2 posts tagged “archaeology”

Something that bothered me, and this is going to seem pedantic and a bit "grump old man". There was a small dig at the gate, some students from Cardiff University. Now, that in itself is wonderful, an opportunity to dig a site like that is the best training you can get. But what bothered me - when they stopped digging, they all sat around drinking tea and looking bored. I guess they probably weren't allowed to leave site, and that is a shame, what with the display going on in the amphitheatre over the road. Kind of makes you wonder why these kids are doing it. Why archaeology? Why exactly are you spending a week up to your hips in muddy hole? You learn there was a vicas at the site, you record it, then what? I would argue that the recreation over the road is EXACTLY the reason you get into archaeology in the first place. It is a quest to bring the past to life, surely? Its not a career - if you want that, be an accountant. Those students should have been ordered to go over and see the re-enactment as part of their course. Maybe they did, I dunno.

Its like - say they found the remains of a sword. Amazing find, it is catalogued and preserved. But what does it tell us?  That they used swords? Duh. No, in and of itself it is a valuable  find, but aside from giving come context it tells us nothing really. But let a metalworker try and recreate it. Then you'll find out how it was made, and by association, how metal generally was treated and worked. Give the recreation to someone to swing around, and you'll find out how it was used, or more importantly how it wasn't used. From that one lump of rusty iron, you suddenly bring history to life, from the smithy to the warrior. Short of getting a time machine, thats as close to the past as you're going to get. To understand something, you have to see it, living, breathing, being used. Practicality beats academic speculation every time.

Sorry, babbling now.