ARCHAEOLOGY, September/October 2011

Editor's Letter: Issues of Scale

This issue of ARCHAEOLOGY makes one thing clear: Anything at all can be regarded as an artifact. Investigation of the past can feature undertakings as outsized as lifting an entire ship from the bottom of the sea—with even the silt surrounding it intact—as in "Pirates of the Marine Silk Road." Here, author Lauren Hilgers gives us a lead on just how quickly marine archaeology and preservation are proceeding in China, and discusses the latest evidence of Ming Dynasty trade.

In "The Edible Seascape," science writer Jude Isabella reports that what once seemed to be random rock formations along the northwest coast of North America are now being understood as technologies engineered by ancient peoples to manage their supply of fish and other seafood. The most significant artifacts? Fish bones no larger than your fingernail.

Much of the evidence gathered in Virginia and North Carolina's Great Dismal Swamp is even more miniscule, but nonetheless poignant testament to the determination of the escaped slaves who built self-sufficient communities in some of the most inhospitable territory imaginable. In "Letter From Virginia: American Refugees," journalist Marion Blackburn tells their story.

"Defending a Jungle Kingdom," by senior editor Zach Zorich, provides new, landscape-wide evidence from the border zone between Mexico and Guatemala of the intensely competitive relationship between the ancient Maya cities of Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras.

Of course, there's much more. Fragile murals offer a new point of view on the ancient Peruvian elite. The Persian Empire's eastern extent is explored. And there are new clues about a long-standing mystery centering on hundreds of broken Bronze Age figurines.

Finally, through the considered work of artist Gary Staab, detailed in "Pompeii's Dead Reimagined" by executive editor Jarrett A. Lobell, we are invited to reflect on the meaning of the word artifact.

I also would like to say a word about a colleague who has been extremely important to us. This is the 65th issue of ARCHAEOLOGY that design director Ken Feisel has helped us produce. Ken was originally brought on board in 1999 to design dig, our former archaeology publication for children, and quickly took on responsibilities here at the "grown up" magazine. He has created countless maps and vivid layouts—all providing the essential visual side of the archaeology story. Ken will be leaving us as we send this issue to press, and I know we will all miss waiting for him to say, as he sorts through images of far-flung sites, exotic landscapes, and artifacts of all shapes and sizes, "Oh...now that's cool."

Claudia Valentino
Editor in Chief

Features

Pirates of the Marine Silk Road
A shipwreck in the South China Sea advances China's emerging field of underwater archaeology
by Lauren Hilgers

Hidden Scenes of a Royal Court
Thirty years after they were first glimpsed, murals reveal a vibrant life in ancient Peru
by Roger Atwood

The Edible Seascape
A reevaluation of evidence along North America's western coast shows how its earliest inhabitants managed the sea's resources
by Jude Isabella

Defending a Jungle Kingdom
Newly uncovered fortifications reveal how ancient Maya rulers struggled for wealth and territory
by Zach Zorich

Pompeii's Dead Reimagined
An artist interprets the ancient city's most evocative artifacts
by Jarrett A. Lobell

Edge of an Empire
An ancient Afghan fortress offers rare evidence of Persia's forgotten eastern territories
by Andrew Lawler

Departments

From the President
The Belitung Shipwreck
by Elizabeth Bartman

From the Trenches

World Roundup
Artifacts track the birth of the African-American middle class, how llama dung sustained the Incas, a fungus in Tut's tomb, and did the Neanderthals meet their end in the Arctic Circle?

Letter from Virginia
Thousands of escaped slaves made a new life in one of the world's most unwelcoming places—the Great Dismal Swamp—for a chance at self-determination

Artifact
A tombstone tells the 1,800-year-old story of a Roman gladiator felled by a ref's bad call

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What is war good for? Sparking civilization, suggest archaeology findings from Peru

ScienceDaily (July 25, 2011) — Warfare, triggered by political conflict between the fifth century B.C. and the first century A.D., likely shaped the development of the first settlement that would classify as a civilization in the Titicaca basin of southern Peru, a new UCLA study suggests.

