Community (or Public) Archaeology, which originated in Western countries, is now known all over the world. Scholars argue about definitions (is it a certain expertise in archaeology, a theoretical attitude, or maybe an ideological position?), but basically it integrates archaeology with living communities. Archaeology shapes the past as it is being shaped by the present. In Israel and Palestine, archaeology forms part of the on-going political, social, and religious conflicts. So what does Community Archaeology in the "Holy Land" mean? Is it a better form of Archaeology, an alternative to "Biblical Archaeology"? What kinds of Community Archaeology are being practiced?
The excerpt given here is from the introductory chapter by Raz Kletter and Liora Kolska-Horwitz to Community Archaeology in Israel/Palestine (eds. Raz Kletter, Liora Kolska Horwitz and Emanuel Pfoh, Sheffield, Equinox Press, 2024). This is the first book dedicated to this topic in this land. The chapters in the book present diverse projects and discuss, from varied perspectives, the nature of Community Archaeology, its history, development and current situation in Palestine and Israel. In the excerpt, the term Community Archaeology is abbreviated to "Com-Arch." References with numbers (e.g. "(12)") are to a catalogue (in the book) of all the Com-Arch projects in Israel and Palestine.
By Raz Kletter
Faculty of Theology
Docent for Near Eastern Archaeology
University of Helsinki
By Liora Kolska Horwitz
Archaeologist-Zooarchaeologist
Affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
By Emanuel Pfoh
Faculty of Theology
University Researcher
University of Helsinki
October 2024
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