This Master thesis on archaeology and cultural heritage management of the Caribbean and Amazonia was written at the University of Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology. The special emphasis in this...Show moreThis Master thesis on archaeology and cultural heritage management of the Caribbean and Amazonia was written at the University of Leiden, Faculty of Archaeology. The special emphasis in this research is on finding out which role the Amerindian past and archaeology play in a Surinamese image of the past. The research design in the first place needed to reveal the past perception of individual people with a Surinamese Caribbean background. The interviewees who participated in this research however were Surinamese migrants who are living since many years in the Netherlands. The approach taken to reveal the past emphasis of individuals from the Surinamese community was through holding semi structured open interviews. The Surinamese community in the context of this research consists of groups of people that share their experience and memory on Suriname within communication, both in the Netherlands and their mother-country. It is within this community that an image of the Surinamese past is being constructed. A key note to the research is that the past is a present construct. From this point of departure multiple pasts do exist. People in their own diversity, within different environments, have to deal with personal socio-cultural realities. This implicates that a meaningful past for Surinamese people needs to be constructed from their individual and community perspectives. This research applied insights from memory theory, archaeological theory, heritage theory and a more anthropological example to show that such a construct asks for people’s balanced historical involvement and community concern. Community concern demands reciprocal involvement that should accomplish mutual understanding. The goal of this thesis is to show that archaeology can be a tool in accomplishing shared understanding and concern from doing research after past happenings and cultural environments. The thesis further advocates engaged archaeology as a tool to create shared understanding. Engaged archaeology does not only imply that an archaeologist should listen to society and people’s concern in order to find topics for research. It even more asks for stimulating participation of people in past interrogation and creating an open critical attitude towards personal perceptions and those of others. The role of the archaeologist in this process of past communication is one of being an example to people with respect to care about archaeological heritage and involvement in both the past and people’s present environment. As an archaeological professional, who executes a profession that primarily is concerned with people, the archaeologist’s task is to facilitate involvement and provide society with critical questions on people’s past supposition. The practice of archaeology in itself needs to be a research environment where people communicate their understandings and from this realize a more inclusive community of involved people that show interest in their surroundings and each other. There can be worked towards a more stable future from contemporary knowledge or understanding about the past. Besides the interview technique, in order to find out more on people’s past concern this research aimed for application of methods from the social sciences. These were methods like discourse analysis and grounded theory. From the interrogation a better understanding of contemporary Surinamese community was accomplished. It made clear that Amerindians in Suriname in general were perceived as being unchanged. From a Western colonial perspective they did not bring about much development and their culture was regarded primitive. Their political, economic and cultural significance was neglected within the culturally diverse and divided Surinamese colonial community. From contemporary and continuous political and societal shifts reorientation on those people who are indigenous to Suriname as well as on other groups in society however is needed in order to create communality. The recommendation to Surinamese society is that ongoing conceptualization on the past and people in society, is necessary in order to accomplish a stable community.Show less
For the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty...Show moreFor the last couple of decades, Iraq is known as a country of war, danger, fear, hunger and terror. Three wars have occupied this period, bringing along terrible consequences. The chaos and poverty of the country, in combination with an destabilised authority, has made people to start large-scale looting of archaeological sites in the desert of Southern Iraq, as an alternative way of income. the antiquities they dig up from the ground are sold to smugglers, which again sell them on to collectors, museums and institutions all over the world through the illegal trade market. Unfortunately, the looting and selling of these ancient objects does not happen occasionally, but it happens on a gigantic scale and gets worse and worse. Entire villages, clans and tribes are involved in the trade and profit from it. Furthermore, powerful elites mingle in the trade, which is why it is completely intertwined with the country’s political situation. Starting in 1990 with the first Gulf war, the problem has never had such a magnitude as with the start of the Second Gulf War in 2003, and it is still increasing today. Not only is this process destructive for the archaeological objects, monuments, and science, it also further destabilizes the country as looting groups are armed, merciless, dangerous and powerful. Furthermore, especially during the 2003 war but also before, sites have been damaged by military forces and bombs, and museums have been robbed. This bachelor thesis explains what kind of archaeology destruction has occurred in the past of Iraq, how looting has developed and why, why it is so hard to stop and most importantly, how we can counteract it.Show less
