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

Nevell, MD

Abstract

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

Citation

Nevell, M. (2006). The 2005 Rolt memorial lecture. Industrial archaeology or the archaeology of the industrial period? Models, methodology and the future of industrial archaeology. Industrial Archaeology Review, 28(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1179/174581906X106570

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Oct 13, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Industrial Archaeology Review
• Print ISSN: 0309-0728
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 3-15
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/174581906X106570
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174581906X106570