Community Archaeologies in Practice: Global Perspectives
February 2016
12th February 2016
On Friday the Bailies of Bennachie Landscapes Project had the unique opportunity of joining three other groups from across the world to discuss community archaeology. The event was organised and held at the University of Aberdeen by the Department of Archaeology. The four groups attending were the Rebun Project from Hokkaido, Japan, the Nunalleq Project from Alaska, as well as two local groups, the Rhynie Project & the Northern Picts, and the Bennachie Landscapes Project on the Bennachie Colony.
Presentations by a cross-section of members from each of the four projects made this a full day of interesting comparisons on how each project was working within the different communities. The subjects covered included how communities interacted with their collaborators, the successes and problems faced, personal experiences, beyond archaeology, results so far and future work. Representing the Bailies of Bennachie was Ken Ledingham, from the Bennachie Landscapes Project, whose topic “Digging in the Archives” covered his on-going research into the Bennachie Colony.
After the presentations, discussions followed between the presenters and audience, which included members from the Bennachie Landscapes Project. These enthusiastic discussions were finally called to halt as the caretakers needed to lock up! The general agreement was that this had been an extremely interesting and productive day leaving participants with constructive thoughts and ideas for their own projects.
Many thanks to Dr. Jeff Oliver, Department of Archaeology, and Jo Vergunst Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen, for organising such an enlightening event.