The broader purpose of this study is to better understand the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe. During this period, which lasted approximately from 45.000 to 30.000 cal. years ago,...Show moreThe broader purpose of this study is to better understand the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe. During this period, which lasted approximately from 45.000 to 30.000 cal. years ago, the first anatomically and genetically modern humans (Homo sapiens) are considered to have arrived in Europe, after their dispersal out of Africa. The last Neanderthals were still in existence in Europe, and where about to become extinct shortly after. The lithic industries of this period contain an apparent mixture of features typical of both Middle and Upper Paleolithic industries (which is not the result of post depositional processes). Therefore, a heated debate has arisen about the manufacturer of these industries, and the potential interaction between H. sapiens and Neanderthals that the tool types may reflect. Over time, the increasing discovery of transitional industries has only yielded a blurred understanding of the transition. This thesis is focused in the area of the southern Balkans, and more specifically in Greek Peloponnese. Suffice it to say, due to its geographical position Greece may have contributed to the passage of the first modern humans from Africa and the Near East into Europe. Additionally, it may have been used as a refugium for the last Neanderthal population of the continent. For this reason, an interpretation of the archaeological transitional evidence that was recovered from the sites of Lakonis and Klisoura in Greece will be attempted. The discovery ofthe two caves, both located in the Peloponnese region, demonstrates that at some point between 46.000-39.000 cal. years ago, both species inhabited the area contemporaneously.The examination of Lakonis indicates that, based on the material evidence, the producers of the transitional layer may have been modern humans. This is in contrast to the human fossil that was recovered in situ from the layer and indicates a Neanderthal identity of the assemblage. Therefore, different scenarios can be made about the manufacturer. The analysis from Klisoura reveals evidence about the movement of modern populations in southern Europe, which further supports the modern identity of the Uluzzian industry. After the analysis is completed, the issue is focused on how we can identify possible interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans in the future within the Peloponnese region.Show less
This thesis is concerned with the city gates of Roman Ostia, the harbour-town of ancient Rome.The study examines whether there are any features (e.g. buildings, monuments and spatial use) that only...Show moreThis thesis is concerned with the city gates of Roman Ostia, the harbour-town of ancient Rome.The study examines whether there are any features (e.g. buildings, monuments and spatial use) that only occur because of the presence of the city gates. Furthermore, it investigates whether these buildings or spaces changed over time, responding to new infrastructural demands or functional requirements. To answer these questions, a detailed, map-based study and an on-site inspection of selected areas of Ostia’s built environment have been carried out. The principal data set for this study are the site maps of Ostia, available in printed form (Calza 1953) and in digital form (Manucci 1995). By examining the urban landscape of the areas around the city gates and by comparing this data to the urban composition throughout the rest of Ostia we noticed that the area around the city gates is equipped with a wide diversity of building-types. Around the gates we encountered all of the building that were needed for everyday life in Roman Ostia.Show less
This thesis describes the economical situation in the 11th-15th Century during the Crusades. It researches how the rise and reign of the Mamluks influences the Mediterranean trade networks in place.
Since the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have...Show moreSince the very beginnings of archaeology as a science graves have fascinated archaeologists and have proven to be important sources of information. The approaches used to study graves however, have often not included the personal, intimate aspects of death, nor the persons in the past involved. Also, funerary practices are often set apart from other aspects of society, and the interconnectedness of the individual with society neglected. The concept of personhood can be used to bridge this divide that has formed within archaeology between people and society, as it enables the investigation of the persons in the past through their relationships. This study aims to explore the relationships of the Late Neolithic inhabitants of Tell Sabi Abyad with their social, cultural, material and natural environments. The main focus lies on the grave goods, a not yet studied aspect of the Late Neolithic cemeteries at the site, as they can be regarded elements of identity and personhood of the deceased, but also of the living community. The cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, dated to ca. 6400-5800 BC, hold tremendous potential to add to the emerging image of death and burial during the Late Neolithic in the Near East. Owing to the presence of secure chronological control, extensive documentation and an unusually large burial sample, we are able to investigate practices surrounding death and burial from a bottom-up approach. Within the present research, it becomes clear that the Late Neolithic cemeteries at Tell Sabi Abyad, Operation III, offer ample opportunity to go further than the mere analyses of social complexity and the creation of typologies of burial practice, and to investigate aspects of mortuary behavior related to the person. As deduced from the burial record, personhood at Tell Sabi Abyad seems to have been experienced in terms of both relational and individual identities. Within the grave good assemblages we see expressions of the wide variety of relationships held by the prehistoric inhabitants of the site. These relationships range from supra-regional, to the most intimate of relations, such as those between mother and child.Show less
