Towards a European archaeology

Abstract

How far can there be such a thing as a ‘European archaeology’? Is this a matter of geography and recent history or does it rather reflect different discourses that take place in different parts of Europe? The contrast between a western (‘Anglo-American’) and central or eastern (‘mitteleuropäisch’) European archaeology is considered, along with recent discussions of similarities and differences across the continent. The role of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) in bringing scholars and practitioners together is seen as a positive force, which a common language (English) is helping to promote. Recent developments include the ‘Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe’ project, and changes in the licensing and registering system in different countries; here the example of Romania shows a progressive official attitude to preventive archaeology, coupled with a very traditional approach to the study and teaching of archaeology. The opportunities presented by the creation of the European Research Council should be exploited by the profession with a view to creating large-scale projects that can serve to address questions on a pan-European scale.

Keywords:

• European archaeology
• discourse
• archaeological profession
• quality control
• Valletta Convention
• Romania

Acknowledgements

I thank Nona Palincas and Florian Matei-Popescu for assistance with the Romanian section of this paper and one of the two anonymous reviewers for particularly pertinent and helpful comments. The views expressed are my own.

Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter

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