Format: Panel discussion
Convenors:
Caitlin D’Gluyas, University of Queensland, Australia
Adele Zubrzycka, University of Queensland, Australia
Katharine Watson, Christchurch Archaeology Project, Aotearoa New Zealand
The work of archaeologists is intricately connected to archaeological archives (artefacts, samples, field records and other data) we create, and the past, present and future meanings we derive from them. These archives, particularly artefact assemblages, also become an archive of potential that we divest ourselves of at the end of a project; with them we squirrel away visions of complete and well-curated data, a resource for future research, and nuanced narratives yet to be told. Yet, the inaccessibility, futility and lack of quality and accessible archaeological data from legacy projects is a long-standing and well-recognised issue. This forum will run as a roundtable discussion focussed on the accessibility, significance and value of archaeological archives in historical archaeology. Questions posed to panellists and the audience will go beyond the pragmatics of storage and ask for a deeper exploration of the value and meaning derived from archaeological collections to communities, the questions we ask (or should be asking) of artefact assemblages, and what more needs to be done to store, make available and interrogate archaeological collections and records now and into the future.