2015 lewis citizen-humantities
TRANSCRIPT
The Power of PitsMaximising research potential in historic settlements
through community sourcingCarenza Lewis
Professor for the Public Understanding of Research
Advancing humanities research through engaged scholarly community crowdsourcing
1. Background: Aims and outcomes of the CORS project
2. How humanities research has been inspired and enabled through
community crowdsourcing combining professional and non-professional input
3. How the volume of research and the scholarly and social reach and impact of humanities research has been increased through crowdsourced co-productioncrossing institutional and professional boundaries.
The CORS Project 2005-15
Aims and outcomes
Aim: To create a corpus of archaeological data from CORS enabling their long-term development to be reconstructed
CORS (currently occupied rural settlement) refers to rural places inhabited today, including villages, hamlets and small towns.
CORS at Houghton, Cambridge-shire
DMV at Hartside, Northumb-erland
10cm
10cm
10cm
10cm
Context 1
Context 2
Context 3
Context 4
Each pit is excavated in 10cm spits/contexts
All excavated spoil is dry sieved through a standard 10mm mesh sieve
Finds from each 10cm spit/context are kept separate.
Pottery is used for large-scale analysis because it is:
• widely used in the medieval period, • frequently discarded • durable in archaeological contexts, • easily datable
It can thus act as a proxy for human presence
% pits producing 2+ sherds Roman pottery (sites with 23+ pits dug)
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 700 BC – AD 43
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 1
st– mid 5
th
century AD
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 5
th– mid 9
th
century AD
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 9
th– mid 11
th
century AD
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 11
th– end
14th
century
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to 15
th– mid 16
th
century
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to mid 16
th– end
18th
century AD
N
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Disturbed levels
1 sherd 4g or less
1 sherd 5g or more
2-4 sherds
5 sherds or more
Undisturbed levels
Pirton 2007-11 Test pits containing pottery dating to the 19
thcentury
N
CORS Project 2005-15
6 counties50 communitiesScores of groups2,000 excavations 10,000 volunteers50,000 pot sherds
Bigger pictures…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Eastern region (average)
Eastern region
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Eastern region average
Pirton
Community crowd-sourced research – inspiring and enabling
• Partners: HEIs, schools, local history groups, community groups, charities, arts organisations, AONBs, county councils
• Funders: Aimhigher, Heritage Lottery Fund, University of Cambridge, AHRC, English Heritage, Arts Council England, landscape partnerships, local societies, local businesses, individual sponsors
Inspiring and enabling:Community crowd-sourcing enables research through:• Person-power – support, excavation, background research• New sites suggested• Access negotiated• Locally-informed logistical advice and planning• Routes into diverse funding sources• Money raised• Local and specialist knowledge contributed• Observations/explanations offered• New questions raised
Crowd-sourced research 2
How the quantum, reach and impact of the research has been increased
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Houghton
Sharnbrook
Pirton
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
Girton
Shelford
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Melford
Clare
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Mill Green
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
ClaveringNayland
S Bulbeck
Stapleford
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
Rampton
Shillington
Shefford
Castleton
Warnborough
Kibworth
Smarden
Southwold
Waldingfield
Sudbury
Bures
Riseley
Sawtry
Toft
Meldreth
Grimston
W Wickham
2,000+ pitsHEFA
HEFA/community
Community
Research quantum and reach50+ case studies2,000+ new excavations10,000 volunteers100,000 sherds• New perspectives on long-term local and regional development• Comparative benchmarks established• Advanced understanding of settlement change• New information about historical demography• Methodological validation• Dynamic scope
Social Impact10,000 volunteers; 150,000 hours• Better and wider public understanding of the research process• Knowledge cascaded, propagated and snowballed• New skills instilled• Aspirations raised• Appreciation of local environment enhanced• Social connections developed• Well-being improved • Dissemination to new audiences
% pits producing 2+ sherds Roman pottery (sites with 23+ pits dug)
PIRTON Test Pit Locations2007 (Green), 2008 (Blue),2009 (Yellow), 2010 (Purple)& 2011 (Orange)
1
2
3
5
4
1
8
7
9
15
16
10
17
7
13
14
11
1226
2728
20
21
18
12
2
3
5
4
11
13
6
19
22 14
15
16
17
26
1
3
45
89
10
19
20
21
24
22
25
23
2318
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
12
3
45
79
6 8
20
21
22
23
24
26
27
25
8
910
11
12
N
1
23
45
6
7
13
14 15
16
1718
1920
21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Eastern regional
Kibworth
Castleton
Reeth
From plot to street to region – beyond eastern England
Conclusion: Enhancing research through engaged scholarly community crowdsourcing
• Community crowd-sourcing can be used to instigate, execute, finance and expand valid, important and useful humanities research which would otherwise be impossible
• Community crowd-sourcing can very effectively increase the scholarly and social reach,benefits and impact of humanities research.
