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Chris Scott BA MA MIfA 7362Senior Project ManagerChris is a projects manager at ArchaeologicalResearch Services Ltd and has managed manycommunity engagement projects, both forArchaeological Research Services Ltd and, previously,for Beamish, The North of England open Air Museum.As well as being an experienced field archaeologistChris has had extensive experience of the

development and delivery of educational activities,family activities, training and learning resources andinterpretational aids for the National Trust, BeamishMuseum and Tyne and Wear Museums. Chris has anMA in Heritage Education and Interpretation and abackground of community work involving localcommunities with their heritage at sites acrossnorthern England. Chris was formerly Curator ofIndustry at Beamish Museum.

Communication Cracking castles and mega moats; addingvalue and social media

Brendon Wilkins reports on recent moves by Rubicon Heritage Services to buildaudience participation and engagement indevelopment-led and community archaeology projects using social media tools.

In the wider cultural sector, artists, actors, novelistsand musicians are working hard to build newaudiences for their work, driving innovation at theinterface between culture, technology andentrepreneurship. Archaeology has yet to embracethis new landscape, having thus far retained a focuson traditional offline methods of audienceengagement such as books, museum displays, opendays and lectures. Whilst we still get more than ourfair share of coverage in print media and factualprogramming, the recent axing of Time Team (and theunderlying reasons for its demise) should be cause forconcern. Like the familiar faces of those well-lovedpresenters, archaeology’s natural constituency isageing, and we must find new ways to excite interestin our discipline or risk dropping off everyone’s list ofpriorities.

Social media – defined as interactive web technologiesallowing on-line communities to communicate,participate and share user-generated content – hasbeen argued as a cost-effective way for archaeologiststo add value and reach new audiences. Socialnetworks are usually free to join and use, offsetting thiscost by generating revenue through targetedadvertising. A plethora of blogs, Facebook pages,Twitter�accounts, photographic archives, smart-phoneapps and interactive websites have sprung up usingthese services, as archaeologists and museums begin toexplore their potential. But what are the implications ofexposing the inner workings of our profession to alltakers? And how will we know if we are successful in

10 T h e A r c h a e o l o g i s t

modern life, as well as an opportunity to find outabout one of the largest industries inNorthumberland. School visits to the Quarry havealso allowed the opportunity to get close to thequarrying process and understand how and why itimpacts on the historic environment, and how thisallows the opportunity for archaeological discovery,as well as providing a challenge to Tarmac Ltd,English Heritage, the Council and others to manage,conserve and appreciate the historic environment. Inparticular, schools have followed up their experienceindependently by undertaking artwork and craft withthe children, and by developing discussion andstorytelling sessions.

The project has created tangible goodwill towardsarchaeology, the historic environment, Tarmac andEnglish Heritage. It is clear from the teachers’comments and those of the children involved that theproject continues to foster and enhance appreciationfor, and understanding of, the need to conserve thehistoric environment. Further to this, most of theteachers have expressed their pleasure at finding outmore about the historic and archaeological content ofthe Project, mentioning particularly the desire theyhave to carry this information forward and use it infuture teaching. This, and the positive comments withregard to the delivery methods used, provided a goodbasis for developing and road testing thedownloadable schools pack (http://www.archaeologi-calresearchservices.com/school-zone).

The benefits of this kind of project are clearly visiblein this example of a developer engaging with theirlocal communities through participation inarchaeology. As a developer, Tarmac Ltd was able toengender better understanding of its activities in thecommunities which surround its sites, creatingimproved community relations, as well ascontributing towards its corporate and socialresponsibility targets. For the communities involved inthe Project, benefits have included a betterunderstanding of their historic local archaeology andhistory, as well as links with a large local business,which can allow future partnership working to thebenefit of all concerned.

Feedback from English Heritage on completion of theProject summed it up:

I just wanted to say how impressed I’ve been with theproject … I consider it to be a great example of howfunding can be successfully used to build capacity …and it’s clear that the participating children, teachersand students thoroughly enjoyed themselves andlearnt a great deal from taking part. NAME EnglishHeritage

student learning with Newcastle University’sDepartment of Archaeology and the InternationalCentre for Cultural and Heritage Studies.

