Encountering the past through slag and storytelling

Abstract

Storytelling is a powerful medium for communicating information, ideas, values and the 'aura' of the past to a wide range of audiences. It can engender closer listening and deeper engagement. Academic discourse, on the other hand, brings the benefits of reasoned argument, responsibility to the evidence, and systematic referencing. For the academic storyteller, a hybrid narrative combines the strengths of both of these approaches: it encourages the audience to think through the context in much greater detail and explicitly make the connections between the different elements of evidence. It can also be transformative in terms of the teller's own perspective and values.To explore these ideas, I tell a story set at the Late Roman-period copper mine of Skouriotissa in Cyprus, where the Troodos Archaeological and Environmental Survey Project recorded slag heap sections, surface pottery, and a range of other archaeological remains. The story is told in my own voice, but incorporates an encounter with a mysterious figure who apparently has direct, sensory experience of the material I am recording and researching. Telling the story then enables me to reflect on the power and benefits of academic storytelling as a means of communication and research.