17th November 2010, 02:13 PM
GnomeKing Wrote:i have yet to see any clear examples of univeristies using excavted material from commercial sites - this is a real shame, as there is planty of usefully stuff from interesting sites sitting around not fulfilling its potential.
I tried a couple of times to alert universities to interesting material suitable for eg Masters level projects - but no takers.
i really think something should be done here - it is vital that archives are used to ensure their continuing survival - universities can make a difference.
It may seem like universities don't use stuff from commercial digs, but they do. Admittedly there is still loads to do....Colin HAselgrove points this out in Haselgrove, C., Armit, I., Champion, T., Creighton, J., Gwilt, A., Hill, J. D., Hunter, F. and Woodward, A. (2001) Understanding The British Iron Age: An Agenda For Action. The Trust For Wessex Archaeology Ltd.
Also I've witnessed discussions over commercial sites between academics, we've been contacted by a least a couple of students looking for info on sites that had artefacts useful to their research. etc etc....
I think though there is a large time lag between digging a site and it appearing in the mainstream literature.