Unlocking the past: A society for historical archaeology public awareness and education project

Abstract

Each year, historical archaeologists excavate at thousands of historical sites in urban and rural communities across North America. Many project sponsors-professional archaeology consulting firms, government agencies, museums, and colleges and universities-partner with community members and organizations to undertake the research. Many historical archaeologists are sharing the results of their work in exhibits, public lectures and archaeology festivals, World Wide Web pages, newspaper and magazine articles, pamphlets, booklets, and books. These projects have fueled the public's fascination with archaeology and generated important support for preservation. However, no popular books or individual Web pages presented an overview of North American historical archaeology, spotlighting projects and sites from Canada to the Caribbean, from the Viking explorations of 1000 years ago to World War II. This chapter examines the discourse on the identity and representation of historical archaeology generated by SHA's Unlocking the Past project and its implications for the book and Web site.