Archaeological Resources and the Shared Heritage of Place

Summary

This document describes a set of presentations and forum discussion at the international cultural heritage conference, "Why Does the Past Matter?," held 3 - 7 May 2011 at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. The session abstract and list of participants follows.

In all but a few parts of the world the archaeological record is invisible to most people. Usually, the remains of past dwellings and other structures, places of activity, ceremony, manufacturing, and sport are covered by new buildings, roads, soil, and vegetation. Yet, nearly all individuals, cultures, or groups that inhabit a place leave some material trace of themselves and their uses of the place behind them.

When discovered, carefully documented, and interpreted, these material traces can be used as links to the past of a place and the peoples who occupied it. Common use of the same place by different groups through time can serve to connect individuals of different backgrounds and cultures.

Panelists in this conference session will make brief presentations of projects in which archaeological remains have served to anchor contemporary facilities in time through the incorporation of ancient or historic period archaeological remains, or representations of them in modern spatial designs. Issues of conservation; the depiction of multiple historical interpretations; the nature of representation; and the involvement of local communities and of modern descendents of ancient and historic groups in projects will be considered.

Session format: Comments by panelists (15 minutes each; 60 minutes of discussion among panelists and with audience members)

Panelists: FPMcManamon (Center for Digital Antiquity-Arizona State University) – session moderator

- Ellen Berkland (Massachusetts Division of Conservation and Recreation) -- Ellen.Berkland@state.ma.us

- Jed Levin (Independence National Historical Park, NPS) -- Jed_Levin@nps.gov

- Paul Robinson (Rhode Island Historic Preservation Commission) and Doug Harris (Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office) -- Paul.Robinson@preservation.ri.gov and dhnithpo@gmail.com

- Brona Simon (SHPO and State Archaeologist, Massachusetts Historical Commission) -- Brona.Simon@state.ma.us

- Nina Versaggi (Public Archaeological Facility, SUNY-Binghamton) -- nversagg@binghamton.edu

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contributor(s): Francis McManamon; Ellen Berkland; Jed Levin; Paul Robinson; Doug Harris; Brona Simon; Nina Versaggi

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