Meeting a need

[YellowPete]

the collective finds a person?

i think maybe a combi with people knowing what gaps there are to fill on any given project.

but then you knew that


txt is
Mike

[troll]

My apologies everyone....my computer has been hammered by some moron hackers yet again hence my absence. I haven`t had the opportunity to digest the many posts on here because of this but hope to be up and running again tonight. With the very best of anarcho-wishes to all and see you tonight }

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[kevin wooldridge]

quote:Originally posted by Paul Belford

A long time ago in a faraway galaxy (possibly Barrow-in-Furness, during wall-leaping kebab-grabbing night exercises) it was no less a person than Oz (famous on this very forum) who pointed out to me that the international postal system is the perfect example of anarchy in action.

But but but.....Oz may be adrift here.

Rather than anarchy, world wide postal uniformity is administered by the Universal Postal Union (a sub-factor of the United Nations). What is interesting (and maybe potentially anarchic) is that there are more members of the UPU than there are in the UN...........

With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...

[Austin Ainsworth]

quote:Originally posted by kevin wooldridge

quote:Originally posted by Paul Belford

A long time ago in a faraway galaxy (possibly Barrow-in-Furness, during wall-leaping kebab-grabbing night exercises) it was no less a person than Oz (famous on this very forum) who pointed out to me that the international postal system is the perfect example of anarchy in action.

But but but.....Oz may be adrift here.

Rather than anarchy, world wide postal uniformity is administered by the Universal Postal Union (a sub-factor of the United Nations). What is interesting (and maybe potentially anarchic) is that there are more members of the UPU than there are in the UN...........

With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...

I may well have been adrift - large amounts of lager, jumping down from high walls and the search for the perfect Barrow-in-Furness kebab may have scrambled my brains.

Or - I might just have been plain old-fashioned wrong all along.

HIC!?!

[troll]

Evening all...before I go any further, I`d like to thank everyone for your input. All extremely useful and yet more proof that many minds make for a sounder analysis.
I spotted 10 direct questions...
1. Will there be problems in finding an excavation site?

The island is quite literally littered in archaeology spanning a myriad of chronologies and types. Our approach would be to incorporate the full suite of disciplines (landscape archaeology/research/geophysics/survey/mapping/geomorphology/aerial photography etc) in order to examine a large targetted swathe of terrain. Archaeological sites would be identified through assessing their potential but more importantly, by identifying potential threats to them through urbanisation/development or landscape erosion. We have to justify destruction through excavation and in our view, we refuse to see the island as a playground for excavation based upon the loose justification of "research". Identifying a site with potential should not present too much of a problem.

2.Would training in Cyprus be relevant to a future career in U.K archaeology?

Horses for courses. There are sites here that demand a strictly single context methodology. There are sites here that would benefit from a purely evaluation/rural approach. The concept of theory-driven archaeology is surely universal regardless of geographical context. Similarly, the fundamental skill-set required of a competent field archaeologist must by definition be universal. Otherwise, the field practitioner would flounder when confronted with complexities that his/her skill-set is not armed to approach.
I would admit however, that training outside of the UK would certainly not prepare anyone for a career in highly pressurised and dumbed-down commercial endeavours. The skill-set...yes. The mind-set for working within Commercial Uk archaeology..no. In short...Passing a driving test anywhere provides universal skills...the experience comes later.

3. What is the size of the potential market?

Good question. If we consider field archaeology on its own first...
There are universities from Canada,Britain, Poland, America and Australia actively working here. The island attracts a mainly "Classics" community drawn from the many universities in the west. There are Universities that study archaeology both here, in Greece, in Turkey and many of the Middle Eastern neighbouring nations. In our estimation, our potential market would include the education system, clubs and societies, the tourism market, the general public, marginalised society, offenders and any other facet of social phenomena you would care to mention. Its time for archaeology to become an integrated asset for society on the whole surely?

4. Accreditation.

Another good question. Ultimately, it would be desirable to be recognised by academic institutions as well as by those issuing skills-passports.At the moment, our answer to this would be to open our "doors" to peer review perhaps in the form of an audit-style assessment. In the setting up phase, we would consult all relevent bodies with the aim of providing as much of a universally acceptible level of training as possible. There are many bodies out there with their own frames of reference...we would hope to find the middle ground. In truth, accreditation is something that will or will not be forthcoming until we have been subject to peer or client review. Needless to say, as an evolving project, we aim to be maleable and progressive to match the needs of an evolving discipline.

6. Quality guarantees?

This one really leads on from the question above. We can however guarantee that staff are experienced professionals but also offer testimonials from those we have taught in the past. Quality Assurance systems will really become integral to our project through active peer review.