During the excavation at the St. Plechelmus church in Oldenzaal between 2011 and 2013, six skeletons were found in a single burial context and were interpreted to be family members buried in a ...Show moreDuring the excavation at the St. Plechelmus church in Oldenzaal between 2011 and 2013, six skeletons were found in a single burial context and were interpreted to be family members buried in a ‘family grave’. Ancient DNA recovered from these individuals yielded information that is used to determine if there are genetic indications which can prove or disprove this interpretation. Furthermore, 81 surrounding skeletons were incorporated in this research for the determination of possible additional family relationships from a larger area of the cemetery. Short tandem repeat amplifications for 16 autosomal markers and 22 y-chromosomal markers provided reliable polymerase chain reaction products with no contamination. With allele frequency data from present-day Dutch people, and allele frequencies from all the Oldenzaal samples, statistical analyses were performed with the programs Relpair and Familias to reconstruct kinship relations. The results found no genetic indications for possible kinship relations between the six individuals from the ‘family grave’. However, this cannot exclude that these individuals were biologically related to each other. For the surrounding 81 skeletons, the results indicate eight possible kinship relations. A Harris matrix showing all the excavated skeletons revealed that three out of the eight possible kinship relation pairs were spatially linked to each other; an aspect upon which the interpretation of the ‘family grave’ was based in the first place. This thesis demonstrates the successful use of aDNA from the Oldenzaal cemetery to reconstruct family relationships.Show less
The famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush...Show moreThe famous archaeological site of Bamiyan in present day Afghanistan, besides portraying grand achievements of culture and religion, was also the foci for trans migration around the Hindu Kush region. Between the 5th and 8th centuries, Bamiyan and other adjacent archaeological sites in Central Asia, were connected by a highly developed network of trade. The visual culture of Bamiyan, aside from the two Great Buddhas, suggests there was a necessity to represent ideology and power of the social elite in symbolic ways. At Bamiyan, frescos depict many figures with different type headdresses or crowns. The depiction of these crowns is also found in other archaeological sites and on coins distributed throughout present day Central Asia and China. The details of a headdress or crown suggest characteristics of the social or political identities of the individual or group depicted. The similar type crowns found on figures in other geographical contexts may indicate a degree of interaction between Bamiyan and other religious and trade centers.Show less
Analyzing the acquisition policies of museums is an important way to understand how the legal as well as ethical standards have evolved since 1970. Museums were influenced by these changing...Show moreAnalyzing the acquisition policies of museums is an important way to understand how the legal as well as ethical standards have evolved since 1970. Museums were influenced by these changing standards: What could be bought legally some years ago can no longer be bought legally today. This has to do with how the legal and ethical standards evolved. Furthermore, it is evident from the research that museums have understood that they can no longer buy unprovenanced antiquities and, for this reason, have published acquisition policies and declarations. The year 1970 can be seen as the turning point in the protection of antiquities. In this year, the first ethical codes were published by museums as well as the ICOM Code of Ethics; and in November 1970 the UNESCO Convention was put into effect. This thesis analyzes the acquisition policy of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and compares it with other major museums.Show less
On the beach of Happisburgh iron rich blocks have been washing up for centuries. When an iron mineralised faunal fossil with cut marks was found, this formed the direct occasion for further...Show moreOn the beach of Happisburgh iron rich blocks have been washing up for centuries. When an iron mineralised faunal fossil with cut marks was found, this formed the direct occasion for further investigation. The iron rich blocks are filled with plant macro and other fossils. In the nineteenth century Clement Reid and six others reported similar iron rich blocks washing up. They named the presumed locality the ‘Elephant Bed’ after the many Elephant fossils yielded from the same deposition. This thesis investigates the plant macro fossils and a basic lithological analysis of 66 iron rich blocks collected from Happisburgh Site 5 in 2012 by dr. M.H. Field in an attempt to establish a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction that could indicate possible habitability of early hominins. In order to do so this research has been placed in the context of East Anglian, Pleistocene research on the stratigraphy. This sequence is extremely complex and has been revised, including Reid, West, Lee, Hamblin and others. Not