Style of output

     This volume collects papers from the Fifth World Archaeological Congress, held in Washington D.C. (21-26 June 2003) and organized by the Getty Conservation Institute. On that occasion, Conservation was for the first time the major theme of an international archaeological conference, and many issues and practical examples on this topic were presented. Matters connected to Presentation were also discussed, being naturally connected to the main issue of the survival of the archaeological heritage in modern days. Throughout the papers, thus, the following themes appear: the role of stakeholders for decisions related to the care and use of sites and artifacts; the challenges facing the conservation of archaeological collections; mass tourism and its economic repercussion, technical responses to sites at risk; innovative approaches to site preservation; the question of management of archaeological sites. – [Stefania Ermidoro, February 2014]

     Carver provides a short discussion about the definition and history of archaeology and what it really is or is seen to be: contrary to common belief among archaeologists, excavation was not from the beginning or a core of the discipline, and 'archaeology' is by no means the same in every country. "The point is this: Kemble was arguing that his 'archaeology' was a science simply because its data could be classified, whereas we would now say that science comes with trying to explain such 'arrangements'." (p. 22). – [Laerke Recht, September 2014]

     A lucid overview of Lester Embree's contributions to the relationship between archaeology and philosophy. The first part deals with Embree's philosophy of archaeology (pp. 393-398). Embree assigns a place or preminence to archaeology within the social sciences, considering it as «the most basic of the positive sciences». Brown notices a sense of inferiority in the archaeologists, who tend, partly because of the prevailing positivistic attitude, to consider exact sciences like physics as having a predominant position. More importantly, Embree develops a theory of archaeolgical cognition, through which he «analyze[s] the cognitive and epistemological basis of our understanding of the archaeological "record"» (p. 396). What Embree discusses, then, is the nature and limits of the inference. As Brown notes, this contrasts with post-processual relativism, as well as with that of «latter day archaeological phenomenologists» (p. 397). [The notion of "archaeological cognition" and its phenomenological justification serves as a sort of preliminary to the direction I pursue in this essay.] Embree explicitly rejects a hermeneutic approach to archaeology, but this is in terms of the (relativistic) hermeneutics associated with Hodder (p. 398).      The second part deals with empirical studies of American theoretical archaeology (pp. 398-399). It is especially Embree's systematic and almost "ethnographic" approach in investigating the New Archaeology (or «American Theoretical Archaeology», as he called it) that retains Brown'a attention. The term metaarchaeology was introduced to refer to «secondary, reflective and non-substantive research». Embree's works in this area are work in progress towards his planned The Rise of American Theoretical Archaeology. – [Giorgio Buccellati, May 2014]

     The authors explore the potential of Open Data in archaeology. Being digital is a prerequisite for open data; 'data' is often placed in opposition to interpretation, but is here understood as archaeological data from all the processes involved. Open data means increased public availability and allows 'text-mining', increasing searchability. Added to this is the option of Linked Open Data, which would significantly add to inter-site relations and compatibility. – [Laerke Recht – January 2015]

     Website introducing the idea of 'symmetrical archaeology', where archaeology is understood as properly being the 'science of things', which should aim for a symmetry between meaning and things. There are also many links to further discussions, the projects carried out and references to papers. – [Laerke Recht, May 2013]