Known widely in Europe as "interpretive narrative archaeology,"
the practice of using creative methods to interpret and present
current knowledge of the past is gaining popularity in North
America. This book is the first compilation of international case
studies of the various artistic methods used in this new form of
education--one that makes archaeology "come alive" for the
nonprofessional. Plays, opera, visual art, stories, poetry,
performance dance, music, sculpture, digital imagery--all can
effectively communicate archaeological processes and cultural
values to public audiences.
The 23 contributors to this volume are a diverse group of
archaeologists, educators, and artisans who have direct experience
in schools, museums, and at archaeological sites. Citing specific
examples, such as the film "The English Patient," science fiction
mysteries, and hypertext environments, they explain how creative
imagination and the power of visual and audio media can
personalize, contextualize, and demystify the research process. A
16-page color section illuminates their examples, and an
accompanying CD includes relevant videos, music, web sites, and
additional color images.
In their Introduction, the editors invoke the ancient muses to
inspire the modern presenters and interpreters of archaeological
research. They aptly quote George Santayana, from his poem "The
Power of Art":
." . . may our hands immortalize the day
When life was sweet, and save from utter death
The sacred past that should not pass away."
John H. Jameson Jr. is an archaeologist and John E. Ehrenhard is
Director at the National Park Service's Southeast Archeological
Center in Tallahassee, Florida. Christine A. Finn is research
associate at the Institute of Archaeology at the University of
Oxford in England.
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