Session: #490

Content:

Transnational mobility of archaeological labour depends to a large extent on professional skills being transferable between and similarly useful in different national archaeological cultures and regulatory environments. Yet, as research by the DISCO and now also the DOVTA project has clearly demonstrated, there are considerable national (and sometimes even regional) differences in the skills expected of professional archaeologists, and also the techniques and methods deemed acceptable by archaeological regulators. While some of these differences are well-justified by differences in the archaeology itself or the environmental conditions in which archaeological fieldwork takes place, many others appear mostly to be due to historically contingent national archaeological traditions. While there have been some attempts, e.g. by the EAC, to develop transnational European best practice guidance or common standards, as yet, there has been very little discussion on a European level regarding the standardisation or at least mutual recognition of different national approaches of 'doing archaeology'. Similarly, discussions about possibilities to either standardise archaeological skills training transnationally, or alternatively include in teaching provisions not just the traditional national skills set, but also the skills required for taking up jobs in other European countries, have as yet hardly been had. This joint round table of the EAA Communities on the Teaching and Training of Archaeologists, Professional Associations in Archaeology, and Discovering the Archaeologists of Europe, aims to debate whether there is a need and what possibilities exist (e.g. ESO CEN Standards, ISO Norms, etc.) for developing common European standards for archaeology and archaeological skills training, or for including transnational skills training in national archaeological teaching provisions and training standards.

Session: #490

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