Design vs Dogma: Reflections on Field Archaeology

The Rhind Lectures presented by Professor Martin Carver, University of York
Friday 23rd April to Sunday 25th April 2010

Lecture 5
As befits a Sunday afternoon, we will relax by taking a tour of archaeological projects around the world. The emphasis will be to show how archaeologists have used design to confront diverse objectives in diverse terrain within diverse social situations. The corollary will be to show how dogmatic approaches – such as Wheeler boxes or context-only recording – diminish research potential, even though they are easier to administer. The message for our time is that standardised procedures, while welcomed by the profession, actually lower standards, and with them, expectations and yields. If we stand up for creative design, and if society makes room for it, we should be able to maximise research opportunity every time.

The Lectures
The purposes of archaeological investigation in the field, its methods and the circumstances in which it is deployed, have diversified radically in recent years. Half a century has passed since Mortimer Wheeler gave his Rhind Lectures on ‘Archaeology from the Earth,’ so it seems a good moment to reflect on what the international academy, the profession, government and society want from archaeological fieldwork, and how their diverse agendas might be addressed to the mutual benefit of all.

The Lecturer
Martin Carver is emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of York, Editor of Antiquity and the author of Archaeological Investigation (Routledge, 2009). He has undertaken or advised on field projects in England, Scotland, Sweden, France, Italy and Algeria, including numerous commercial projects and major research campaigns at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk) and Portmahomack (Easter Ross).

The 2010 Rhind Lectures were presented in the Royal Society of Edinburgh Wolfson Lecture Theatreand recorded by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland using Camtasia software, and produced as MP4 files available to view and download from Screencast