Scripta Manent: Notes on a Book

Author: Chourmouziadi, Anastasia¹

Source: Public Archaeology, Volume 8, Numbers 2-3, August 2009 , pp. 208-224(17)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

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Abstract:

Monitoring public perceptions of an ongoing archaeological project, although often discussed, is still a marginal activity, overshadowed by excavation and laboratory routines. The problem remains even if the research team is strongly orientated towards the broadest possible dissemination of the archaeological information, as in the case of Dispilio, a Neolithic lakeside settlement in northern Greece. A visitors' book, kept since 1996, illustrates in a colourful way the visitors' impressions, offering at the same time a glimpse of the complex mechanisms that forge these impressions.

Moreover, a close examination of the written comments makes it clear that there is much more to be 'read' underneath their obvious flattering remarks, and that they should be incorporated in a more systematic ethnographic study of the archaeological visit's performance.

Keywords: VISITORS' BOOK; ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXHIBITION; DISPILIO NEOLITHIC SITE; ARCHAEOLOGICAL VISIT PERFORMANCE

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1179/175355309X457231

Affiliations: 1: Department of Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece;, Email: nassiah@hist.auth.gr

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