The Finder, Not the Find

Abstract

Educational excavation projects focus primarily on the pedagogic values embedded in the archaeological work, while archaeology per se is their secondary goal; therefore, they differ from community archaeology, which mostly incorporates education and community into archaeological projects and objectives. This article articulates this difference and then presents educational archaeology in detail, explaining how it is implemented. To illuminate educational archaeology further, two projects headed by the author are presented, encompassing school students, and domestic and international tourism. Educational archaeology encompasses a variety of benefits that are rather efficiently delivered: social and personal development of the individual, building community and a sense of belonging, and widening one’s scope of knowledge. The call to make archaeology accessible to the broad public is greatly facilitated here, and therefore educational archaeology projects should occupy a larger space among place-based, value-oriented projects.