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Reviews
| The Reconstructed Past: Reconstructions in the Public Interpretation of Archaeology and History. Ed. by John H. Jameson Jr. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Alta Mira Press, 2004. x+307 pp., illus., diags., notes, index. $34.95 pb (ISBN 0-7591-0376-3).
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The Reconstructed Past is an engaging cohesive volume on archaeology and historic preservation. The papers were compiled from a 1997 symposium at the Society for American Archaeology meetings organized by the volume's editor. The authors expanded and revised the original conference papers and added copious illustrations.
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The papers in this volume are all tied into questions of when, how, and why agencies and organizations should undertake reconstruction projects as a means of interpreting the past. The case studies are impressive for their diversity in time, ranging from prehistory to the relatively recent historical and industrial past. Studies draw heavily on American history and archaeology but include contributions about sites in Canada, Egypt, England, Israel, and Wales as well. Despite this variation, the book is organized around several key themes that make it appealing to archaeologists and preservationists alike, and while individual papers highlight certain themes particularly well, each article contributes to each theme in its own unique way.
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The prevailing theme in these articles reminds me of what I say in an introductory archaeology course on the very first day: archaeology is not about the past; it is about the present. Several papers in this volume take a historical perspective on the reconstruction of historical and archaeological sites and examine relationships among politics, policy, and practice. The introduction by John Jameson does an excellent job of framing various issues of historical authenticity, archaeological preservation, and public interpretation and explaining how perceptions of those issues change with the prevailing intellectual, ethical, and political climates. The paper by Marley Brown and Edward Chappell on Colonial Williamsburg uses perhaps the most famous venue of site reconstruction to illustrate the ever-changing relationships among archaeological practice, preservation philosophy, and reconstruction techniques. Other contributions, such as Ann Killebrew's discussion of reconstructing the site of Qasrin in Israel in light of contemporary politics and Harold Mytum's discussion of Castell Henllys and issues of cultural identity in Wales, firmly imbed the reconstructed past in the politics of the present.
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A second theme of this book points to the inherently collaborative nature of reconstruction projects. Donald Linebaugh's contribution on the restoration archaeology of Roland Wells Robbins richly illustrates the complexities of collaboration, which include tensions between remote bureaucracies and on-the- ground archaeologists as well as the relationships between scholars of different disciplines engaged in the reconstruction process. Issues relating to agencies, archaeology, and preservation are also underscored in articles about the history of reconstruction policy and practice in the National Park Service (Barry Mackintosh) and about the U.S. Congress and the preservation of historic sites in Colorado and North Dakota (Rodd Wheaton).
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A third theme in this book is about the relationship between the overarching goals of a particular reconstruction and the way that reconstruction is carried out and administered on the ground. Esther White's contribution on Mount Vernon presents reconstructions driven by the goal of historical authenticity. Harold Mytum describes the importance of using the exact location of an Iron Age fort in Britain as a means for visitors to experience space; while Bede's World, a medieval British reconstruction, described by Peter Fowler and Susan Mills, was reconstructed away from any archaeological remains and, instead, focuses on the experience of reconstructed practices from the past. The article on Fortress Louisburg (Bruce Fry) outlines the history of a reconstruction project undertaken to provide economic revitalization to a region.
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A fourth theme in this collection is about the limitations and contributions of archaeology to reconstructions in specific settings. The paper on Fort Loudoun deals with the reconstruction of a British fortification in Tennessee where archaeological remains are virtually absent, and resulting interpretations deviate from historical and archaeological facts (Joe Distretti and Carl Kuttruff). In a discussion of Iroquoian longhouses, Ronald Williamson points to the normative nature of reconstructions that subsume archaeologically demonstrated variability into a "typical" re-creation that misrepresents the past.
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A related theme in this book is balancing reconstruction goals with the integrity and preservation of the archaeological record. Vergil Noble speaks (in the final commentary) for many of the volume's contributors when he likens the need for preservation over reconstruction to the first principle of the Hippocratic oath: "First, do no harm." Three articles particularly address alternative reconstruction techniques that emphasize preservation. Lynn Neal makes the case for in-place stabilization in lieu of full-scale reconstruction for long-term conservation and public interpretation at Homolovi Ruins. Articles by Karen Brush and Robert Daniels-Dwyer present new perspectives on archaeological reconstruction using computer technology and integrated artistic representations, respectively.
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A final theme in the book is concerned with reconstructions representing a "true," "correct," or "authentic" past, that is, the desire to portray the past only in a way that can be corroborated using historical and archaeological evidence. The fact that the authors always place these terms in quotations suggests they are all aware that a true, correct, or authentic past is an unattainable creation, and yet these issues are not problematized by any of the authors.
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The discussions of reconstruction in this volume focus on the practice of reconstruction by archaeologists and agencies and only indirectly allude to the public audiences. Marion Blockley is the exception as he raises the very interesting ethical issue of reconstructing industrial sites in areas that are economically depressed due to a decline of industrial employment. Other authors are obviously aware of the need for multiple perspectives in interpreting the past because multiple constituencies will visit these sites, presumably to learn about and "experience" the past. Exactly what audiences take away from these reconstructions is not a topic discussed in the volume. Do visitors from these sites discern between authentic reconstruction and extrapolated interpretation? Do they misinterpret or reinterpret reconstructions in ways that their creators did not anticipate? Understanding how people react to reconstructions, what they take away, and how these factors might inform future reconstruction and interpretive efforts would contribute to an interesting follow up.
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| While this entire volume is engaging, two contributions are of particular interest to those involved in industrial archaeology. Linebaugh's article on Roland Wells Robbins gives a very in-depth and fascinating view of the reconstruction of the Saugus Iron Works, including plans and excavation photos from original fieldwork. The article by Blockley is devoted to the pragmatic and ethical complexities of the reconstruction and preservation of large-scale industrial sites. |
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