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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Silbury Hill » Silbury updates |
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Lubin 509 posts |
Jun 06, 2007, 21:50
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Just sent off an email the the Mr Harding re my thoughts on Silbury.
I await a reply.
Hi,
I would like to voice a complaint at the intention to put a "Time Capsule" into Silbury Hill while the restoration is being undertaken. I am involved with E.H. and the D.P.A in the surveying and restoration of cairns on Dartmoor , also listed ancient monuments. We do this with the upmost care for the monument and try and leave it as it was intended to be , after varying amounts of remodeling by the general public. How would it be if we left a "Time Capsule" in each of these for future archaeologists to find?
I think , and probably a lot of the public would think , if they knew what was intended, that the monument should be left as it was in the first place , full of chalk.
Peter Castle.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 08:23
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There's not a lot more to be said about the Time Capsule being a wrong 'un but I thought I'd put down something about the way it is being defended as "community involvement" as I confess to getting just a bit peed off about that. We've had seven years of non-community involvement and lack of openness in this project as everyone knows. The EH Chairman himself wrote to me years ago acknowledging that the information flow had been inadequate and saying things would change. They didn't, and the niggardly amount of information and photos coming out of the tunnel are the latest confirmation of that. I can very well believe that getting the local kids involved at this very late stage is to do with UNESCO's requirements for cultural involvement. Indeed, unkind persons might think it was a quick and easy stunt to enable a hasty tick box to be ticked in the next report to them. But its no more than a token, seven years too late (and completely ill-judged as it happens). Shame the tick boxes aren't more specific and don't ask - "And has the public been kept fully informed throughout?" Further, let it not go unchallenged that openness and community sharing is merely something recently required or originates only from UNESCO. It has been called for by the public, owed to them and withheld from them for 7 years. That should have been enough but wasn't. And even if the public are to be dismissed, the whole drift of professional sentiment has been along the same lines as what the public has been calling for - see the Institute of Field Archaeologists's code, the European Association of Archaeologists's (EAA) code of practice and the International Council of Monuments (ICOMOS) statement of ethics. They don't call for schoolchildren's paintings in scheduled monuments but they do imply public involvement. Supplying the former, too late, and presenting it as fulfilling the latter is completely untenable IMO and needs radically re-thinking. Increasing the number of photos from inside the tunnel from 6 to 106 next Monday would be an excellent start.
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VenerableBottyBurp 675 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 16:22
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LS and Slumpy, I will try and answer this as best I can under Nigel's 'come off it'. VBB
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slumpystones 769 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 18:14
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I doubt the thought of archaeologists digging it up ever occured to them when they made the knee-jerk decision to let the thing inside. They probably had the quaint idea of the Blue Peter garden and a shoebox full of old rubbish in their heads.
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VenerableBottyBurp 675 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 18:46
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First off I wasn't defending the time capsule at all. Secondly, while the UNESCO rule change may have something to do with the suggestion of a time capsule, I don't know enough about it to comment. What I can say is the education initiative was a goal long before the hole was noticed in Silbury and it is part of a number of initiatives that are vital to the future safeguarding and recovery of history of the site. Which should be clear from the next point. Lastly, I hope I need say no more to underline the unique importance of getting the local community onside than relay some stop press. Representations re the time capsule suggestion, have been made by locals. Who to and how many I can't say, but I do believe the source I heard it from, so don't lets snipe at the best positioned allied troops eh ? Living in the WHS doesn't do much for locals, but like JFK ask yourself what they might do for their country. VBB
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Littlestone 5386 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 19:48
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Representations re the time capsule suggestion, have been made by locals. Thanks for that VBB. I'm assuming that these representations by the locals are representations against the idea of a time capsule not for one. If so more power to local elbows ;-) Thanks also to Nigel who says, "Further, let it not go unchallenged that openness and community sharing is merely something recently required or originates only from UNESCO. It has been called for by the public, owed to them and withheld from them for 7 years." Well said as always Nigel. Time, however, waits for none of us, and the anger against English Heritage's lack of transparency and bizarre time capsule idea seems to be mounting. There are now whispers and rumours of a possible mass demonstration at Silbury during this year's summer solstice. Principal demands seem to be similar to those expressed here - 1) Full, accurate and up-to-the-minute progress reports by English Heritage on their activities at Silbury. 2) The immediate halting of English Heritage's plan to leave a time capsule in Silbury. 3) On completion of English Heritage's conservation project, a simple non-intrusive ceremony open to all and culminating in the sealing of Silbury once and for all.
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Pete G 3506 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 20:00
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Mass Demonstration? What Both of you? http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/c/c6/FATHER_TED_Down_with_this_sort_of_thing.jpg
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slumpystones 769 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 22:07
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Very Good!
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Pete G 3506 posts |
Jun 07, 2007, 22:45
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Its Croppy Time! http://youtube.com/watch?v=d2eSP3D0s0w
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Jun 08, 2007, 04:35
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Aye, good points VBB. As you will know I'm sure, my "come off it" wasn't aimed at you but at EH. Engaging the locals is right and overdue, I just feel it shouldn't be used to divert from the fact that there are an awful lot of other stakeholders that have fundamental natural rights to be kept informed - and the duty to do so ought to have been recognised without any need for prompting either from the stakeholders themselves or from international conventions. After all, we're all taxpayers. That should have been a bit of a clue.
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