only are there now two opposing views on the classification of these sediments, the associated ages differ by several Marine Isotope Stages. Some general consensus has been achieved on the palaeogeography, namely the presence of ancient rivers in this part of England. Whether this be the ancient Thames or a local river called Bytham remains a discussion. Fluvial sediments are known for depositing iron rich blocks. Several sites in East Anglia have yielded flaked artefacts, such as Pakefield and Happisburgh Site 3, but no human fossil remains. Happisburgh has four other sites other than the one investigated for this thesis, that have all yielded some form of evidence for hominin presence (i.e. cut marks, flaked artefacts). Clement Reid of the British Geological Survey, Peter Murphy of the English Heritage and Simon Parfitt of the Natural History Museum have, respectively published and shared, plant macro fossil results for these iron rich blocks. The fossils included aquatic and woodland taxa. Murphy’s methodology is different from the methodology used for this thesis. Both methods have their pros and cons, and depending on the research questions one or the other may be used in future investigations. The iron rich blocks have underwent severe taphonomic processes that have had their influence on the preservation of the botany, and possibly had an effect on over- or underrepresentation of the taxa. Results from the lithological analysis indicate the existence of several different facies, indicating the presence of both a river as a wetland or horse shoe shaped lake. The plant macro fossils indicate aquatic taxa, terrestrial taxa and woodland taxa. Some faunal remains have been found, such as shell impressions and one fossilized abraded mammal long bone. The shell impression identification corresponds with identifications made by both Reid as Murphy and suggest reasonably clear, stagnant or mild flowing fresh waters. In the absence of an in situ locality for these blocks, several inferences can be made based on the presented results. Three scenarios are described, order from most likely to least likely. The final conclusion attests the hypothesis, as there seems to be a clear indication for a temperate environment that could possibly have been a habitat for early hominins.Show less
This thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the...Show moreThis thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the Chontales province, Central Nicaragua, where there is not much archaeological research done. Linguistic and ethno historical research shows that the province was a cultural complex area in pre-Columbian times. Aguas Buenas is the largest known site in this province and so far only studies in surveys. The aim of the thesis is trying to say something about the identity of the people who build the site and regional interaction. During the field season of 2012 pottery was the most found material. The ceramics were studied using a modal analysis. The following modes were analysed: pot shape, lip shape, diameter of the pot, firing colour, colour, slip, decoration, and surface finishing. These results are compared with previous studies from Chontales and the Pacific region of Nicaragua.Show less
This thesis discusses researching sexuality of past peoples through archaeological investigation, both its problems and advantages. It discusses the birth of sexuality research as a topic of...Show moreThis thesis discusses researching sexuality of past peoples through archaeological investigation, both its problems and advantages. It discusses the birth of sexuality research as a topic of interest and also considers its development over time. To be able to properly conduct sexuality research it is important to know the problems one might encounter in doing so and find ways of dealing with these. Besides discussing issues such as the negative views of sex and sexuality, heteronormativity and the recognition of sexual imagery and related artefacts in the archaeological record, the case study of the ancient bathhouse Qusayr ‘Amra is discussed, placing this theoretical issue in a more concrete framework. The question asked here is to what extent we can archaeologically research sexuality for the Umayyad Period, by looking at the frescoes of Qusayr ‘Amra. Here, we find a number of frescoes of nude men and women, that offer the potential to try and answer questions about sexuality. We find here that there might very well be a sexual component to the frescoes of this desert castle, that we might be able to understand when they are placed in a context of a number of literary sources from this time period.Show less
On the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts artifacts have been found at Pakefield and Happisburgh 3, indicating the presence of hominid activity. These artifacts were assigned to the organic layers of the...Show moreOn the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts artifacts have been found at Pakefield and Happisburgh 3, indicating the presence of hominid activity. These artifacts were assigned to the organic layers of the Cromer Forest-bed Formation. Pakefield is dated to 700 ka and resembled a Mediterranean climate, while the Happisburgh 3 artifacts are associated with a temperate boreal climate with an age of 780 ka. Research in understanding the Palaeolandscape and climate needs to be conducted on the organic layers at the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts. In this paper the lower organic layer at Beeston has been investigated. The research in this paper identified the macrofossils of 200 cubic centimeters from the first ten centimeters of the top of the lower organic layer. The local vegetation is consistent with a Potometea community, the local environment is a flooded basin or back-swamp in a River delta with some marine influences, and the climate represents a temperate climate. Other research of the layer as a quickscan of macrofossils through the entire layer shows no significant change of vegetation in the layer. Therefore we can assume that the layer represents one distinguished type of vegetation. Pollen data in the 10-11 centimeters of the layer shows an abundance of boreal mixed forests with wetland conditions. The identified local environment, vegetation, and climate is also found in the West Runton Freshwater Bed (MIS 15-17) and Happisburgh 3 (MIS 21,25). The West Runton Freshwater Bed is part of the hypothetical “Ancaster River”. The resemblance in vegetation and climate of Happisburgh 3 and Beeston indicates a possible presence of hominid activity within the lower organic layer of Beeston. However, the presenceof hominids and age of the lower organic layer cannot yet be determined.Show less
