PROMOTING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH ARCHAEOLOGY & HERITAGE
Sharing enthusiasm, knowledge and experience with others
ArchaeologistsEngage reviewing... Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark!
Donal and Linn from AE have made the first ever episodes of the AE podcast. In this two-part series, we talk our way through this iconic movie, and try to find out what Indy actually got right about archaeology! This is a tongue-in-cheek discussion involving everything from serious ethical discussion to anecdotes about courgette-related shenanigans (please do not try the latter at home). Comments and feedback are appreciated!
Enjoy the Podcast via Spotify or SoundCloud
About Archaeologists Engage
ArchaeologistsEngage developed from a small research collaboration that formed in Exeter, UK. The founders of ArchaeologistsEngage are three archaeologists from Australia, UK, and Norway, who are specialists in different fields of archaeology. Our organisation is supported by EXARC and South West Archaeology Ltd.
To contact us, find our contact form here or email us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org. You can also follow us on Instagram, facebook or twitter.
The Project
We are an independent non-profit group of archaeologists who came together to enable engagement between professionals and the public.
ArchaeologistsEngage is a registered voluntary organisation in the Norwegian Brønnøysund Register.
The collaboration developed from three professionals talking about their involvement in Archaeology. This discussion evolved into a group presentation at the 2015 conference of the European Association of Archaeologists. We put forward a challenging synopsis of how archaeological information is communicated through the international movie industry. Our presentation was received with lots of interest and led to quite a passionate general discussion, not only within the conference session, but afterwards as well, as word spread amongst the delegates.
These discussions identified what we consider to be a disconnect between how archaeologists share findings from their work, and how these findings are perceived by the wider audience. Building on this we developed our project, aiming to reduce this distance between the 'Ivory Tower' and the 'Outside World'.
With this project we encourage archaeologists and heritage professionals to acknowledge our professional responsibility to address the imbalance between our knowledge and the information that reaches the public.
Web Articles
The ArchaeologistsEngage project publishes two article streams; The House Archaeologist and The Ivory Tower. These promote the direct communication of archaeological and heritage activities and research amongst those involved in these field as well as to the general public.
The House Archaeologist
This page provides a platform to support communication between archaeologists and the wider public audience. The format is a series of articles that can be searched by category of content. On the House Archaeologist, you will find articles from all over the world about archaeological research results, information about interesting sites, aspects of archaeology and heritage, as well as the experiences of professionals working in these areas. The content aims to be as current as possible, to give the audience an insight into 'behind the scenes' archaeology and to 'connect' with people from the past. All articles on the House Archaeologist are written by archaeologists or heritage professionals.
A selection of articles from the House Archaeologist:
- The Deliberate Destruction in the Bronze Age by Matt Knight
- New revelations about the movement of stone in The story of Mesolithic quarries on the western coast of South-Norway by Astrid Nyland
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Recycling and Re-use in the 5th-6th centuries in Norway by Kristin Bakken
The Ivory Tower
This page addresses topics that concern the dynamics between audience and professional. It was created to inform and inspire archaeologists to undertake public engagement in their professional capacity. The Ivory Tower includes articles from both within and outside of the profession, to provide a multifaceted view of community engagement.
A selection of articles from the Ivory Tower:
- On the Importance of Archivesby LinnMarie Krogsrud
- Challenging the perceptions of heritage ownership on the Ivory Tower. Introducing Confusion2.0: Who owns our heritage? by Pritha Mukherjee
- An inclusive approach to heritage education in Kolkata shared on the Ivory Tower. Heritage Walk for Hearing Impaired Children (UNESCO) by Tathatgata Neogi
Contribute an Article
We encourage discussion about the dynamics between archaeology and the public. Please consider contributing an article to one of our pages if you would like to share your own experience as a professional or a member of the general public. The House Archaeologist is written exclusively by archaeologists, but The Ivory Tower is open to anyone who can provide motivational insights to archaeologists and our practice. The comment fields are open to everyone, but are moderated prior to publishing.