Charles Stanish, director of UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and Abigail Levine, a UCLA graduate student in anthropology, used archaeological evidence from the basin, home to a number of thriving and complex early societies during the first millennium B.C., to trace the evolution of two larger, dominant states in the region: Taraco, along the Ramis River, and Pukara, in the grassland pampas.

"This study is part of a larger, worldwide comparative research effort to define the factors that gave rise to the first societies that developed public buildings, widespread religions and regional political systems -- or basically characteristics associated with ancient states or what is colloquially known as 'civilization,'" said Stanish, who is also a professor of anthropology at UCLA. "War, regional trade and specialized labor are the three factors that keep coming up as predecessors to civilization."

The findings appear online in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Conducted between 2004 and 2006, the authors' excavations in Taraco unearthed signs of a massive fire that raged sometime during the first century A.D., reducing much of the state to ash and architectural rubble. The authors compared artifacts dating from before and after the fire and concluded that agriculture, pottery and the obsidian industry, all of which had flourished in the state, greatly declined after the fire.

Based on the range and extent of the destruction and the lack of evidence supporting reconstruction efforts, the authors suggest that the fire was a result of war, not of an accident or a ritual.

Iconographic evidence of conflict in regional stone-work, textiles and pottery suggests that the destruction of Taraco had been preceded by several centuries of raids. This includes depictions of trophy heads and people dressed in feline pelts cutting off heads, among other evidence.

Because the downfall of Taraco, which was home to roughly 5,000 people, coincided with the rise of neighboring Pukara as a dominant political force in the region, the authors suggest that warfare between the states may have led to the raids, shaping the early political landscape of the northern Titicaca basin.

Inhabited between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D., Pukara was the first regional population center in the Andes highlands. During its peak, it covered more than 2 square kilometer and housed approximately 10,000 residents, including bureaucrats, priests, artisans, farmers, herders and possibly warriors.

The civilization's ruins include impressive monolithic sculptures with a variety of geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images, plus intricate, multi-colored pottery in a variety of ritual and domestic forms.

War appears to have played a similar civilizing role in Mesoamerica, as well as Mesopotamia, Stanish said. To further test his theories on the origins of civilization, Stanish will begin a new project next year at a Neolithic site in Armenia.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles.

Journal Reference:

Charles Stanish and Abigail Levine. Inaugural Article: War and early state formation in the northern Titicaca Basin, Peru. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1110176108

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Superb Archaeology Tool Kit up for Grabs!

Join the Council for British Archaeology and be entered into a prizedraw to win this fantastic archaeological toolkit!

It will set you up with everything you need to excavate on site, so all you’ll need to do is join an excavation and start digging!

To celebrate the ‘Festival of British Archaeology 2011’, everyone* who joins the CBA by Sunday 31st July, and mentions ‘Festival’ will be entered into the prizedraw to win the toolkit, which was kindly supplied by archaeology tool supplier Archtools.

The CBA is an educational charity which aims to ensure that archaeology really is for everyone. Whether you want to get involved through reading about the latest archaeological discoveries, studying archaeology, joining a local archaeology group, working in the heritage sector, watching archaeological promgrammes on TV or campaigning for the better protection of our historic environment, the CBA strives to ensure that opportunties for widespread involvement in archaeology are available for everyone. We also play a significant role in raising awareness at all levels of the public benefits of engaging with archaeology and the historic environment.

By becoming a member, you will be supporting the CBA’s charitable aims, at the same time as receiving some fantastic benefits:

Bi-monthly issues of the UK’s leading archaeology magazine, British Archaeology, which will keep you up to date with the latest discoveries and news in archaeology in BritainMembers’ Newsletters, which will keep you informed on the CBA’s latest projects, news and campaignsConservation Update, a newsletter focusing on the ongoing work of the CBA in conservation issuesmembership of a CBA regional groupdiscounts to CBA events and on other related products

All this from just £29** for an Individual member or £21 for a student!

