EAA2021: Abstract

Archaeologists deal with choices every step of their professional way: from defining what an archaeological site is, through the choice between the in situ preservation and intrusive fieldwork and selection of research methodologies, up to compiling archives for permanent storage. Whatever these choices are, they should be explicit and conscious. They should result from a clearly formulated selection and retention strategy. Selecting for archaeological archives has been much discussed in recent years, mainly due to the pressure on storage space at archive repositories that has arisen from increasing archaeological activity. It is important that archaeologists are not drawn into debates on finances, where they may have little influence, but instead establish an archaeological approach to alleviate this problem. We should, first, overcome certain prejudices towards selection of archaeological archives, because the term often seems to be identified with throwing away archaeological artefacts. Discarding finds is not obligatory but it is obligatory to consider selection in every archaeological project. After all, it is not only about finds and samples but also the documentary archive in traditional and digital form. Clear formulation of strategies, explaining what is going to be kept in perpetuity and why, will allow archaeologists, curators and heritage managers to justify archaeology – related expenditures to developers, authorities and the wider public. Transparent, explicit and well-founded argumentation for preserving certain elements of archaeological heritage for the future will contribute to strengthening archaeology as a science and translating the value of archaeological heritage to non-archaeologists.

making choices, archaeological archiving, retention, guidance, selection

 Abstract (PDF)

David Novak¹

Agnieszka Oniszczuk²