All of the schools have stressed the positiveaspects of the hands-on activity opportunitiesafforded by the project, as well as the obviouspleasure the children gained from taking part. Allof the children who visited the quarry have had adiverse learning experience focused on theinteraction between the minerals industry, themanagement of land and the historicenvironment. The first part of school visitsinvolved an introduction to the quarry at Lanton,covering what the quarry produces and how thesemineral products feature in everyday life, fromroads to houses and concrete to the Queen’sgravel driveway. This experience was intended tointroduce the children to the need for activemanagement of the historic environment, the roleof minerals companies and quarrying to much of

Site welcome for Norham and Cornhill First Schools © Archaeological Research Services Ltd

Children from Norham and Cornhill First Schools on site © Archaeological Research Services Ltd

reaching new audience, rather than just reaching thesame traditional audiences in new ways?

Caherduggan CastleRubicon Heritage Services has been experimentingwith social media for several years now. We haveestablished internal guidelines and procedures thatallow us to add value to developments bysignificantly raising their public profile, withoutjeopardising the confidentiality of our clients orsensitivity of the planning process. At CaherdugganCastle, a medieval moated site excavated in advanceof the R581 New Twopothouse to Doneraile Roadscheme, we were able to take advantage of this togood effect.

The Doneraile project was a phased programme ofevaluation and excavation undertaken on behalf ofCork County Council. The depth, nature and extent ofany potential archaeology were comprehensivelyevaluated with a centre-line trench running from start

Caherduggan

Castle being

recorded by

archaeologists

from Rubicon

(Rubicon Heritage)

‘The benefitsof this kind of project areclearly visiblein thisexample of adeveloperengaging withtheir localcommunitiesthroughparticipationinarchaeology.’

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– a recent initiative in Ireland to provide guidance forteachers and engaging material for students to learnabout the archaeology in their local area – wedeveloped a special site blog for the project.Carefully pitching the tone and content of our blogwhile linking to web resources for those who wantedto learn more, we ensured that all updates would berelayed and amplified through our social mediachannels.

With a workable lead time and a clear brief, we

to finish along the entire road corridor. Once theseresults were thoroughly assessed and the position offurther excavation areas agreed, we were asked byour client to design an outreach programme thataddressed the Council’s heritage priority to engageprimary and secondary school students.

The programme at Doneraile was intended to buildinterest and excitement that would then culminate inan open-day for schools at the end of the project.Taking our cues from ‘Archaeology in the Classroom’

(above) Photographing Caherduggan Castle from the air using a remote

control helicopter (Rubicon Heritage)

(left) Excavation of the moat in

progress, with the remains of the

revetment wall visible (Rubicon

Heritage)

How the moat and wall, or ‘revetment’ may have been used in the 17th century before it went out of use (Sara Nylund)

Plan of Caherduggan Castle

(Rubicon Heritage)

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With posts scheduled throughout the four-weekexcavation, this allowed us to structure content withan equal mix of day-to-day description spiced withregular features like ‘find of the day.’ When, towardsthe end of the project, we came to excavate aunique set of finds from a water-logged well, themomentum of anticipation and excitement we hadalready built took on a life of its own. We discovereda complete leather horse harness decorated withheraldic shields, possibly one of the finest secularmedieval leather objects from medieval Ireland everexcavated, and close to the bottom an exquisitegaming die in almost perfect condition. With eachday improving on the previous day’s finds, it wasclear from website visitor statistics and increasingcomments that we had built an engaged onlineaudience eager to find out more.

Evaluating successBy sharing information freely amongst personalnetworks, the inbuilt potential for stories to go viralhas seen archaeology capture the public imagination,catapulting stories such as the recent hunt for RichardIII’s remains to the top of the international newsagenda. In light of such developments, the SouthportGroup’s ambitious vision for a revival of publicparticipation in archaeology seems well within ourgrasp. Given that archaeological work is paid for inthe public interest, the question of public benefit –and how we converting technical knowledge intopublished and accessible information/knowledge – is ever present. Arguing for ‘a network of staffedresource centres linked to local authority HistoricEnvironment Records, around which public andprofessionals alike can coalesce to explore andresearch the past of their locale’ sounds extremelypositive. But this doesn’t sit well in a climate ofausterity where all investment is scrutinised. Couldsocial media be a creative solution, achieving thesame results without costly investment in bricks andmortar?

Cyber-utopians certainly think so, but there are anequally large number of researchers urging caution,with one of the main critiques of social media inarchaeology rounding on the quality of engagementand access. How representative of the widerpopulation are those who do use social media, andhow can ‘liking’ a Facebook story ever compare – inlearning terms – to actually visiting an archaeologicalsite? Rubicon tried to overcome this issue by linkingour social media campaigns with analytics software(like Google Analytics) to establish where theaudience is geographically located, how long theystay, and how they were referred to the site in the firstplace. By providing a calibrated list of what posts areworking and not working, popularity can be

quantified with an alarming precision, ensuring thatcampaign aims (such as raising local awareness) canbe fine-tuned on the go.