If you would like to become a CBA member, find out more or go direct to the CBA shop. To be entered into the prizedraw please mention ‘Festival’ when asked ‘Where did you hear about us?’

Join now!

*NB Due to the nature of the prize, members who are entered into the prizedraw must be age 18 or over

** New members only, for the first year only (full price £34).

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Wessex Archaeology Edinburgh featured on BBC Alba

Wessex Archaeology Edinburgh's Jonathan Benjamin and Andy Bicket appeared last night on BBC Alba's news programme, An Là. The piece which is in both Gaelic and English, is 18 minutes into the programme, and will be available via the iPlayer (in the UK only) for a short while.

In the interview, Jonathan explained how preliminary research suggests that submerged areas of the Western Isles may hold clues about the islands' earliest inhabitants. Jonathan and Andy were on Lewis at the invitation of the council, and held a public lecture in the council chambers on Monday evening.

An Là on BBC Alba

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What is war good for? Sparking civilization, suggest UCLA archaeology findings from Peru

Public release date: 25-Jul-2011
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Contact: Meg Sullivan
msullivan@support.ucla.edu
310-825-1046
University of California - Los Angeles

Warfare, triggered by political conflict between the fifth century B.C. and the first century A.D., likely shaped the development of the first settlement that would classify as a civilization in the Titicaca basin of southern Peru, a new UCLA study suggests.

Charles Stanish, director of UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and Abigail Levine, a UCLA graduate student in anthropology, used archaeological evidence from the basin, home to a number of thriving and complex early societies during the first millennium B.C., to trace the evolution of two larger, dominant states in the region: Taraco, along the Ramis River, and Pukara, in the grassland pampas.

"This study is part of a larger, worldwide comparative research effort to define the factors that gave rise to the first societies that developed public buildings, widespread religions and regional political systems ? or basically characteristics associated with ancient states or what is colloquially known as 'civilization,'" said Stanish, who is also a professor of anthropology at UCLA. "War, regional trade and specialized labor are the three factors that keep coming up as predecessors to civilization."

The findings appear online in the latest edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Conducted between 2004 and 2006, the authors' excavations in Taraco unearthed signs of a massive fire that raged sometime during the first century A.D., reducing much of the state to ash and architectural rubble. The authors compared artifacts dating from before and after the fire and concluded that agriculture, pottery and the obsidian industry, all of which had flourished in the state, greatly declined after the fire.

Based on the range and extent of the destruction and the lack of evidence supporting reconstruction efforts, the authors suggest that the fire was a result of war, not of an accident or a ritual.

Iconographic evidence of conflict in regional stone-work, textiles and pottery suggests that the destruction of Taraco had been preceded by several centuries of raids. This includes depictions of trophy heads and people dressed in feline pelts cutting off heads, among other evidence.

Because the downfall of Taraco, which was home to roughly 5,000 people, coincided with the rise of neighboring Pukara as a dominant political force in the region, the authors suggest that warfare between the states may have led to the raids, shaping the early political landscape of the northern Titicaca basin.

Inhabited between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D., Pukara was the first regional population center in the Andes highlands. During its peak, it covered more than 2 square kilometer and housed approximately 10,000 residents, including bureaucrats, priests, artisans, farmers, herders and possibly warriors.

The civilization's ruins include impressive monolithic sculptures with a variety of geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images, plus intricate, multi-colored pottery in a variety of ritual and domestic forms.

War appears to have played a similar civilizing role in Mesoamerica, as well as Mesopotamia, Stanish said. To further test his theories on the origins of civilization, Stanish will begin a new project next year at a Neolithic site in Armenia.

UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of more than 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer 328 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Six alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

For more news, visit UCLA Newsroom and UCLA News|Week and follow us on Twitter.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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Archaeology, Science-Based Archaeology and the Mediterranean Bronze Age Metals Trade: A Contribution to the Debate

Archaeology, Science-Based Archaeology and the Mediterranean Bronze Age Metals Trade: A Contribution to the Debate Institution: RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON Sign In | My Tools | Contact Us | HELP Search all journals Advanced Search Search History Browse Journals RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON Skip to main page content

Home All Issues Subscribe RSS Email Alerts Search this journal Advanced Journal Search » Archaeology, Science-Based Archaeology and the Mediterranean Bronze Age Metals Trade: A Contribution to the Debate Noel Gale

Isotrace Laboratory, University of Oxford, UK Abstract The current consensus is outlined about the application of lead isotope analyses to metal provenance studies and to the unravelling of the Mediterranean Bronze Age copper trade, with special reference to copper oxhide ingots. Various misconceptions, especially some of those contained in Knapp (1999, 2000), are corrected. It is shown that there is no need to fall back on hypotheses based upon the Mediterranean-wide mixing/recycling of copper metals to explain the lead isotope characteristics of post-1250 BC copper oxhide ingots, since there is a good isotopic coincidence between these ingots and the Apliki region ore deposits in Cyprus. Weaknesses are exposed in the hypotheses of direct or indirect pooling of Cypriot ores, and of the proposed widespread recycling of metals in a Mediterranean-wide koine, particularly since there is no evidence for a homogeneity of lead isotope composition in artefacts and no tin in the oxhide ingots.

archaeology and science-based archaeology Cyprus lead isotope analysis Mediterranean Bronze Age metals trade recycling Sardinia CiteULike Complore Connotea Delicious Digg Reddit Technorati Twitter What's this?

« Previous | Next Article »Table of Contents This Article doi: 10.1177/146195710100400104 European Journal of Archaeology April 2001 vol. 4 no. 1 113-130 » AbstractFree Full Text (PDF)Free to you References Services Email this article to a colleague Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Similar articles in this journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Load patientINFORMation Citing Articles Load citing article information Citing articles via Scopus Citing articles via Web of Science Citing articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gale, N. Search for related content Related Content Load related web page information Share CiteULike Complore Connotea Delicious Digg Reddit Technorati Twitter What's this?

Current Issue December 2010, 13 (3) Alert me to new issues of European Journal of Archaeology Submit a Manuscript Free Sample Copy Email Alerts RSS feed More about this journal About the Journal Editorial Board Manuscript Submission Abstracting/Indexing Subscribe Recommend to Library Advertising Reprints Permissions European Association of Archaeologists Most Most Read Ritual and Rationality: Some Problems of Interpretaton in European Archaeology Phenomenology in Practice: Towards a p Methodology for a `Subjective' Approach A Conversation With Colin Renfrew (Professor Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn) The Marine Environment and Its Influence On Seafaring and Maritime Routes in the Prehistoric Aegean Islands in the Mediterranean: Introduction » View all Most Read articles Most Cited Strontium Isotopes and Prehistoric Human Migration: The Bell Beaker Period in Central Europe Archaeology, Science-Based Archaeology and the Mediterranean Bronze Age Metals Trade Climate Change and the Adoption of Agriculture in North-West Europe Book Review: Book Marks Reconstructing the Lifetime Movements of Ancient People: A Neolithic Case Study from Southern England » View all Most Cited articles HOME ALL ISSUES FEEDBACK SUBSCRIBE RSS EMAIL ALERTS HELP Copyright © 2011 by European Association of Archaeologists, SAGE Publications Print ISSN: 1461-9571 Online ISSN: 1741-2722

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Archaeology is for everyone – Time Team’s Tony Robinson

He is famous for bringing archaeology to our television screens with the popular Time Team series and the show’s presenter Tony Robinson says the CBA’s Festival of British Archaeology is worthy of support from everyone.

