeologists in conflict and postconflict situations, vernacular digging and collecting practices, development-led archaeology, heritage, and the ethics of things.

Conclusion

This chapter reflects on the state of the field and assesses what the approaches represented in this volume collectively can achieve; the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of historical ecology and applied archaeology and the overlap between them. Definitions drawing on the discourse developed in the volume of both concepts are offered, and the opportunities and challenges of inter- and transdisciplinary research are summarized. The future of a usable past is discussed by contextualizing volume chapters in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. It is suggested that research in the fields of historical ecology and applied archaeology follows three main approaches: (1) generating case studies of the past as difference, elucidating phenomena in the past that may suggest alternative possibilities to those observed in the present; (2) informing phenomena observed in the present by generating analogous case studies from the past; and (3) detailing the dynamics of long-term human–environmental processes.

Interpretive approach to applied archaeology and its status in Iran

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to applied archaeology and interpretive methods for Iranian traditional archaeology. Applied archaeology is based on a holistic approach providing rational approaches in the field of cultural heritage preservation and sustainable use of the potential of cultural heritage with the participation of the people. This paper aims to create social good standing archaeology knowledge with respect to Iranian archaeology experts. Design/methodology/approach In this survey study, data collection was accomplished using a questionnaire. The sample consists of professors, PhD students, post-graduate fellows, and educated experts of the Iranian Tourism, Handicrafts and Cultural Heritage Organization. Findings Applied archaeology as a provider of situations, positions and employment opportunities for archaeologists has not been considered seriously in the Iranian archaeological education. Traditional education emphasizes the cultural history and field techniques; hence it does not consist of critical areas of heritage codes, protection and budget management, business skill and the most important, interpretation and consequently sustainable development. Iranian archaeologists agree with the findings of the applied archaeology. Evaluation of their opinions reveals that they agree with all applied archaeology items of the questionnaire. Originality/value As an approach, applied archaeology can be proactive and improve the status of archaeology in the Iranian field of cultural heritage, and representations of outputs such as site-museum and sustainable use of them which ultimately fulfil social, economic and even political-identity purposes, then applied archaeology can be a constructive element in archaeology and prevent vandalism and looting in cultural heritage.

The Rehabilitation of Pre-Hispanic Agricultural Infrastructure to Support Rural Development in the Peruvian Andes

For the last 35 years an approach to rural development based on archaeological and environmental data and the accumulation of practical experience has underlain the Cusichaca Trust’s projects in different regions of highland Peru. The challenge has not just been the technical one of reviving centuries old systems of irrigation canals and agricultural terraces. Equally important has been the social goal of working alongside highland farming communities to consolidate traditional knowledge and encourage local capacities and responsibilities. This chapter presents a review of the Trust’s work and an assessment of the future possibilities for this example of ‘applied archaeology’

Indigenous Technologies, Archaeology, and Rural Development in the Andes

This chapter addresses the deployment of selected material elements of indigenous technology in rural development projects inspired by archaeological understandings of raised fields, terraces, and reservoirs in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru during the 1980s and 1990s, and asks if and how applied archaeology may help mitigate the negative effects of capitalist expansion. By distinguishing intentions, practices, and consequences of development it identifies applied archaeology as immersed in development policies. Through interviews with agronomists, archaeologists, and campesino farmers, technical errors in past rehabilitation projects are identified and socio-theoretical weaknesses discussed. As a second wave of indigenous technology-inspired projects aims to bolster adaptations to climate change, the chapter highlights the significance and broader importance of the traditions that uphold communal organization, water management, and territorial aspirations, as well as agrobiodiversity.