Bottom up or top down? Connecting local enquiry with global research
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-06-01

This presentation reviews an innovative research programme which has involved thousands of members of the public in new archaeological excavations in the gardens of scores of English villages, producing tens of thousands of pottery sherds. Dating and mapping these finds has revealed striking new evidence for the impact of Black Death, showing with remarkable clarity at a range of scales where the long-term effects of this global pandemic were most and least severely felt. Simultaneously, participation in the project has enhanced the knowledge, skills and aspirations of thousands of volunteers of all backgrounds and ages. These outcomes highlight the potential for similar publicly engaged research to be carried out anywhere, in the UK, Europe and beyond. 

Professor Carenza Lewis, The University of Lincoln