And with the Festival continuing over the next fortnight (until Sunday 31 July) with more than 760 events taking place, Tony says that now is the time for people to find out more about the history in their area.

He said:

Archaeology is fascinating, you can see it all over the UK through the Festival, and people can get involved in so many things. There is something for everyone to do.

I’m really expecting lots of people to be bitten by the archaeology bug! And when that happens I feel a sense of triumph. I wholeheartedly support what this festival is trying to do. It’s the same ethos that governs Time Team – educating local communities that something they weren’t aware of can be wonderful and exciting.

Co-ordinated by the educational charity, the Council for British Archaeology (CBA), people can take part in walks, talks, hands-on activities, excavations, fun re-enactments and lots of other exciting events.

Tony added:

The Council for British Archaeology, whose aim is archaeology for all, works to help people get involved with archaeology, and to ensure that our historic environment is protected for future generations. The CBA needs support from everyone so if you’re fascinated by archaeology, then take part in the events or join the CBA!

The CBA also runs the Young Archaeologists’ Club – the only UK-wide club for young people interested in archaeology – and Tony is their President.

Tony said:

Archaeology really is for people of all ages and backgrounds and this festival is about ordinary people who can, and should, be able to enjoy what archaeology has to offer.

Dr Mike Heyworth, Director of the CBA, said:

There is a lot of interest in the Festival which is the biggest UK-wide event focusing on archaeology and with over 2,000 active community archaeology groups across the UK this is the perfect opportunity for everyone to delve deeper into the past and to learn why archaeology is relevant to today’s world.

Last year saw around 250,000 people participate in events and the festival is expected to be equally as popular this year.

The CBA Festival of British Archaeology is celebrated by national heritage and conservation bodies such as the National Trust, English Heritage, the RSPB, Natural England, the National Parks and the British Museum, as well as the hundreds of societies, community archaeology groups, museums and universities that champion the history on our doorsteps.

For more details of events across the UK, visit the Festival event listings.

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Splashing out and about for the Festival of British Archaeology

Time Travelling by Water is celebrating the Festival of British Archaeology in July at the Hampshire Water Festival and Salisbury Museum’s Discovery Day.

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July Time Travelling by Water (TTBW) will be at the annual Hampshire Water Festival 2011 in Staunton Country Park, Havant. Come and join us to learn about our maritime heritage.

TTBW will also be at the Salisbury Museum on Tuesday 26 July as part of their Family Discovery Day – Marine Archaeology.

Families can explore our water table with fantastic finds. All of our artefacts have been dredged from the seafloor and include mammoth bones, part of an MG 15 machine gun and fittings from shipwrecks. There are lots of activities for children of all ages.

Join us out and about in July to learn about marine archaeology.

Weymouth Roadshow 2010

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Archaeological Survey at Wessex Archaeology - an update from the Geomatics Team

We have just posted some new and interesting case studies as well as more information about techniques we use to satisfy the demanding needs of heritage survey & GIS projects.

As recently announced, Wessex Archaeology have been accepted as Affiliate Members of the Survey Association.  We provide a range of geomatics services for the heritage sector and our TSA membership will help us to develop these services further.

Working closely with hardware and software manufacturers, academic institutions and partners in the survey industry, as well as our own in-house teams of archaeological surveyors and geomatics experts, built heritage and archaeology specialists, we provide tailored solutions for all manner of projects.

These range from small scale recording of architectural features or buildings as part of planning applications right through to detailed surveys of entire building complexes or landscapes as part of planning proposals, mitigation of works, research grant proposals, Environmental Impact Assessments or Heritage Lottery Fund bids.

Recently, we have been busy with a wide variety of survey projects as well as supporting the Stonehenge and Avebury Research Framework project.

Find out more about our archaeology geomatics services.