When Middle Assyrians conquered the land of Hanigalbat during the 14th and 13th century, they did several changes in the settlement systems of the area. This paper is mainly concerned with the...Show moreWhen Middle Assyrians conquered the land of Hanigalbat during the 14th and 13th century, they did several changes in the settlement systems of the area. This paper is mainly concerned with the changes happened during the transitional phase from the Mitanni to the Middle Assyrian period. Several works have been lately published about the Middle Assyrians in general but the Mitanni period has been generally neglected. The research of this paper tackles the subject through a bibliographical overview of the current archaeological data concerning the period. The questions which are going to be investigated in this paper about the transition from Mitanni to Middle Assyrians are: What changes did the Middle Assyrians brought to the administrative system of the area? What changes do we see in the settlement system? How did the agricultural economy evolved, what are the results of the intensification of agriculture and how did this affect the changes in settlement systems? In order to answer those questions the paper is divided in 4 chapters. In the first chapter I do a historical overview of the periods from the 15th to the 13th century BC. The historical overview is important to create the context in which I am going to work and it provides crucial information about the names of certain sites which will be investigated. In the first chapter I also provide a brief state of the archaeological research of the periods. In the second chapter I thoroughly investigate three areas, t e Balīḫ Valley, the Upper Ḫābūr Valle and t e Upper igris regi n. I pr vide general information of the areas and examination of certain sites which are used as examples. At the end of each subchapter there are conclusions concerning each specific region. The third chapter deals with agriculture and the changes of agriculture during the early period of the Middle Assyrian Empire. In order to examine the subject of agriculture I use two well documented sites, Tell Sabi Abyad and Dūr-Katlimmu. These sites have been chose because they provide us with important textual evidence and allow the reconstruction of their agricultural productivity. The study of agriculture allows us to see the role of agriculture in the settlement changes of the period.In the final chapter I firstly present a discussion in order to create a theoretical framework for the changes on settlement systems. In this part I discuss the policies used by Middle Assyrian in each region and the reasons behind certain decisions on changing the settlement patterns of an area. The last part of the chapter contains the conclusions and results of the research. The purpose of this MA thesis is to recreate certain aspects of the transitions from the Mitanni Empire to the Middle Assyrian Empire with main focus on the changes of settlement patterns.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2015-01-19T00:00:00Z
Until recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe...Show moreUntil recently ‘The archaeology of Judaism’ actually meant the archaeology of Judaism for no later than Late Antiquity. Recently, only the archaeology of Judaism for the medieval period in Europe has been developing, but almost no attention has been paid yet to the archaeology of Judaism in the Islamic World. Although much seems to be known about Judaism in the Islamic World, when taking a closer look, actually all this knowledge is based on textual sources such as the rabbinic literature and the documents from the Cairo Genizah. Apart from that, there have been specialist studies, focussing on specific objects, or architectural features from more recent times, mainly from an art historical approach. This thesis for the first time aims to give a general overview of all the available material and architectural features that could be associated with Judaism in the Islamic World and the wider diaspora and reconsiders the grounds on which the association of this material with Judaism has been made. It examines what contribution archaeology could make to the knowledge of Judaism, thereby paying attention to some issues related to the social responsibility archaeologists have towards society and presenting the most promising fields for future research.Show less
