The absence of a compulsory archaeological element in the English National Curriculum is a systemic weakness, and a problem for archaeological educators. However, historical or post-medieval archaeology offers the opportunity to make connections with the existing history curriculum at various stages, thereby introducing elements of archaeological methods and concepts into...
Human skeletal and dental remains are an invaluable source of information for interpreting the way of life of past people and also provide the only direct evidence of non-living populations’ health status. This research paper discusses the sex-related health differences observed in two skeletal populations from Greece, an ancient and a modern, by employing multiple health...
Feminist archaeology has prompted scholars to reconsider gender roles in ancient Mesoamerica.Current research, however, tends to focus on elite women, classes and sites. Although I do not ignore the potential of these sources, in this paper I am mainly concerned with issues such as the phenomenology of bodies and spaces, subroyal ritual actions, and daily activities such as...
Like any other factory, the death factory of Auschwitz consumed primary materials and produced secondary products. Unique to Auschwitz, though, is that the primary material consumed was human life; not just the life of the breathing human body, but also the material possessions associated with that life. The detritus of this most efficient genocide – clothing, jewellery, food...
The role of the curator has changed and is likely to change in the future. Current issues of postmodernism have affected their authority and status, by calling on new voices and narratives. Criticisms continue to be levelled at curators for failing to change communication through display and to maintain subject-based expertise, while new technology constantly increases both the...
What effects can museums expect from putting a database or catalogue of their collection online? While many museums do provide some sort of catalogue in order to improve access, there is still a great deal of doubt as to what are the actual effects and how the catalogue is being used. Some fear it will reduce visitor numbers or wonder how many more enquiries they will receive. By...
Little is known about how the stored collections of museums are used. The amount and nature of use in several London museums was analysed by means of a survey sent to a sample of museums and departments. Awareness among museum visitors of the existence of collections was also investigated. The key findings were that many museums do not keep specific records of how often stored...
In the Science Museum, London, it is envisioned that the future of the collection lies with the creation of an open storage centre, a means to ensure that its stored collections become a permanent way of engagement with the public. Access to stored collections is a topical subject, and open storage has been adopted by many museums as an access strategy. This report explores the...
The growing interest in archaeologies of the recent past has included attempts to link archaeology with memory in its various forms but has lacked a coherent theoretical and methodological approach. This paper outlines a model for engaging with memory in the archaeology of the Second World War, drawing on recent work in memory studies and oral history. One of the principal...