From Past to Present: Heritage as an Avenue to Contemporary Social Concerns

The New College Public Archaeology Lab program in regional heritage has expanded undergraduate experiential learning from excavations and laboratory analysis to community service learning with engagement with the public and diverse communities. Archaeology focuses research on the past but the public aspect situates the studies in the context of the present, with excavations and preservation requiring a critical perspective on contemporary social concerns. Recognizing the past can be empowering for subordinated communities, heritage interpretation, built on the archaeological research, offers undergraduates opportunities to grapple with community identities, contemporary politics, and commemoration

Imagining technology-enhanced learning with heritage artefacts: teacher-perceived potential of 2D and 3D heritage site visualisations

Background: There is much to be realised in the educational potential of national and world heritage sites. Such sites need to be supported in sharing their resources with a wide and international public, especially within formal education. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) heritage site visualisations could serve this need. Our study focuses on the teacher-perceived possibilities and benefits for education around such visualisations. Purpose: We describe how a group of UK teachers perceive the potential of cross-curricular learning that could arise from an Italian world heritage site. The teachers commented on 2D visualisations of artefacts from this site, as well as the design of a 3D immersive environment to serve educational purposes. We consider as follows: (1) how the cross-curricular teaching potential of such resources is perceived, and (2) what design features of a 3D immersive environment teachers suggest are needed for educational explorations. Sample: We recruited 10 teachers from the Midlands region of the UK and carried out semi-structured interviews. Methods: Interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis applied to the conversations. Questioning was grounded in the examination of 2D and 3D visual resources. This provoked cross-curricular and educational design thinking. Results: Teacher responses highlighted a wide range of cross-curricular possibilities. However, they expressed a more ‘assimilative’ than ‘accommodative’ approach when relating resources to the curriculum. Such ‘assimilation’ involved seeing the site artefacts as raw material for more instrumental ‘curriculum activities’ (e.g. within art and design, geography, maths or literacy) rather than a more accommodative approach whereby curricular disciplines were exercised to make new meaning from the artefacts. In relation to 3D technology design, most teachers highlighted three technology features that would render it well matched to educational practice and three educational benefits over non-3D immersive environments. Conclusions: Teachers can easily imagine a rich range of opportunities to utilise 2D and 3D heritage site artefacts within the curriculum. However, the largely assimilative nature of this cross-curricular appropriation suggests the value of providing more guidance and support to teachers in the interpretation and application of artefacts. Their design suggestions can usefully inform construction of educational features within 3D immersive technologies that support heritage site experiences

Cachimbos europeus de cerâmica branca, séculos XVI ao XIX: parâmetros básicos para análise arqueológica

O tabaco foi introduzido na Europa no final do século XV. Desde então, uma das formas mais comuns para o seu consumo foi o cachimbo, além do rapé, do tabaco de mascar, do charuto e, mais recentemente, dos cigarros. Os cachimbos de cerâmica branca, largamente produzidos e utilizados na Europa desde o século XV, são encontrados em sítios arqueológicos históricos ao redor do mundo, incluindo no Brasil, em decorrência do comércio internacional, que gradualmente se intensificou após o início da conquista europeia. Eles funcionam como excelentes elementos para datação de sítios e estratos arqueológicos, tendo sido estudados em vários países a partir dessa abordagem. Ainda, esse tipo de artefato, mais que fornecer datações, permite identificar redes comerciais entre nações e desenvolver discussões de cunho social e cultural. Contudo, eles foram pouco estudados no Brasil. Visando contribuir com os estudos nacionais dessa categoria material, este artigo oferece uma revisão da literatura internacional acerca do histórico da produção dos cachimbos europeus de caulim, incluindo apresentação dos principais centros produtores; da morfologia e decoração desses produtos, considerando a cronologia do fabrico; e dos métodos de análise dos diferentes cachimbos de caulim no âmbito da arqueologia histórica.Tobacco was introduced in Europe at the end of the 15th century. Since then, one of the most traditional means for its use has been the pipe, next to the powder version, chewing, cigars, and, more recently, cigarettes. White clay tobacco pipes, widely produced and used in Europe since the 15th century, are found in historical archaeological sites around the world, including Brazil, due to international trade, which gradually intensified with the European conquest of the New World. They are excellent guides for dating archaeological sites and layers. In addition, this type of artifact, more than a dating tool, permits identifying trading networks between nations and developing discussions of cultural and social nature. These pipes, however, have been understudied in Brazil. In order to contribute to studies of this type of artifact in our country, this paper offers a revision of the international literature on the history of clay pipe production in Europe, including the presentation of main production centers; morphology and decoration of these products, considering issues of fabrication chronology; and the methods used in Historical Archaeology for analyzing clay tobacco pipes

Clarifying Heritage: Review of Heritage Keywords by Kathyrn Lafrenz Samuels & Trinidad Rico (eds)

A review of Heritage Keywords: Rhetoric and Redescription in Cultural Heritage by Kathyrn Lafrenz Samuels & Trinidad Rico (eds) (University Press of Colorado, 2015

Material culture, commodities, and consumption in Palestine, 1500-1900

Archaeological research into the Late Islamic period in the Middle East is a fertile field which has rarely been plowed, especially for the period of the Ottoman Empire. A great potential exists for using archaeological materials to address questions of social and historical significance for the integration of the region into the modern world system. In this dissertation, I examine archaeological assemblages from 1500 to 1900, in order to contribute an understanding of consumption and material culture for Middle Eastern archaeology and to shed light on aspects of social change for Palestine during the rule of the Ottoman Empire (1516-1917). I review the state of knowledge on several categories of material culture (settlement pattern, architecture, tombstones, foodways, and ceramics), then focus on clay tobacco pipes as an example of material two levels: (1) their presence in the archaeological record provides chronological tools for furthering archaeological excavations and (2) their synchronic and diachronic patterns are an entry point to discussing societal tensions and global processes of change in the region. The chronological discussions of tobacco pipes provides a tool for differentiating material events--a necessary step for uncovering differences from the archaeological record. The historical background on tobacco as a commodity allows interpretations of the material culture within its social dimensions. Both in terms of diversity of styles over time and their function, the clay tobacco pipes from multiple archaeological sites provide insights into questions of history and social diversity for Palestine. These objects are the case study in this work; I address theoretical issues relating to the study of material culture, methodology for linking objects to social action, techniques for differentiating the corpus of archaeological data, and interpretations of archaeological data within an historical anthropological context. The interpretations lead to a framework for analyzing cultural landscape across the area which is today Israel. This study is conceptualized as the first steps towards an archaeology of Palestine during the Ottoman centuries and an avenue towards an archaeology of capitalism in the Middle East, a way to break down the divide between past and present in the region