Face-to-Face with the Past : Pompeii to Lejre

• Archaeology has long been considered and portrayed as the discipline par excellence of things and material culture. Most valued by archaeologists and their audiences have been those sites and artefacts that are best preserved and thus seemingly allowing direct glimpses of past realities. Throughout the history of the discipline of archaeology ancient artefacts never left centre stage, although the way in which, according to the archaeologists, their significance emerged in the present has changed considerably over the decades and centuries. In this chapter I argue that over the past decade or so an alternative framework for interpreting the past and its remains has been gaining ground in contemporary society. Staged performances, scripted or improvised play and virtual simulation now allow many people face-to-face encounters with the past without the need of preserved things from antiquity. The significance of things in archaeology has changed as bodily sensations and evocative narratives are substituting for tangible evidence and hands-on experiments. Objects still play a significant role though; as props they facilitate storytelling and contribute to holistic time travel experiences. A case in point for this significant development is provided by the changing character of visitor experiences at archaeological open-air museums where the past is brought to life. This chapter is based on fieldwork at Land of Legends, Lejre, Denmark.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Immersion

material culture

reconstruction

story-telling

things

Archaeology

Arkeologi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)