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University of Huddersfield research into new interdisciplinary methods for systematic archaeological examination has led to significant advances in the identification and subsequent conservation of historic battlefields. The work has influenced policy and practice at English Heritage, informing key changes in its National Heritage Protection Plan, and has been used to help safeguard famous sites such as Bosworth and Hastings. It has also shaped policy in other countries — including Belgium — where it has been described as "the basis for the development of a governmental vision" regarding battlefield sites — and has raised wider public awareness of battlefield archaeology through high-profile media engagement.
The University of Southampton's long-term archaeological research at Avebury forms the basis upon which national and international heritage organisations such as the National Trust and UNESCO manage and preserve one of the most important prehistoric landscapes in the world. Local councils have used the research findings to inform their own policy and planning decisions. Research disseminated through museum exhibitions, public engagement events and publications has resulted in increased public interest and understanding of the site, stimulating greater tourism and local economic benefit.
The site of Star Carr (c. 9000 BC) is internationally renowned in the archaeological world yet, until now, has been virtually unheard of in the public sphere. Research at York has enhanced the preservation and conservation of this important site, securing its status on the Schedule of Monuments, and informed the management, protection and restoration of wetlands across Europe. Alongside this, research into the public perception of the Mesolithic has guided a comprehensive range of public engagement activities which have enhanced Mesolithic heritage presentation and raised global awareness of this undervalued period of human prehistory.
Staff members of the School of Geosciences are involved in research into Conflict Archaeology, especially based in the Pacific region and the WW2 Pacific island theatres. One exemplar project involves fieldwork undertaken on the island of Peleliu, in the Republic of Palau (Micronesia). The fieldwork and associated research has demonstrated that Peleliu is most likely the best preserved battlefield in the Pacific, and potentially the best preserved WW2 battlefield site anywhere.
Supported by the findings of the research, proposals are now in place to incorporate Peleliu into the U.S. Government's National Park system, uniquely as a site on foreign soil. This aims to document and preserve the sites, provide education and outreach facilities to the general public, to monitor and maintain the battlefield through sustainable eco-tourism (with vital income generation for a fragile local economy in this developing country), and to protect the site from looting. The research has played a large and crucial part in providing supporting evidence and documentation for this process.
The research has delivered impact on creativity, culture and society, and especially towards the enhancement to heritage preservation, conservation and presentation, including museum and gallery exhibitions and public education. Public and political debate has also been shaped and informed, and the findings of the research have enhanced a broad cross-cultural understanding of the issues.
The University of Bradford's internationally renowned research in North Atlantic archaeology at Old Scatness, Shetland has provided a sustainable legacy for the region, enhancing awareness of Shetland's past. This innovative heritage project is a partnership between the University and the Shetland Amenity Trust and has been critical to new developments in heritage presentation on the islands. The heritage project at Old Scatness pioneered a blend of site preservation and reconstructed buildings combined with an interpretive approach that provides visitors with a stimulating and interactive experience. The consideration of what was a hitherto unknown archaeological area as a World Heritage Site demonstrates the international significance of the research and its impact.
In September 2012, the announcement that human remains discovered under a Leicester car park could be those of King Richard III (d. 1485) generated worldwide interest which grew to a frenzy when identification was confirmed in February 2013. This case-study illustrates the role played by the UoA in realising and maximising the impacts that arose from this remarkable discovery, namely: 1. direct economic benefits; 2. boosting local identities and sense of place; 3. changes in local and regional heritage and tourism; 4. stimulating public debate about the past, the ethics of dealing with a dead king, and the value of archaeology to contemporary society; 5. impact on schools and curricula; 6. impact on the perception of Richard III (e.g. in the theatrical profession and amongst disability campaigners); 7. stimulating partnerships across political and geographical boundaries.
Building on the academic research of staff and post-graduates, the `Walberswick Project' began as a local study, emerging from the general interest in landscape fostered in the UEA School of History by Professor Tom Williamson, and more specifically from Dr Robert Liddiard's expertise in medieval fortifications and their physical setting. Such expertise was here refocused on what had previously been the almost totally neglected Second World War anti-invasion landscapes of East Anglia. The realization that an entire world of landscape archaeology was ripe for rediscovery, and that what was true of Suffolk was no less true of the 'Atlantic Wall', stretching from Norway to Spain, has led via the project's website to the delivery of high-quality academic research to organisations charged with managing European heritage. The computer technology developed here has fed into further projects that now span the English Channel and several periods of history. Successful bids for European Union and National Heritage Lottery funding have ensured impact that is international in scope, with results disseminated via websites, print publications and other media to the very widest of constituencies.
Archaeological survey and excavation focussed on the `Heart of Neolithic Orkney' World Heritage Site (WHS) have had beneficial impacts on the historic environment. The landscape approach of the research has had a local impact on planning policy, contributing to preservation and interpretation of the historic environment, and a global impact in application of the research approaches to other World Heritage Sites. Extensive public engagement in the research has enhanced cultural understandings of the past/Neolithic and of archaeological heritage management issues and made a significant contribution to sustainable economic development in Orkney, increasing tourism around archaeology and supporting local businesses.
Building on Dr Meggen Gondek's expertise in Pictish stone sculpture, the Rhynie Environs Archaeological Project (REAP) has transformed popular understandings of early medieval stone monuments in northern Britain by: (i) creating a network of outreach activities engaging the public during successive seasons of archaeological fieldwork at a unique collection of fifth- to seventh-century early medieval inscribed stone monuments, (ii) disseminating the research discoveries and results to a range of audiences via traditional and new media, (iii) instigated strategies for the heritage management and conservation of the prehistoric and early historic landscape of Rhynie.
Research for the UNESCO trans-national World Heritage nomination of the Silk Roads led to a radical new policy framework for undertaking serial nominations (thematic groups of sites across state boundaries). The `Silk Roads Thematic Study' transformed the attitudes of governments and heritage agencies in the region and had a major impact on conservation, management, interpretation and heritage tourism. This study was supported by a long-term site-specific project undertaken at the ancient city of Merv in Turkmenistan. By developing education strategies with local teachers and transforming national approaches to heritage (through conservation training, management planning, and interpretation) the `Ancient Merv Project' is now an exemplar of best practice throughout the Silk Roads World Heritage Project.