The 2005 Rolt Memorial Lecture Industrial Archaeology or the Archaeology of the Industrial Period? Models, Methodology and the Future of Industrial Archaeology

What is it about?

This paper outlines in brief the development of Industrial Archaeology in Britain as a mainstream branch of archaeology over the last 50 years, before then reviewing some of the recent methodological developments in IA. The author argues that whilst Industrial Archaeology embraces both the archaeology of technology and the archaeology of industrialisation, it is the latter strand that is the defining feature of much modern IA work. A wide range of techniques emphasising both landscape and social change, linked to technological development, have been developed by those studying the phenomenon of British industrialisation since 1991. It is argued that the radical changes to the production, consumption, and urban nature of this newly industrialised society is best studied archaeologically through the medium of this new Industrial Archaeology. Furthermore, this social and landscape approach, coupled with the study of technological change, could be used to compare the different rates and geographical location of industrialisation around the globe from a distinctive archaeological perspective.

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Why is it important?

This paper sets out a theoretical framework for Industrial Archaeology research.