Archaeology for all
30 July 2003
New framework for research to open up Archaeology for All.
A new document full of unsolved questions about London’s past will be launched by the Mayor of London, English Heritage and the Museum of London on 29 July 2003, in a drive to involve more Londoners in unearthing the capital’s history.
Developed over four years in consultation with more than 120 experts from across the UK, the Research Framework for London Archaeology poses new questions for investigation by amateur and professional archaeologists across the capital.
The launch follows the opening of Europe’s largest archaeological archive – the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre or LAARC – by the Museum of London in Hackney last year. Taking as its start point the 5,200 excavations documented in LAARC, the Research Framework aims to clearly identify areas of London’s past that could be the focus for future research.
Professor Jack Lohman, Director of the Museum of London, explains the significance of the new Framework: ‘Archaeological discoveries made in Greater London fill over 3,000 tea-chests each year - all of which are deposited into LAARC, the Museum of London’s unique library of finds. Yet without proper research this vast historical database would remain largely untapped.
By working alongside some of the UK’s top archaeological experts to create a new Research Framework, the Museum aims to unlock the full potential of the archive, inspiring more Londoners - whether students, researchers, community groups or professional archaeologists - to become actively involved in uncovering the capital’s past.’
The greatest advances in archaeological knowledge are expected not from new finds but from a greater understanding of existing archives. Discoveries such as the Southwark Roman temple complex, uncovered by Pre-construct archaeology and unveiled today at the opening of a unique Roman box, can only be fully understood in the context of previous archaeology.
The Research Framework for London Archaeology will provide a model by which results from excavations such as these can be considered alongside existing research programmes to provide an even greater insight into the lives of our ancestors.
Further information:
Judith Holmes 020 7814 5502
Editor's notes:
The Research Framework for London Archaeology has been developed by the Museum of London with significant funding from English Heritage.
The London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre opened in February 2002. Anyone is able to make an appointment to consult the finds and records of over 5,200 London excavations, making LAARC the single most important source of London’s non-documentary history, including: 10 km of shelving, stacked with records and finds from over 4,000 archaeological digs; 120,000 boxes of archaeological material from Roman pomegranate seeds to Saxon jewellery and Tudor tankards; more than 200,000 individually recorded finds; and over 18,000 human skeletons.
The Museum of London is actively seeking commercial and academic partners to ensure the LAARC continues to make archaeology accessible for all. Innovative projects that have taken place to date include The Dig sponsored by Land Securities - a child sized archaeological dig especially for families; Working Water sponsored by Swiss Re - a life size recreation of Roman machinery; and the Central London Young Archaeologists Club, funded by Slaughter and May.