• Academic input provides structure and support as well as the connectivity and
contextualisation needed to make the outputs of community-sourced research greater than
the sum of their parts, enhancing their impact and reflexively facilitating further engagement.
Project area
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Norfolk parishes
Acle
Binham
Carleton Rode
Garboldisham
Gaywood
Paston
Terrington
Wiveton
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Chediston
Clare
Coddenham
Long Melford
Nayland
Sudbury
Walberswick
Suffolk parishes
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Houghton
Sharnbrook
Pirton
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
Girton
Gt Shelford
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Long Melford
Clare
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
Clavering Nayland
Swaffham Bulbeck
Stapleford
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
ShillingtonMeldreth
West Wickham
Roman
(late C1st
– late C4th
)
0
1-9%
10-19%
20-29%
30-39%
40-49%
50-60%
61%+
Toft
Sudbury
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Houghton
Sharnbrook
Pirton
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
Girton
Gt Shelford
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Long Melford
Clare
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
Clavering Nayland
Swaffham Bulbeck
Stapleford
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
ShillingtonMeldreth
West Wickham
Early Anglo-Saxon
(late C4th
– late C7th
)
0
1-9%
10-19%
20-29%
30-39%
40-49%
50-60%
61%+
Toft
Sudbury
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Houghton
Sharnbrook
Pirton
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
Girton
Gt Shelford
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Long Melford
Clare
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
Clavering Nayland
Swaffham Bulbeck
Stapleford
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
ShillingtonMeldreth
West Wickham
Late Anglo-Saxon
(late C9th
–late C11th
)
0
1-9%
10-19%
20-29%
30-39%
40-49%
50-60%
61%+
Toft
Sudbury
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Sharnbrook
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Long Melford
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
Clavering
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
High medieval
Early C12th
–mid C14th
)
0
1-9%
10-19%
20-29%
30-39%
40-49%
50-60%
61%+
Toft
Houghton
Pirton
Girton
Gt ShelfordSwaffham Bulbeck
Stapleford
ShillingtonMeldreth
West Wickham Clare
NaylandSudbury
N
0 miles 50
Gaywood
Hindringham
Binham
Wisbech St Mary
Thorney
Ufford
Ramsey
Castor
Houghton
Sharnbrook
Pirton
Ashwell
WillinghamCottenham
Girton
Gt Shelford
IslehamGarboldisham
Carleton Rode
Acle
Chediston
Coddenham
Long Melford
West Mersea
Thorrington
Writtle
Little Hallingbury
Manuden
Hessett
Bramford
Paston
Potton
Peakirk
Clavering
Swaffham Bulbeck
Walberswick
Wiveton
Terrington St Clement
Daws Heath
Amwell
ShillingtonMeldreth
West Wickham
Late medieval
(late C14th
– mid C16th
)
0
1-9%
10-19%
20-29%
30-39%
40-49%
50-60%
61%+
Toft
Clare
Sudbury
Stapleford
Nayland