Archaeological messages and messengers

Abstract

Archaeological resources include important places and objects of commemoration and remembrance. Properly investigated, they provide interpretations of pasts that are often inaccessible otherwise. Although there seems to be an inherent public curiosity about and interest in archaeology and archaeological resources, the nature of these are not well understood. Also, we know very little about how the public absorbs information about archaeology. Information on both of these topics is being accumulated, but much remains to be learned and utilized. Public outreach should be, and increasingly is, in fact, an important consideration in all professional archeological studies. Professional archaeologists in all branches of the discipline should engage in public outreach according to their abilities and opportunities. They also should support such efforts by their colleagues.