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Wessex Archaeology Coastal and Marine team participate in underwater excavation of Mesolithic site in Denmark

Last month, two of Wessex Archaeology’s Coastal and Marine staff were invited to take part in a test excavation at a newly discovered underwater Mesolithic site in the Danish Baltic. The site, three metres deep and located south of Falsled Harbour on the Island of Funen, was found last year during an annual community archaeology programme run by the Øhavmuseet (Langeland Museum) which was also a short-term training mission, funded in part by (EU COST Action TD-902) SPLASHCOS.

John McCarthy excavates the seabed. Finds were collected in a fine-mesh bag at the end of the refuse pipe.

Dr Jonathan Benjamin and John McCarthy of Wessex Archaeology’s Edinburgh Office joined the international team, led by Otto Uldum for a one-week test excavation to establish the extent and character of the site. They were also joined by archaeologists from the Mosegård Museum (Denmark) and Dr Harald Lübke of the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology in Schleswig Holstein (Germany) who has spent more than ten years excavating underwater sites in the Baltic.

Sifting through the emptied collection bag for cultural material.

Preliminary results indicate that the site represents the shoreline contemporary with the late Mesolithic, which was inhabited by the hunter-fishers of the Ertebølle culture. Worked flint, animal bone and antler, as well as fish bones, wood and other organic remains were recovered. Radiocarbon determinations will be sent to the lab in Kiel, Germany and a report will be published in 2012.

Some of the finds including blades, burned flint, pig teeth and a transverse arrowhead.

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New Archaeology on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Every year towards the end of June representatives of 21 States that have signed up to the World Heritage Convention gather to evaluate proposals for new additions to the list of World Heritage Sites. The 35th session of the World Heritage Committee has just taken place in Paris, and a total of 25 new sites were inscribed onto the World Heritage List, of these three are sites of natural importance, 21 are of cultural significance and one is both. Nine of these newly listed sites have a specific archaeological component, ranging from prehistoric sites in Asia and Europe, to Medieval archaeology in Italy and Syria.

A Royal Cemetary in Meroe, Sudan. ©LassiHU

Although an international movement for the protection of heritage sites emerged after the first World War, it was not really until the 1950s and the decision in 1954 of the Egyptian Government to build a dam at Aswan that particular concern was raised and efforts to establish a mechanism to protect world heritage sites around the world picked up momentum. The flooding of the valley would have meant the loss of some fine examples of the ancient Egyptian sites, including the Abu Simbel temples, which date to the 13th century BC. UNESCO launched an international campaign that not only raised the funds, in the order of US$80 million from about 50 countries, but also bought together experts from all over the World. Brick by brick the temples were dismantled, moved and reassembled in their current positions. The success of this international rescue mission inspired further projects, including the restoration of the archaeological ruins of Moenjodaro in Pakistan and the Borobodur Temple compounds in Indonesia.

There followed various initiatives by UNESCO to create a convention for the protection of cultural sites, and then the suggestion from the American government to include natural sites. A draft text was prepared and presented to a United Nations conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm of November 1972. It was then, on 16 November 1972 in Stockholm, that the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO. For the first time then, we have an explicit statement that talks about transcending political boundaries to protect places of global significance. Six years later the first sites were listed, two of which were the Mesa Verde National Park in the US and rock hewn churches in Ethiopia. The following year, along with well known sites such as like the ancient Egyptian necropolis at Thebes, the rock engravings in Valcomonica, Italy,were added to the list.

The following is a list of sites with an archaeological aspect to them that have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011:

Ancient villages of northern Syria, dating to late Antiquity and the Byzantine periods.Archaeological sites of the Island of Meroe, Sudan – the heartland of the Kingdom of Kush from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.The 14th century citadel of the Ho Dynasty, Vietnam.Cultural sites of Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, which testify to human occupation since the Neolithic.The architecture of the Longobords in Italy, comprising seven groups of buildings (including fortresses, churches, and monasteries) that testify to the achievement of the Lombards throughout the Italian peninsular, from 568 to 774 AD. Rock art in the Mongolian Altai ©Paul Knipe

The rock art of the Mongolian Altai, related to the development of culture in northern Asia from 11, OOO BC to the 8th century AD.Prehistoric pile dwellings in the Alps – 111 stilt houses dating to the Neolithic and the Bronze Age in the six countries that cover the Alps, Austria , France , Germany , Italy , Slovenia , and Switzerland.The Persian gardens of Iran, some dating back to the 6th century BC.The Wadi Rum protected area in Jordan, a varied desert landscape that includes rock art, inscriptions and archaeological sites that reveal 12,000 years of human occupation.