The museum over time has undergone many changes. Its meaning and role have altered frequently according to the social and cultural structure of each era. Its activities have enriched sharing...Show moreThe museum over time has undergone many changes. Its meaning and role have altered frequently according to the social and cultural structure of each era. Its activities have enriched sharing knowledge not only within the scientific community but also with all kinds of visitors. The educational programs are one of the newer activities of museums that allow children, the roots of society, to learn about the historical past through external education. The specific research, in what way can an archaeological museum organize the educational programs in order to introduce children to the cultural past, is based on two museums; the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden and the Archaeological Museum of Sparta. For this purpose, archival research and a lot of interviews with the museum professionals and the museum visitors were conducted. Different people from different posts and with different views were asked to talk about and evaluate the educational programs. In the end, a new educational program for the Archaeological Museum of Sparta is proposed. This new three stage program, consisting of visit preparation, the visit itself and activities at school, is influenced by the programs of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. It is designed to be easily adapted for local museums yet still provides the same educational benefits for national museums.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
2012-08-31T00:00:00Z
This thesis explores two theoretical approaches of the dynamic interaction between religion and politics. In a case study, examining the sanctuary of Hera Akraia near the modern village of...Show moreThis thesis explores two theoretical approaches of the dynamic interaction between religion and politics. In a case study, examining the sanctuary of Hera Akraia near the modern village of Perachora, these theories are put to the test.Show less
The Classic Maya city of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, is a great and beautiful city, but the current appearance of the site is the result of almost two centuries of intensive research. This thesis...Show moreThe Classic Maya city of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, is a great and beautiful city, but the current appearance of the site is the result of almost two centuries of intensive research. This thesis investigates who the most influential explorers and archaeologist were during the 19th, 20th and 21st century, and how their choices shaped Palenque. It will also look into what literate and theoretical streams were of influence on the explorers and archaeologists. After applying theory to the data, the outcome is that archaeology is not only driven by the personal interests of the archaeologist, but also by the agenda of the funder, who seems mainly interested of the financial benefits of archaeology. In Mexico, financial benefits of archaeology come mainly through tourism, and therefore the appearance of archeological sites is high adapted to appeal to the eye of the tourist and to insure national income by means of tourism.Show less
The relationship between archaeological heritage and the general public has been a recurrent theme in the archaeological discipline, were an increasing reliance on revenue streams in heritage...Show moreThe relationship between archaeological heritage and the general public has been a recurrent theme in the archaeological discipline, were an increasing reliance on revenue streams in heritage settings leaves archaeologists to wonder how to present archaeology in an accessible, visual, and imaginative manner to the public. The complexities of several visualisation media are discussed in a heritage setting: illustrations, scale models, theme parks and museums and digital media (3D models, serious gaming and Virtual Reality). It is found that the authenticity and interactivity are recurrent themes in archaeological visualisation. The first proves to be rather negotiable, and the latter has proven itself to be a powerful way to capture the attention of the audience. Finally, it is concluded that archaeology has a lot to gain from visualisation for the public, and although archaeologists and other heritage professionals focus mostly on 3D models and Virtual Reality, it would seem this is also true for the more traditional types of visualisation. This reminds us that all forms of visualisation are merely tools available to the archaeologist and heritage experts to select as needed and solve a particular heritage visualisation problem.Show less
The purpose of this research is to identify the threats to archaeological monuments on privately owned land in Ireland, i.e. why and how monuments are being damaged or destroyed, and to find...Show moreThe purpose of this research is to identify the threats to archaeological monuments on privately owned land in Ireland, i.e. why and how monuments are being damaged or destroyed, and to find solutions to this problem that will satisfy the needs of both archaeologists and landowners alike. The methods used to address these issues include a remote survey of archaeological monuments in a research area in Co. Clare, qualitative interviews with landowners, IFA representatives and an archaeologist and a review of similar surveys on the preservation of monuments in Ireland, England and Northern Ireland. The results of all of the methods used in this research identified earthwork monuments, and especially ringforts, as the monuments that have been damaged the most on privately owned land in Ireland. To effectively prevent future damage from being caused to monuments on privately owned land, several solutions will need to be implemented so that they can be made to work in cooperation with each other. Updating the information on the levels of preservation of all monuments and continued monitoring of monuments will give a clear picture of what the current situation is today and any changes to the situation in the future. The issue needs to be fully publicised using all media to reach a maximum number of people. Education initiatives also need to be fully publicised to reach a maximum number of landowners. Moreover, solutions need not only to encourage farmers to preserve archaeological monuments, but to also make it worth their while and to respect their position as a major stakeholder in the Irish landscape.Show less