The Commercial Paradigm

[kevin wooldridge]

I like Gumbos idea of the 'grey literature' synthesisers (could almost be a cult prog-rock band c1972) and would suggest this as an area that commercial archaeology could push back towards the universities as a source for undergraduate dissertations or case studies or post-graduate synthesis. I note that something similar has been going at the Institute of Archaeology of UCL for a few years now (largely inspired by Gus Milne I think) where IoA students are encouraged to explore areas of the Museum of London archaeological archive for source material (that otherwise would probably not see the light of day).

As for Interpreting Stratigraphy. The most recent Scandinavian conference (September 2005 I think) in Trondheim was looking at ways that new technology and stratigraphic recording was being introduced. I couldn't make the conference, but got some interesting feedback from one of the organisers (particularly about 'paper free' data collection which I have been lucky enough to put into practice over the past year or so). Maybe that could be one theme for a resurrection of the UK series. Perhaps also a paper on Recording Stratigraphy under Commercial conditions. (Reference back to the BAJR discussion last week on MoLAS' cemetery recording methodology)

You know what Gumbo, I say phooey to paradigms!!