Social contract archaeology: a business case for the future

Summary

In July 2012, DigVentures will host Europe’s first crowdfunded and crowdsourced excavation at the internationally significant Bronze Age site at Flag Fen (www.digventures.com). Crowdfunding has been successful in creative industries, where ideas that may not fit the pattern required by conventional financiers can achieve traction in the marketplace, supported by what has been called the ‘wisdom of crowds.’ This new approach to funding will be combined with crowdsourcing, inviting the public to join the excavation team – either via a robust digital platform or on the site itself. The DigVentures approach can best be described as ‘Social Contract Archaeology’ – a value-led archaeology situated within the emerging trend for social commerce, entering into a social contract with as wide a constituency of funders and stakeholders as possible. This paper will assess the breadth, depth and diversity for on and off-line participation, evaluating our contribution to the public good.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Digital Heritage and Archaeology: Applications of Web-based Technology for Community Engagement   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 247