For a long time it has been thought that habitation and landscape organisation only changed significantly from the Roman Period onwards. However, many developments were already started long before... Show moreFor a long time it has been thought that habitation and landscape organisation only changed significantly from the Roman Period onwards. However, many developments were already started long before Julius Caesar's Roman armies arrived in the southern Netherlands. The Iron Age landscapes were ordered and structured, contrasting with the still open Bronze Age landscapes. Iron Age people inhabited the same places for generations. At the same time they structured their immediate environment and surroundings resulting in a sustainable organisation and arrangement of the landscape.Recent excavations and (micro-)regional archaeological studies into habitation and landscape organisation, among others in the north-eastern region of the province Noord-Brabant, show that relicts from the past strongly dictated the organisation and structuring of later landscapes. The past in the past formed a guideline (dutch: leidraad) for later (Iron Age) inhabitants.The past can also be a guideline for the design, protection and preservation of contemporary landscapes. This aligns with a trend in which archaeologists are explicitly seeking the connection with present society. Therefore this book ends with a plea for a transition of the Dutch archaeological system in which living heritage can also be a guideline for the present. Show less
Over the last few decades, western archaeology increasingly abandoned its __ivory tower__ in order to investigate, negotiate and develop its position and role in global society. The way in which we... Show moreOver the last few decades, western archaeology increasingly abandoned its __ivory tower__ in order to investigate, negotiate and develop its position and role in global society. The way in which we deal with other peoples views in the interpretation of archaeological materials, the way in which we integrate our narratives and practices with other heritage demands, and the way in which we deal with power differences in both these processes; all are challenging issues when undertaking archaeological research projects abroad. Sjoerd van der Linde brings forward an ethnographic and discursive analysis of two archaeological projects by the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University - notably the Deir Alla Joint Archaeological Project in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Santa Barbara Project in Cura_ao. Focusing on the ways and extents to which these projects are influenced by different policy and funding programs, and investigating the operational systems, social relationships and dominating values and discourses that determine project outcomes, he explores how archaeological research projects abroad work in their social context. Van der Linde offers a critical reflection upon the role and responsibility of archaeologists in relation to the values and demands of other actors in society. Show less
