Relevant Beyond the Roman Period: Approaches to the Investigation, Analysis and Dissemination of Archaeological Investigations of the Rural Settlements and Landscapes of Roman Britain

Abstract

Relevant beyond the Roman period: approaches to the investigation, analysis and dissemination of archaeological investigations of the rural settlements and landscapes of Roman Britain Article Accepted Version Fulford, M. and Holbrook, N. (2018) Relevant beyond the Roman period: approaches to the investigation, analysis and dissemination of archaeological investigations of the rural settlements and landscapes of Roman Britain. Archaeological Journal, 175 (2). pp. 214230.

Whither archaeologists? Continuing challenges to field practice

“…Andrews et al . 2000; Lucas 2001a & b; Chadwick 2003, 2010; Yarrow 2003; Berggren 2012; Thorpe 2012; Fulford & Holbrook 2018; Trow 2018). Thus, the contracting sector remains embedded in the empirical tradition of data recovery, leading to analysis and dissemination through either grey literature (unpublished reports) or formal publication.…”

“…This challenges a generation for whom preservation by record represents the bedrock of practice, and who remain unchanged due to a reluctance to abandon this principle (Lucas 2001b: 37; Demoule 2011: 8). Although innovative project designs and papers regularly call for new fieldwork methods, such as selective sampling, the techniques used in the field remain unchanged (HS2 Ltd 2017; Fulford & Holbrook 2018; Trow 2018).…”

“…In England, Framework Archaeology was established in 1998 as a joint venture between two major contracting companies and was intended to increase interpretative potential by upscaling the agency of field teams and to gain a broader understanding of how past landscapes were inhabited (Andrews et al 2000; Barrett 2016: 137). This approach has not been repeated beyond the umbrella of British Airport Authority projects (Fulford & Holbrook 2018: 220), despite the fact that there have been many similar large-scale projects since. Framework Archaeology was influenced by Hodder's reflexive methodology (1997, 1999, 2000), which was developed in the context of work at Çatalhöyük, although both the theory and practice of Hodder's approach have been critiqued (Hassan 1997; Farid 2000: 27–29; Chadwick 2010: 7).…”

“…Nonetheless, Historic England is now encouraging the reflexive approach (Trow 2018: 91) even though we still lack a critical review of the Framework Archaeology project and its outputs. Yet, we must move towards a situation where some semblance of fluidity is introduced to fieldwork, while maintaining systems that allow for systematic comparison and synthesis (Fulford & Holbrook 2018: 224). Whether current systems with pro-forma and tick-box recording systems facilitate fluid, intensive interpretation is debatable.…”

“…They also acknowledge the ‘intractable’ (Berggren & Hodder 2003: 432) problems associated with increasing the value of excavation. This challenge is even more intractable in the context of major infrastructure schemes with complex procurement systems and this may partly explain why the Framework Archaeology approach has not been more widely adopted (Fulford & Holbrook 2018: 220).…”