Contact us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org with a short synopsis of what you would like to contribute and a sentence about who you are and where you are from.
Archaeologists Engage Projects & Activity
Virtual engagement
Why not have a go at engaging through virtual tools? Here are examples of engagement formats shared by some of our team at Archaeologists Engage for a bit of fun!
Back Garden Archaeology Test Pit Dig 2020 with Donal Lucey
During the summer three archaeologists in need of an adventure decide to dig an archaeological test pit excavation in their back garden to see what archaeology they could find! Let us know what you enjoy about the video, and archaeological topics you would like to see videos about next! Twitter @Donal_Lucey or @ArchsEngage
Click this link or the image below to watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfbFQq5YNgU&feature=youtu.be
15 Questions with an Archaeologist
Our very own Emily Wapshott was interviewed by the Southeast Archaeological Center (SEAC, part of the USA National Park Service) for their interesting and thought-provoking series. Click this link or the image below to watch the video
Community Archaeology
Archaeologists Engage is supporting an ongoing award-winning community dig in Great Torrington, North Devon, UK. The project is called Dig The Castle and you can link to their website here. You can also enjoy watching updates and activity on Instagram.
The Dig The Castle project is undertaken by and for the people of Great Torrington in collaboration with community interest groups and Archaeologists Engage, including staff/honorary staff at the University of Bristol.
The project centres around the ‘lost’ Norman motte and bailey castle in Great Torrington, which lay unrecognised in plain sight, its legacy only surviving in the fossilised etymology of ‘Castle Street’. This under-valued archaeological site is now a significant lever in a heritage regeneration strategy for the town.
'In Conversation' Series
Archaeologists Engage started quarterly online events in 2026 to engage in conversation with archaeologists about outreach. We have had some really valuable engagement across archaeology and heritage sectors to share approaches and lessons learnt from public engagement and outreach activities.
You can watch past talks here.
17th March: Annelise Baer discussed the benefits and pitfalls of public engagement on different social media platforms. She provided the audience with tips and advice for using social media platforms to promote educational content and shared her thoughts on how the future of archaeology can thrive with active social media use to engage with communities and inspire future scholars. Annelise shared how she uses social media to combat pseudoscience, engage young audiences, and make archaeology credible, accessible and fun!
7th July: Jane Miller from Archaeology Scotland shared how they promote inclusive community engagement by using archaeology to build skills and confidence, and to connect people to each other, their place and the past. Jane talked about their employability and wellbeing programmes, digital skills projects with refugees and creative archaeology projects with young people with additional support needs. She shared her reflections on their successes, opportunities and the challenges they faced along the way.
Resources
Ideas and Suggestions
The following are a few suggestions that you could use for inspiration for your coming engagement with the public. We are constantly looking for more ideas, and we are eager to hear what people have done with success. If you want to tell us your story or share an idea for engagement, please contact us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org
- Write an article for a popular science / history / archaeology magazine / local newspaper
- Guide an organised group on an active archaeological site
- Give a talk for an open public event / school / local education or youth group
- Organise a demonstration of an historic craft or skill
- Volunteer for a day at your local museum, or heritage centre/site
- Create a social media account where you can share your work
- Involve the local community in your archaeological site/project
How to Engage
Various experts and organisations are involved in archaeological public engagement. We have collected some of them below for more information and inspiration.
- The EXARC Journal provides free excerpts of their articles online and is a useful source of inspiration for Open Air Museums, Bushcraft and Experimental Archaeology. Take a look at it here: https://exarc.net/journal/issues-overview
- The SAA, the Society for American Archaeology, have developed a range of Resources for Public Engagement here:
https://www.saa.org/education-outreach/public-outreach/outreach-skills-strategies
- Robert Connolly is directly engaged with Public Engagement in the Museum Environment. Read his blog about the importance of public archaeology here:
- University College London (UCL) have resources on Public Archaeology here:
https://uclpress.co.uk/book/key-concepts-in-public-archaeology/
- Explore the Council for British Archaeology's recent findings on Public Perceptions of Archaeology here:
- Read about the Public Benefits of Archaeology here:
Start a local initiative
We are currenlty developing information packs to support groups or individuals starting a local initiative. If you want to start a local initiative in association with ArchaeologistsEngage, please contact us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org
Links
We have assembled links that we consider useful for our project of engaging with the public. If you have a suggestion that you think we should put on this page, please provide us with the link by emailing us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org.
