An Archaeology of the East Midlands, Class 9. Radcliffe Autumn 2014

1. An Archaeology of the
East Midlands
Class 9: Heritage, history and identity. How the
past contributes to the Regional identity of the East
Midlands
Tutor: Keith Challis
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

2. Recap: Last Week
• What is Industrial Archaeology?
• 1750-1900 Continuity and Change
• Primary Industry in the Midlands
• Secondary Industry in the Midlands
• Discussion: Framework Knitting
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

3. Class Summary
• Heritage, history and identity
• Defining the East Midlands
• Learning Review
• Coffee Break
• End of Course Paperwork
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4. Section 1: Heritage, History
and Identity

5. Heritage, History and Identity
• Cultural heritage: the legacy of
physical artifacts and intangible
attributes of a group or society
that are inherited from past
generations, maintained in the
present and bestowed for the
benefit of future generations.
• Cultural heritage includes
tangible culture (such as
buildings, monuments,
landscapes, books, works of art,
and artifacts), intangible culture
(such as folklore, traditions,
language, and knowledge).
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

6. Heritage, History and Identity
• Preservation demonstrates a
recognition of the necessity of the
past and of the things that tell its
story
• Preserved objects also
validate memories
• Heritage can be politically divisive
and manipulated for political ends
(Nazi ideas of prehistory
• People value the past and its
preservation (NT one new
member every 42 seconds),
• Restoration and other similar TV
programmes
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

7. Heritage, History and Identity
• Many academics felt that the
heritage industry espoused an
outdated story; preaching
constructed deceptions which
contributed to a climate of
decline, and by preserving the
past, were stifling Britain’s
creativity.
• When Labour swept to power in
1997, it wanted to look forward,
not back: ‘Cool Britannia’.
• Government investments (such
as the Millennium Dome) were
frequently “history-free zones.”
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

8. Heritage, History and Identity
• The past remains enduringly
popular
• Heritage organisations adjusted
attitudes and presentation to a
new generation and new
expectations – open, inclusive,
tactile
• Recession fuels interest in the
past (NT membership and
visitor numbers have grown
since 2008)
• Community Heritage a growing
area – social enterprise
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

9. Section 2: Defining the East
Midlands

10. Defining the East Midlands
• As a region the East
Midlands is largely a
modern geopolitical
concoction
• Bits of Derbyshire,
Lincolnshire and all of
Northamptonshire don’t
fit
• The Staffordshire Trent
Valley is missing
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11. Defining the East Midlands
England?
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12. Defining the East Midlands
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

13. Defining the East Midlands
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14. Defining the East Midlands
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15. Defining the East Midlands
• How would an archaeologist define the East
Midlands?
• Has your definition – or sense of the region
– changed over the past 10 weeks?
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16. Section 3: Learning Review

17. Learning Review
Earlier Prehistory in the Midlands.
Iron Age to Dark Age, Cultural Transitions in the Archaeological Record.
A Disputed Land: Angles, Saxon and Vikings in the East Midlands.
The Medieval Countryside of the East Midlands.
The Medieval Towns of the East Midlands.
The East Midlands, 1600-1900
Themes in Industrial and Early Modern Archaeology.
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18. Learning Review
• Earlier Prehistory in the Midlands
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19. Learning Review
• Iron Age to Dark Age
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20. Learning Review
• Angles, Saxon and Vikings.
east-midlands-archaeology.blogspot.co.uk

21. Learning Review
• The Medieval Countryside.
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22. Learning Review
• Medieval Towns.
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23. Learning Review
• The East Midlands, 1600-1900.
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24. Learning Review
• Industrial and Early Modern Archaeology.
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25. Section 4: Self Assessment

26. Self Assessment
• Understand in general terms the chronology and material
culture of human activity in the East Midlands.
• Appreciate some of the factors that uniquely characterise
the archaeology and history of the East Midlands.
• Have a broad appreciation of archaeological research
techniques and so be able to critically assess
archaeological research and literature.
• Be familiar with and have an outline grasp of some of the
main techniques of archaeological research.
• Be able to engage critically with archaeological evidence
for the East Midlands so as to achieve a fresh appreciation
of the landscape and history of our region
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