Archaeology, Landscape and Identity

Image credit: Professor Richard Walter (left) and photographer Les O'Neill prepare collection items for photography, North Otago Museum.

Archaeology, landscape and identity: appreciating the present by studying the past.

In this talk Professor Richard Walter will talk about how archaeology (the study of the past) often provides unique perspectives on the present.

Drawing on examples from ongoing research projects in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, Professor Walter will show how different archaeological projects have real-world implications for society, and especially for descendant communities today.

The excavations he will discuss range from cave sites in the forests of Melanesia, through to fourteenth century villages in the Catlins. The talk will emphasis the broad scope of archaeology; how it draws on modern science but how it seeks always to be relevant not only to other scientists, but to all stakeholder and descendant communities.

The talk is free to attend.

Contact: Chloe Searle, North Otago Museum, 03 433 0852 or csearle@waitaki.govt.nz