Much of being a Site manager is dialogue between various interested parties. The ability to understand what each party values is crucial to being a successful manager of the site, which includes the archaeology that is done there and the conservation when the digging is completed.
In fact, we were told that it is important to examine the desired “outcomes” of an excavation and prepare for them before any digging starts. These “outcomes” include pre-excavation, excavation, and post-excavation. In matters related to conservation (normally considered a “post-excavation” task) we were counseled that the best time to preserve a site is just after you finish excavating (or sometimes, even while the site is being excavated). Even a few weeks is too long to leave ancient material exposed to the elements and the local inhabitants of the region (be those people, animals, or vegetation – each posing a unique danger). Thus, it is important to prepare for this before any spade strikes the dirt.
But this preservation/conservation has to be conducted in the best manner possible that satisfies those who have a stake in the site. As much as we all hate politics, it is a very present reality when owners, managers, and legislators all have a say in what happens at the site. In fact, their opinion will probably trump your expert opinion at the end of the day. Learning and being able to satisfy each party’s value of the site is crucial to accomplishing your archaeological goals.
Why people value a site varies from person to person and from interest group to interest group. Some might consider the archaeological/historical aspect of the site to be the most valuable. Indeed most archaeologists fit into this category. However, others might find an associated value the strongest reason they value the site. This is especially true when a current religion associates value to a site through “sense of place”. This associated value is sometimes the hardest to detect but also the deepest rooted so that a site manager cannot ignore it.
One example given in class was an Islamic site (I won’t name which) that has archaeological value and is currently being used by pilgrims as a place to pray. Part of the ancient plaster is falling down on the Islamic pilgrims while they pray. What the local Imam cares about is that his pilgrims are safe. He doesn’t care about the archaeology or even the authenticity of the site. It could be bulldozed for all he cares. He values the sense of the place. Telling him that the historic personages that are supposed to be buried there are probably, in reality, buried at another location would be the worst thing one could say since that is precisely why he values the site. The associated value is what makes the site important to him and to the pilgrims that visit the site each year. Thus, he does not care what is done to the ancient architecture, just as long as it stops dropping on the pilgrims and disrupting their prayers. In cases like this, identifying and understanding why each party values the site is crucial to resolving the problem in a satisfactory manner both archaeologically and religiously.
Sometimes values are not harmonious. The job of the Site Manager is to find the most satisfactory way of accomplishing his goals while not upsetting the values of others. At Tall Jalul, for example, the local people value a certain section of that site as a cemetery. We, as archaeologists, need to dig exactly where the cemetery is located. But, for the time being, we cannot. We must put aside our value, in this case, for that of the local people, until a satisfactory solution is discovered.
Another way to look at value is in how the site is presented to visitors. Projecting value is done by establishing a site’s significance through scale, age, or comparison. Since value depends on opinion and is less objective, it is important to consider what would be valuable to those who might visit the site for various reasons and project these.
Difficulties that arise can usually be resolved and the archaeological goals accomplished in time once the various values are identified and understood.
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