Safe Haven: The Bere island Archaeology ProjectRubicon has successfully used this approach tochannel interest in community archaeology projects,building an on-line interest that leads to off-lineparticipation in the fieldwork itself. Working inpartnership with Bere Island Projects Ltd, andfinancially supported by The Heritage Council,Rubicon developed a community research initiativeto explore the west Cork islands rich heritage. Fromthe Napoleonic era onwards the island was a keydefensive location for the Royal Navy, principally aresult of the safe anchorage ‘Berehaven’ offered. Inaddition to some of the most impressive extant 19th-and 20th- century military archaeological remains inIreland, a large number of prehistoric and earlymedieval sites also survive.

The long-term goal of the Bere Island ArchaeologyProject is to explore the entire history of humanhabitation on the island, providing local volunteerswith the skills and training they need to ensure thelong-term conservation of their heritage. By creatinga stand-alone blog documenting the rich heritage ofthe island, the web site can become a hub for localsinterested in taking part in fieldwork. Whilst much ofour networking was undertaken at communitymeetings and gatherings, we used the website topublish our method, techniques and results whilststill in the field, and soon after find ourselvesdiscussing those updates with our ‘readers’ in thelocal tavern. Even in isolated communities that don’tfit a demographic typically associated with socialmedia, these tools can be used to great effect to addvalue and build participation in a measurable way.

Find of the Week – Medieval die from the Caherduggan Castle

well (Rubicon Heritage)

(below) The other side of the

belt with the second buckle

and full view of the hinged

Heraldic motifs (John Nicholl)

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In resourcing terms, it is helpful to think about asuccessful social media campaign as equivalent toexcavating a complex trench. Just as the fieldwork atDoneraile was planned with meticulous attention todetail, a social media plan was also developed tocoordinate all on-line activities, ensuring thatpurpose and momentum was maintained throughout.

avoided the most common social media mistakemade by heritage projects: an ill-defined sense ofpurpose, confounded by underestimating the timeinvestment needed to succeed. After an initial flurryof activity, many blogs wither on the branch – theirauthors becoming disenchanted by a lack offollowing or busy with the ‘real’ work of excavation.

Find of the Dig – The medieval leather belt just after its discovery

in the well (Rubicon Heritage)

(left) A detail shot showing

the stunning condition of

the medieval belt, replete

with hinged heraldic motifs

(John Nicholl)

John Walsh of Bere Island

Projects introduces the

information meeting at

Bere Island Heritage

Centre for Rubicon

Heritage (Rubicon

Heritage)

‘Taking our cuesfrom ‘Archaeologyin the Classroom’– we developed aspecial site blogfor the project.’

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Brendon Wilkins MA MIAI MIfA 4494Brendon Wilkins is Operations Director for Rubicon Heritage, whom he joined earlierthis year. He has over ten years’ experience directing, and managing large, complexsites in the UK and Ireland – usually in advance of major construction projects, such asmotorways, pipelines, and railways. With a consistent research and publication record,he has lectured internationally on wetland archaeology, Irish archaeology, and newadvances in excavation methodology. Brendon has been a member of IfA Council sinceNovember 2012.

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In the early years of social media, archaeologists used email discussion lists and forums to form closed communities (or echo-chambers, in internetparlance, as participants often find their ownopinions constantly echoed back to them, reinforcing their individual belief systems). Many of these are still active, but have come to be replaced by much more open platforms that interface directly with the general public – andcrucially, engage people not already predisposed or active in archaeology. These tools are a gift toarchaeologists eager to encourage communities togive the clear message to local authorities that ourwork, and the infrastructure that supports it, is valued and must be properly supported. It is essential that we learn to use these communicationchannels, creating advocates for archaeology insociety by giving something back that enriches all ourlives.

LinksCaherduggen Castle: www.rubiconheritage.comBere Island: http://www.bereislandheritage.com/

Panorama of Bere Island looking west from Knockanallig. This looks towards the mainland and the open sea (Brian MacDomhnaill)

Panorama of Bere Island looking east from Knockanallig. This is looking up Bantry Bay (Brian MacDomhnaill)

Ardagh Martello Tower, Bere Island. This was ‘Tower No.4� in the Napoleonic Defensive

Network (Rubicon Heritage)