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ARCHAEOBOTANY AND PUBLIC
From Petri dish to spotlight: the opportunities for archaeobotany in the public eye
Much like archaeology in a broader sense, archaeobotany needs and deserves support of
the public. Given the fact that everybody needs to eat and everybody has an
environment, both now and in the past, botany offers countless possibilities to strike the
audience’s interest. Despite this, archaeobotany often seems neglected in museums and
elsewhere. Existing initiatives tend to be largely historically inspired, as opposed to
archaeobotanically. Can archaeobotanical results add to existing outreach?
Yes, they can!
To attain this, the archaeobotanical discipline needs to reach out and present botany to a
wider audience in a way that is attractive and stimulating. Therefore, for the first time,
IWGP organises this workshop where we explore the possibilities of putting
archaeobotany in the spotlight. In this workshop, we hope to reach several goals:
-to share with fellow practitioners the efforts already made within public outreach;
-to learn how these presentations of archaeobotanical material by colleagues were set up
and received;
-to compare ideas for different target audiences, ages etc.;
-to raise awareness of the occurring distance between the research field and the public;
-to discuss what we as a discipline are doing right and what requires improvement;
-to bring to mind why it is so important to share archaeobotanical results in an accessible
way;
-last but not least: to let the participants of the workshop actively engage in designing
new ideas for future presentations, exhibitions, museum quests and every other
brainchild they can come up with.
We hope that by the end of the workshop, all participants can agree on the importance of
public outreach and will have many fresh ideas!
The workshop will be managed by Cornelie Moolhuizen, Dragana Filipovic, Soultana-
Maria Valamoti
18TH CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL
WORKGROUP FOR PALAEOETHNOBOTANY