- EXARC: The organisation for Open Air Museums and Experimental Archaeologists in Europe: http://exarc.net
- The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) has a wide range of resources to support Public Engagement Practice here:
Our People
Belinda Tibbetts .
Belinda is a bioarchaeologist with a background in biological science, ancient history and archaeology. She is experienced in archaeological practice, scientific research, fieldwork, and academic education. Her doctoral research focused on maternal and childhood health in the past, how communities supported individuals with compromised health and the social constructs that determined past responses to death. Belinda's research and field experience includes heritage sites such as UNESCO's Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement site in Anatolia and Mill Point, a colonial settlement site in Queensland, as well as a number curated archaeological collections held within the UK and Ireland. She is actively involved in sharing her work with the wider public through outreach and engagement activities.
Emily Wapshott .
Emily is a commercial archaeologist and historic buildings specialist, with over a decade of field experience. Emily began digging in her parents' garden as a small child, volunteering on her first large-scale site at eight years old. Emily is passionate about archaeology and about sharing that passion for her discipline with others. In her work as a field archaeologist Emily has a close relationship with the public and is involved with a number of education outreach programs. As an independent researcher, Emily is also involved in the fields of gender archaeology, early medieval British and Scandinavian archaeology and communication, and public engagement.
Tine Schenck .
Tine is an experimental archaeologist and a sociologist of law. Her main research interest is the nature of archaeological practice, and the sociopolitical, ethical and methodological aspects that follow. Tine's doctorate investigated the deconstruction of Experimental Archaeology at the University of Exeter. In addition, she has also been involved with sociological study of the Norwegian archaeological labour force. Tine has experience from field archaeology as well as a variety of archaeological experimentation. She has general experience from public outreach work and has written for popular media.
Linn Marie Krogsrud
Linn Marie is an archaeologist with a degree in project management. She did her MA research on material culture and cultural identity in the Viking age. She is currently working as a heritage advisor for Buskerud county municipality, where she works with built heritage and increasing the knowledge of traditional building methods and materials among house owners and craftspeople. She is also a volunteer for The National Trust of Norway, providing guided tours and activism to protect historic buildings.
Aisling Tierney
Aisling is a lecturer at the University of Bristol where her teaching covers public engagement for archaeology,curriculum review and development, and academic development for teaching and learning practice. Her research experience includes projects in the UK, Ireland, Albania, Sri Lanka, Greece and the USA. Aisling's interests are centred on education for sustainable development, interdisciplinarity, and co-production with the public. She also sits on the Heritage & Wellbeing national working group for English Heritage.
Annelise Baer
Annelise is an archaeologist and producer with a background in Classics and the archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Her archaeological research has included projects in the US, UK, Spain and Albania, and her work in the entertainment industry has included projects for National Geographic, HISTORY, A+E and Discovery. She has worked for over a decade as a producer and researcher on a wide range of factual programming, including National Geographic's Emmy-nominated The Story of God with Morgan Freeman and Discovery's hit series Expedition Unknown. She also maintains the popular TikTok and Instagram account @annelisethearchaeologist, where she presents a wide variety of archaeological and historical topics to a highly engaged international audience.
Tathagata Neogi
Tathagata is the Co-Founder and CEO of Immersive Trails and has a PhD in Archaeology from University of Exeter. He is passionate about converting ethical, in-depth research into immersive experiences that engage and inspire people. His work is driven by empathy, ethics and community-focused business practices. Immersive Trails invests in creating a curated travel platform that connects conscious travelers with local community-based, sustainable experience providers worldwide.
Contact
If you would like to get in touch, please email us at engage@archaeologists-engage.org
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