Introduction

Archaeology is undoubtedly the sexiest of the heritage professions, conjuring up Indiana Jones, Tutankhamun and Pompeii. However, the idea of being a detective of the past who uncovers buried treasures, fights tomb raiders and finds a way to break curses is far removed from the prescriptive rules for archaeological interpretation that have often prevailed in the heritage sector.

The story of how archaeological ruins have been interpreted is the story of a growing realisation among heritage professionals that the past does not simply 'speak' for itself but is mediated and determined by who is telling the story. This change has been accompanied by a tension between the desire to preserve archaeological relics, on the one hand, and the desire to display, educate, entertain and inform through interpretation, on the other. Because there is little specific literature on archaeological interpretation, this chapter draws on an analysis of trends in the heritage sector and the field of heritage interpretation to frame my understanding of how interpretation has worked in the field of archaeology.

Changing Philosophies of Interpretation

It is axiomatic in the historical discipline that the past is political, and that history is written by the victor, but an understanding of this has only emerged recently in the field of archaeology. Archaeological relics were initially displayed in the service of the nation-state. Manipulations of archaeology for both Slavic and German nationalistic purposes began as early as the 16th century and were matched in England by the study of British antiquities in 1533 and by the display of archaeological relics at the British Museum in 1753 (Fowler, 1987). As European travel became common with the Grand Tour in the 17th and 18th centuries, archaeological ruins became the vehicle for one-upmanship between countries. They were also the nexus for political machinations; under Mussolini's dictatorship in the 20th century, for instance, Italy's fascists interpreted Pompeii's ruins as evidence of Italy's past and future glory (Downs et al. 2009).