The full list of 25 sites added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 2011 can be seen on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Opinion is divided on the value of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Obviously UNESCO talks very positively about the advantages of an “international community” … “joining hands” and expressing a “shared commitment” to protecting the world’s natural and cultural heritage. Further, they suggest there is a “prestige that comes from being a State Party to the Convention and having sites inscribed on the World Heritage List often serves as a catalyst to raising awareness for heritage preservation.” But as is so often the case where political and cultural borders are involved, the reality is quite different to these lofty ideals. One only has to think of the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute and the fate of some ancient Hindu temples there to appreciate that UNESCO has no real protective influence whatsoever. If UNESCO does not provide crucial protection when it is required, what does it really provide?

Some argue the answer to this question lies in the second quote from UNESCO above, the prestige that comes from being on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are custodians, admittedly perhaps the less scrupulous ones, who campaign to have ‘their’ sites added to the list in the hope that this will result in new revenue; sometimes without preparing adequately for the increased attention. And that increased attention does come, and it does not necessarily only affect smaller sites but also the larger ones.

The Cambodian complex of stone temples in Angkor, often said to be one of the most spectacular of the World Heritage Sites, gets over 2 million visitors each year. This mass footfall alone creates irreparable damage to the stone paths. There is also the neighbouring towns to consider that are now little more than a concrete mass of hotels and restaurants servicing this influx of itinerant visitors. Just as bird-watchers tick of on a list all the birds they have seen, so too there are “World Heritage Site baggers”, and of course they have a website. If you feel so inclined, you can submit your list of sites you have visited. Not surprisingly the harshest critics of the UNESCO World Heritage List scheme say it is little more than a “lame duck in a straitjacket”.

Tour of Hadrian’s WallStonehenge

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Get involved in archaeology all year round!

Are you fascinated by archaeology, but don’t know where to start? Would you like to take your involvement beyond visiting sites? Is the Festival of British Archaeology an awfully long way away and you want something to do in the meantime?

The Festival of British Archaeology is the perfect place for everyone to discover more about archaeology and our heritage. And whether it is the start of a brand new journey for you, a growing hobby, or something you have devoted your life to, there is always something for everyone, no matter what your age, interest or background.

However, if you want to find out more about archaeology now, and learn how you might pursue your passion, look no further!

The Council for British Archaeology has compiled a list of resources which will help you start your exploration into our past.

If you’d like to find more opportunities to get involved in archaeology here are a few starting points.

Council for British Archaeology website – your gateway to archaeology on the web, with Get Involved, Volunteering and FAQ pages to help you find something suitable to get involved with.Archaeology Fact SheetsYoung Archaeologists’ Club – the only UK-wide club for 8–16 year olds interested in archaeology.British Archaeology magazine, packed with news and features about archaeology in Britian and beyond. Available in larger WHSmith stores and other newsagents, by subscription and included as part of CBA Membership.Community Archaeology Forum - providing help, information and guidance for anyone involved with community archaeologyLocal Archaeology Societies – details of hundreds of local societies across the UK, which you can get involved withEvents – find out what is happening in the world of archaeology; open days, excavations, conferences, day schools, lectures and much moreMuseums and heritage sites – search for places to visitUniversities – details of archaeology courses offered at universities across the UKbiab - the British and Irish Archaeological Bibliography

So waste no more time and start your journey into our fascinating past here!

If you would like more information about any of the above services, or can’t find an answer to your questions, contact us!

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