'Celebrating Scotland's 20th century heritage', Context 118, 2011 03 (original) (raw)
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2017
This paper explores the story of Scotland’s national survey body, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, between 1935 and 1946, with reference to Angus Graham, their Secretary, and Vere Gordon Childe, perhaps the best-known archaeologist of the 20th century. Much of the narrative describes the Commission’s survey of Orkney and Shetland, an eight year project which brought close contact with Childe, and special attention is given to debate over the Neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Rinyo. The outbreak of war in 1939 delayed their report for some seven years, but the government supported a major programme of rescue recording to mitigate damage caused by enemy bombing and the training of allied troops. In 1938 Childe was passed over for membership of the Commission, who felt that they had sufficient archaeological expertise. His extreme anger at this snub was to be reflected in a negative review of their forthcoming report, but was allayed by neat foo...
2004
In 1998 the Royal Commission on tine Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) launched CANMORE: the on-line version of the National Monuments Record of Scotland database. CANMORE enables the public to search a database of over 200,000 site-based records spanning Scotland's rich heritage from prehistory through to 21st century architectural and engineering achievements. Users can access detailed accounts of many of the monuments, browse through bibliographic references, or see what collections material (drawings, manuscripts or photographs) is held in our archives. With the launch of CANMAP (http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore/ login.show), a webbased GIS, in June 2002, complimenting the database search engine, users now have the option to execute simple geographic searches against a map-background. In 2003 the service will be enhanced (and re-branded) to include statutory information managed by Historic Scotland. The same software engine has also been adapted to present information about our extensive holdings of vertical aerial photography through
Anthropological Journal of European Culture, 2013
This article focuses on the representation of the Highland Clearances -one of the most painful and controversial themes in modern Scottish history -in Scottish museum spaces. It brings to light the social, economic and political implications of the interpretation of this period through a survey of twelve independent local museums and two national museums. It argues that the Clearances have become a crucially defining landmark at a local but also national level. Yet the way the Clearances are represented in narratives differs significantly, showing the extent to which the meaning ascribed to the clearing process and its consequences is socially and historically conditioned. Whilst the symbolic and emotional resonance of the period as a traumatic rupture prevails, it has also come to articulate a political vision intrinsically linked with land reform in a devolved Scotland, and a transnational identity owing much to the imaginary of the Scottish diaspora.
Glasgow Archaeological Journal, 1985
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Old Places, New Ideas: New Routes into Canmore, the National Inventory of Scotland
Archaeology in the Digital Era, 2014
ABSTRACT The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) maintains the national inventory and hosts the national collections of the archaeological and built heritage of Scotland, including its maritime waters. Both professional users and the wider public have been able to view information in the inventory online, through Canmore, since 1998. Yet there was no mechanism to actively contribute to the knowledge base. Since our centenary in 2008, new strategies have evolved to harness the knowledge of both our professional and public users, to contribute directly to the national inventory. This paper describes the opening-up - letting go - of Canmore, through a number of routes, to enable new partners to actively contribute their knowledge directly and efficiently to Canmore through a collaborative and flexible approach. The paper then discusses how information is disseminated using a similarly agile approach that aims to allow users to find and use the data that they need, while serving the needs and imperatives such as the European Union INSPIRE Directive. It is noted that pragmatism is required; government bodies, audiences and partners do not all move at the same pace as the available technologies.
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Hosted by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) is the primary place of deposit for archaeological archives in Scotland. Built up over several decades, the archives hold over 1.6m items, both analogue and digital, linked to a site inventory of over 320,000 site records relating to the archaeological and architectural history of Scotland. Initially the survey archive of the former Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, the collections now include project archives from professional archaeological companies, academic researchers and, increasingly, community projects. A range of policy and professional drivers, as well as best practice, encourage archival deposition. The digital component of the archive has grown considerably over the last decade. In response, the NRHE has invested in preservation software to manage these holdings and has submitted an application for CoreTrustSeal. The NRHE is available...
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This paper serves as an introduction to the special edition of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology on the theme of Scottish historical archaeology in its international context. The introduction aims to provide a context for the individual papers in the collection by briefly outlining some of the main characteristics of Scottish historical archaeology-as it has developed in the past, as it is at present and as it might develop in the future. The paper also discusses the ambiguous relationship between Scottish historical archaeology and wider historical archaeology.