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Forum: General Forum
Moderated by : Andy B , TimPrevett , Klingon , sem , MickM , TheCaptain , bat400 , coldrum , davidmorgan , Runemage , SolarMegalith
Respond to: Woodhenge
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jonm
Joined:
12-07-2011
Messages: 819
from UK
 OFF-Line
|  New Message Posted!2012-12-04 10:06
Very useful, thanks!
Perhaps Woodhenge would have been ploughed up if they had not bought it and taken a commercial view of how to fund the excavations? From my meanderings locally, there's quite a few barrows that seem to have gone that way.
I read a book about the Cunningham excavation which seemed to be to be somewhat disdainful of the way they went about it, but I guess that there were only some options open to them at the time: They had to make subjective decisions based on other possible outcomes.
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Feanor
Joined:
11-05-2011
Messages: 316
from Cape Cod Massachusetts, US
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| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 23:26
I was always given to understand that the Cunningham excavation at Woodhenge was self-funded. What she lacked in technique was made up for by patience, as there were no time-constraints placed upon her.
She made some mistakes, yes, but these were more in the nature of interpretation, rather than the physical work. If she were a professional today and privy to modern techniques, she'd have a pretty decent track-record.
I don't believe any of Maude's digs were underwritten.
Her purchase and subsequent bequest of Woodhenge shows the philanthropist spirit indicative of a wealthy, informed patron.
Neil
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tiompan
Joined:
09-01-2005
Messages: 2658
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 19:35
Sorry Jon ,can only suggest that the Cunnington work done at Woodhenge would simply be described as an excavation .
George
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On 2012-12-02 18:09, jonm wrote:
Thanks Guys
I've seen a few of those reports (or more precisely been sent a few and then skim read). I see what you mean by 'grey'.
For some reason that escapes me now, I'd assumed that the area surrounding a site could fall under the same rules as the location containing the remains but it wouldn't would it.. that's just ordinary development? I'm so far removed from this sort of thing that I've been assuming that some special rules would apply.
Is there a special term for what was done at Woodhenge, where it's privately funded investigation for some particular aim? (or does it fall into the 'digging up stuff' bracket).
Thanks again
Jon
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jonm
Joined:
12-07-2011
Messages: 819
from UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 18:09
Thanks Guys
I've seen a few of those reports (or more precisely been sent a few and then skim read). I see what you mean by 'grey'.
For some reason that escapes me now, I'd assumed that the area surrounding a site could fall under the same rules as the location containing the remains but it wouldn't would it.. that's just ordinary development? I'm so far removed from this sort of thing that I've been assuming that some special rules would apply.
Is there a special term for what was done at Woodhenge, where it's privately funded investigation for some particular aim? (or does it fall into the 'digging up stuff' bracket).
Thanks again
Jon
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Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 7007
from Surrey, UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 14:41
Unpublished Fieldwork Reports (Grey Literature Library)
The aim of this resource is to make available unpublished fieldwork reports in an easily retrievable fashion. There are currently 17391 reports available and this number is increasing steadily through the OASIS project in England and Scotland.
http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/greylit/index.cfm
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tiompan
Joined:
09-01-2005
Messages: 2658
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 11:21
Jon, "grey litertaure" is just a term for what has come out of the developer led excavations and is not a reflection on the the quality or level of dodginess as in the Curus pit procession stuff which was certainly not developer led but Academic , and to be fair was only the daft icing on a more substantial cake of geophysical survey .
I'm not qualified to comment on whether it has been good for archaeology overall , it has led led to a huge amount of info and employment , no doubt about that .
George
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On 2012-12-02 07:33, jonm wrote:
Quote:
| Not the same as developer led archaeology , where the developer pays , which has had a major impact on the number of excavations a consequent flood of "Grey literature " and also employment for archaeologists in the past twenty years . |
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Thanks George: I don't know anything much about it than where something is found during works which causes a job to be suspended for a while (which is a very different set of circumstances)
I assume that the number of excavations has increased together with the number of archaeologists employed when developers get involved. Is that a good summary? I haven't come across much in the way of "grey literature" (the "procession" along the cursus came pretty close though): I assume this is all promotional stuff: Seems to me that you get this sort of thing coming out from everyone these days
Developer led investigation has been good thing overall?
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jonm
Joined:
12-07-2011
Messages: 819
from UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-02 07:33
Quote:
| Not the same as developer led archaeology , where the developer pays , which has had a major impact on the number of excavations a consequent flood of "Grey literature " and also employment for archaeologists in the past twenty years . |
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Thanks George: I don't know anything much about it than where something is found during works which causes a job to be suspended for a while (which is a very different set of circumstances)
I assume that the number of excavations has increased together with the number of archaeologists employed when developers get involved. Is that a good summary? I haven't come across much in the way of "grey literature" (the "procession" along the cursus came pretty close though): I assume this is all promotional stuff: Seems to me that you get this sort of thing coming out from everyone these days
Developer led investigation has been good thing overall?
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tiompan
Joined:
09-01-2005
Messages: 2658
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-01 19:54
Jon, Woodhenge was only discovered from aerial pics , not much to see , and excavated pretty soon after by Maud Cunnington . I don't know where the funding came from but she did buy and subsequently gift it to the nation . Not the same as developer led archaeology , where the developer pays , which has had a major impact on the number of excavations a consequent flood of "Grey literature " and also employment for archaeologists in the past twenty years .
George
Quote:
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On 2012-12-01 19:07, jonm wrote:
From reading one or two books on the subject, Woodhenge was something that wasn't recognised as being of archaeological importance until the developers of the idea got behind it. I think I'm right in saying that the development and archaeological investigation of Woodhenge was funded privately by making it into an attraction. So more or less what's been done at Stonehenge except not by a public body (as far as I can see).
Is there anything intrinsically wrong with developers doing this sort of thing in the forums' opinion?
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jonm
Joined:
12-07-2011
Messages: 819
from UK
OFF-Line
| New Message Posted!2012-12-01 19:07
From reading one or two books on the subject, Woodhenge was something that wasn't recognised as being of archaeological importance until the developers of the idea got behind it. I think I'm right in saying that the development and archaeological investigation of Woodhenge was funded privately by making it into an attraction. So more or less what's been done at Stonehenge except not by a public body (as far as I can see).
Is there anything intrinsically wrong with developers doing this sort of thing in the forums' opinion?
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