The 2005 Rolt memorial lecture. Industrial archaeology or the archaeology of the industrial period? Models, methodology and the future of industrial archaeology

摘要

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