“The God of Time is Heritage of Mine”

Abstract

During the 2014 excavation campaign at Vignale an impressive late antique mosaic depicting Aion, the God of Time, was discovered. This artifact of 100 m2 became a milestone for outreach activities; fund-raising, theatrical performances, and archaeological trekking sessions were tailored to this finding, in collaboration with local associations. The discovery of the mosaic consolidated the promotional lines followed for this project, on-site and off-site, capable of engaging different audiences. Taking into account the recent debate about emotion as an essential constituent of the heritage-making process, a preliminary analysis of these initiatives questions the existence and the development of an emotional connection between the public and the archaeological site. Since an emotional connection emerged, further analyses and studies need to specify the kinds of emotive connection that occur. Assessment of the emotional impact intrinsic to public outreach will provide clues to transforming the “intellectual” emotion of discovery into a shared and valuable emotion for the benefit of both the archaeological project and its stakeholders.

Engaged Archaeology Today

“…In a recent article, Stephen Plog and his coauthors (2016, 3) capture these ideas in the term engaged archaeology, which they characterize as an approach that "promotes strong linkages between the implications of findings from archaeological research and the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, both Native American groups and society at large." Primary areas of engagement in current practice include (1) working with Indigenous people to address concerns about archaeological research, traditional knowledge, and the preservation of cultural heritage; (2) understanding the interactions of humans with their physical environments and responses to change; (3) understanding social structures and their resilience; and (4) creating connections between people-including recent or ancient migrants-and places, as in the past, people may have moved more freely than current borders allow (Altschul et al 2017;IHOPE 2018;iPinch 2016;Kintigh et al 2014;Klein et al 2018;Ripanti and Mariotti 2018;Sgouros and Stirn 2016).…”

Reviving the Direct Historical Approach on the Western Margins of the Southwest: The Evolution of Kinship Terminologies in the Yuman Languages

“…In a recent article, Stephen Plog and his coauthors (2016, 3) capture these ideas in the term engaged archaeology, which they characterize as an approach that "promotes strong linkages between the implications of findings from archaeological research and the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, both Native American groups and society at large." Primary areas of engagement in current practice include (1) working with Indigenous people to address concerns about archaeological research, traditional knowledge, and the preservation of cultural heritage; (2) understanding the interactions of humans with their physical environments and responses to change; (3) understanding social structures and their resilience; and (4) creating connections between people-including recent or ancient migrants-and places, as in the past, people may have moved more freely than current borders allow (Altschul et al 2017;IHOPE 2018;iPinch 2016;Kintigh et al 2014;Klein et al 2018;Ripanti and Mariotti 2018;Sgouros and Stirn 2016).…”

Research at the Intersection of Archaeology and Ethnology: Reviving the Direct Historical Approach

“…In a recent article, Stephen Plog and his coauthors (2016, 3) capture these ideas in the term engaged archaeology, which they characterize as an approach that "promotes strong linkages between the implications of findings from archaeological research and the needs and concerns of different stakeholders, both Native American groups and society at large." Primary areas of engagement in current practice include (1) working with Indigenous people to address concerns about archaeological research, traditional knowledge, and the preservation of cultural heritage; (2) understanding the interactions of humans with their physical environments and responses to change; (3) understanding social structures and their resilience; and (4) creating connections between people-including recent or ancient migrants-and places, as in the past, people may have moved more freely than current borders allow (Altschul et al 2017;IHOPE 2018;iPinch 2016;Kintigh et al 2014;Klein et al 2018;Ripanti and Mariotti 2018;Sgouros and Stirn 2016).…”