ARCHEOHOTSPOTS: A NEW CONCEPT OF PARTICIPATORY ARCHAEOLOGY
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 25/12/2020

A couple of years ago a new concept started in the Netherlands: ArcheoHotspots. The idea behind the concept is to encourage the public to actively participate in archaeological research and to introduce people (non-scientists) to the field. ArcheoHotspots consists of a collection of places, close to museums, excavation sites and historical locations, where the public can take part in archaeological research and meet an actual archaeologist. In the ArcheoHotspots the public, supported by volunteers, assists with aspects of research that would otherwise be left undone, such as puzzling together fragments or sorting residue from a cesspit. These volunteers are the driving force behind the ArcheoHotspots. They man the ArcheoHotspots and process the archaeological finds on the days when there are few to no visitors present. Volunteers don’t necessarily need to be members of the dutch association of volunteers in archaeology. It could also be people who simply enjoy engaging the public and are interested in archaeology and history. ArcheoHotspots can be set up in different types of locations such as museums or heritage centres. Currently there are 9 permanent hotspots situated all over the Netherlands and around 120,000 people have now been reached. Within the ArcheoHotspot the emphasis lies on archaeological research, learning and informing.


Author(s): Woltering, Marjolein (ArcheoHotspots)