A Note on the Present Situation of Heritage in Iran, Despite the Fact That the Cultural Heritage Organization has been Become a Ministry Abstract Although many years have passed since the Cultural Heritage Organization was established in Iran, its heritage has not been seriously considered by this organization. The Cultural Heritage Organization, and even the government, have focused on the heritage of the Islamic period for political and religious reasons, while prior periods have been less considered or have been completely forgotten.

Peer-Review and Academic Archaeology: Quality, Epistemology and Science Policies Abstract The object of the present article is to study the relations between the forms of knowledge production in archaeology and the existing systems of publication in academic journals. We explore the predominant criteria in peer-review processes and the relative importance of their epistemological dimension. The results are discussed in terms of the social, political and institutional implications of contemporary academic archaeology, suggesting a need to strengthen epistemological criteria in the peer-review processes, thus improving the justification of the assertions that archaeology makes about the past. This is important for archaeology as a discipline that claims to generate a contribution to present-day society, but it requires changes in institutional policies at local and regional levels in order to be effective.

Editorial

Indigenous Knowledge and Resource Management as World Heritage Values: Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Australia Abstract Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Australia, is internationally recognised for evidence of the 6000-year-old Gunditjmara eel aquaculture system. Research supporting a World Heritage nomination for Budj Bim has found that Indigenous knowledge, use and management of natural resources are rarely considered as cultural values in World Heritage sites. When cultural landscapes that reflect these values are considered as a distinct type of site, a significant gap is highlighted in the representation of the values of Indigenous peoples on the World Heritage List.

Developing a New Approach to Research at Soba, the Capital of the Medieval Kingdom of Alwa Abstract Soba was the capital of one of the medieval kingdoms of Sahelian Africa. The remains are located on the right bank of the Blue Nile, approximately 15 km from Khartoum’s downtown. It was the power centre for Nubian rulers of the Kingdom of Alwa, directly comparable to the main cities of the two other Nubian kingdoms, Nobadia and Makuria. Archaeological research has demonstrated that the metropolitan cities of Nobadia and Makuria had exceptional churches, monasteries, pottery production sites, areas with various buildings and fine houses as well as fortifications. In the case of Soba, the identification of an ecclesiastical complex of considerable size, unique finds and brief descriptions by medieval Arab historians suggest that it was also a highly diverse and complex settlement. In the last 20–30 years, large parts of Soba have rapidly been overbuilt. A tarmac road was laid across the northern part of the site and subsequent urbanisation covered approximately half of the 275 ha area of the capital city. Medieval architectural remains are not visible on the surface, but previous surveys identified at least seventeen mounds covered with red brick debris, and numerous mounds covered with gravel. Up to the present day, approximately 1% of medieval Soba has been researched in detail. As a result, not much is known about the spatial organisation of the city. In the search for a new approach which will enable sufficient protection, study and management of the site, two visits to Soba were made in 2018. The first in order to check the potential of geophysical prospection, and the second to initiate community outreach activities. With promising results, the project has received funding for 3 years from the National Science Centre in Poland and support from the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums and Neelain University.

Essential Excavation Experts: Alienation and Agency in the History of Archaeological Labor Abstract Nineteenth-century archaeologists working in the Middle East managed local labor in ways that reflect capitalist labor management models. These archaeologists’ memoirs reveal both the similarities in how they managed their projects and the differences in how locally hired laborers responded. Focusing on such differences illustrates the agency that local workforces have historically exerted over the archaeological process, even under alienating working conditions. I argue that while there is some emerging recognition of contributions that local communities have made to archaeology, taking a Marxist and historical view reveals how much archaeological knowledge production has fundamentally relied upon site workers’ active choices.

Sámi Archaeology and the Fear of Political Involvement: Finnish Archaeologists’ Perspectives on Ethnicity and the Repatriation of Sámi Cultural Heritage Abstract In recent years, there have been remarkable developments in the repatriation of Sámi ethnographic objects in Finland. The repatriation of large archaeological collections excavated from Sápmi, the homeland of the Sámi people (the only indigenous people in the European Union), however, has not been discussed. Based on thirteen interviews, this article examines Finnish archaeologists’ views on the repatriation of the Sámi cultural heritage. The research shows that there is suspicion or wariness towards questions of ethnicity in Finnish archaeology and a fear of political involvement, which makes the matter of repatriation an uncomfortable issue. Nonetheless, the practices of doing research in Sápmi or studying Sámi materials are changing as a result of the Sámi gradually taking a stronger role and engaging in and governing research in Finland, too, especially with the stronger role, through the Sámi parliament and the Sámi Museum, in the administration of archaeological heritage in Sápmi.

Gender and Archaeology: Where Are We Now? Abstract This article seeks to bring focus to the state of awareness of gender concerns in archaeology. It seeks to do so through addressing three key points. The first of these is a concern with the ongoing marginalisation of gender as a sub-discipline. The second of these is a review of the implicit and unconscious bias of presentism in assuming universality of gender constructions. The third is a brief reference to the potential for finding a better way of studying the past using approaches informed by intersectional perspectives. The article is intended as a starting point for debate and reflection of the internal practices of archaeological method and theory.

Editorial

Simulating Archaeology: Designing an Effective Simulated Excavation for School-Aged Children Abstract Simulated archaeological excavations are an engaging way of introducing school students to the processes of archaeology. Immersing students in the methodologies of the archaeologist can be an exceptionally potent and memorable learning experience. Significant challenges exist in the design and execution of a real-life simulation, however, which risk eroding both its authenticity and its educational value. The archaeological and educational imperatives of a decade-long archaeological simulation, the “I Dig Archaeology!” program, are deconstructed here as a case study, affording educators the opportunity to replicate or adapt the simulation to suit their own educational settings.