13th November 2009, 11:20 AM
Not sure about the parallel with the demise of the British ship building industry, particularly the british bit. Ship building just moved else where. You could say its demise was related to the end of the colonial era or the end of the steam engine by diesel . Remember the original quarter wheeler gongola for many years the control ship of the Niger river fleet replaced by the 1958 Gongola built by Yarrow and company Glasgow. Used to be run by this lot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Afri...of_Nigeria
Seems to me that regionally archaeology does not move elsewhere. In so called boom times so called archaeologists went and worked in areas that they never intended to return to. Bish bash off a few context sheets, happily give them away, then of down the pub, no real concern for who they were working for or where. Now they get to sit around and wonder where home is and whether they value such a concept in the post nation state era
Seems to me that regionally archaeology does not move elsewhere. In so called boom times so called archaeologists went and worked in areas that they never intended to return to. Bish bash off a few context sheets, happily give them away, then of down the pub, no real concern for who they were working for or where. Now they get to sit around and wonder where home is and whether they value such a concept in the post nation state era
Reason: your past is my past