7. Metal detectors?

Of course there are valid and important roles for metal detecting. A student should be aware at least of the many methodologies available and how appropriate they are to the requirements of the sites in question. Here in Cyprus, metal detectors are not particularly welcome. Sadly, Cyprus is prey to varying levels of looting and the exporting of illicit antiquities...mainly providing for a Western market with a voracious appetite. Metal detecting here, therefore, would require dialogue with ministers at Government level and we would of course work strictly within their frames of reference.

8. Academic Figurehead?

We do have just such a member of staff with a proven track record of academic endeavour from a university environment. I really am trying to avoid a rant here but hey ho...time to get the washing out in public again...It is a given that any archaeological endeavour here will require as a matter of course, just such an academic "figurehead". No problem with that. My view is this: an individual can possess a string of PhDs and still not function as a competent field archaeologist. There are far too many examples to fit into this post and just such a witch-hunt is for another thread. In reality, the ideal is a hybrid team of full-time field archaeologists complemented with/by academic excellence. The driver and the engine are interdependent.

9. Commercial projects?

Simple answer...No. There is no commercial archaeology in Cyprus. It is the responsibility of State. At present..

10. Local input and International exchange?

Absolutely on all fronts. We aim to be all-inclusive, non-exclusive and accessible. Dialogue with other training providers would be fundamental. One training provider cannot possibly meet the needs of such a wide and diverse potential client base....being open enough to admit our limitations and recommend other providers would be key to the provision of a comprehensive range of options.

Hope this helps...of course, I can`t be more specific within the confines of this thread but I hope this will open new dialogue. Many thanks for listening!

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[troll]

Apologies...I missed a bit...

How do we differ from other established providers?

I can`t of course claim to understand the modus operandi of every other provider in existence so I will stick to the context of Cyprus and by loose inference, the wider Near/Middle East theatre.

By and large, most projects are university affairs. Mainly consisting of academic "figureheads" and staffed mostly by student practitioners. Where the academic staff are rooted in field archaeology, the projects successfully provide quality holistic training for their students whilst doing the archaeology itself the justice it deserves.Some university projects are shining examples of professionalism.

Others are not. Using the "Unique selling point" frame of reference, we aim to provide potential clients with an environment where academic "figureheads" are complemented with/by experienced professionals.

There is a phenomena whereby highly qualified but non-experienced field archaeologists gain excavation licenses, introduce untrained students to the field, elevate some to supervisory levels and the result can be a case of the blind leading the blind. The results are obvious. Some of the students then go on to gain PhDs and in turn gain their own excavation licenses. This is a vicious circle.

We argue that there is a real need for professional training particularly in the training of future field archaeologists. We would also argue that current university training of future field archaeologists is simply inadequate. In short, we aim to train the future of our past by remodelling our training past to the demands of the future profession.

Ooooh, how contraversial and cliche-ridden can one get?


..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)

[renegades]

ahhh whatever happened to the old apprentice system where the man who was learned taught the boy to learn his trade with sweat and hard work everthing now is university pens and paper and computer....in general i am all for any system that includes volunteers, metal detectorists working hand and hand with the professionals and to be able to learn the abilitys required from a good master of his trade to recognise archaeology and to treat it with the respect that is expected and to be able to do something you enjoy ...at the same time it would build bridges between the relative groups

Gary Cullen
Teodora Drajzera 8 Topcider
11040,Belgrade,Serbia
Tel:062 230 855

[BRahn]

quote:Others are not. Using the "Unique selling point" frame of reference, we aim to provide potential clients with an environment where academic "figureheads" are complemented with/by experienced professionals.

Could this get you into trouble, that is, if you're selling your service by saying (effectively) 'all these other field schools/training digs aren't as good as ours', is there the risk that you'll get all the other academic figureheads saying to their students during the academic year 'That dig is no good, don't go to it', thus putting off your client base?

I'm not saying this will happen, but you may need to tread carefully around some academic egos in your promotional efforts..?

The concept sounds absolutely amazing to me, something I wish I'd had access to when I was a student.

[troll]

Of course, We won`t be using this as a promotional aspect. The explanations seen above are for discussion purposes on here. I have been somewhat more explicit on here simply to get the salient points across. To offer services as training providers described as an academic and professional team would be enough. Trust me, I`ve had to wrestle with plenty of dented egos before.....

As an aside and a response to the "anarchy" dialogue... for a good grounding in historical anarchy without the modern interpretations, hunt down a copy of "The Slow Burning Fuse: A Lost History of British Anarchy"...can`t remember the author but please...read it! You will be surprised at just how much we owe historical British anarchists for the freedoms we enjoy today....:face-approve:

..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)