Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
REVIEW BY LISA BRUNDLE
The archaeologist Michael J Jones, having worked for 40 years in Lincoln, provides a unique personal account of archaeological discoveries in the former colonia city of Lindum prior to commercial development. For those of us who know the city today, it is hard to imagine a time when Lincoln was not thought of as an outstanding destination for heritage tourism; however, Jones provides a fascinating view ‘from the trenches’, spotlighting the political, fiscal, and sometimes personal challenges facing archaeology professionals working to reveal its archaeological stories from the 1970s onwards.
The book is well-illustrated throughout, although a map of Lincoln would help the non-Lincolnite to match up noted streets and buildings. It includes a helpful further reading list for those keen to delve deeper into Lincoln’s past. Novel titbits otherwise lost to time punctuate this historiography, including how Roman cement was gifted to Lincoln Museum, Nebraska, at the request of the RAF base and flown over in a Vulcan bomber. Jones tantalises the reader with stories around infamous archaeologists, such the a local archaeologist’s ‘interesting encounter’ with Mortimer Wheeler, although the reader is left to only imagine what this entailed!
Jones has made a considerable contribution to methods in urban archaeology, engaging with new theory and approaches of the time such as the ‘Harris Matrix’ to decipher complex stratigraphic layers. Thus he and his colleagues have advanced the understanding of Roman Lincoln. Importantly, Jones has raised the profile of Roman Lincoln by engaging local communities and presenting research from international academic platforms.
Thankfully, attitudes towards archaeology have, in the most part, transformed from being considered a hindrance to developers to the recognition of the natural symbiosis between enterprise and archaeology to generate a sustainable future that people can enjoy, study, and be inspired by. We have figures like Jones – who spent his professional life battling, persuading, and doggedly working to preserve and promote Lincoln’s heritage at local, national, and international levels – to thank for these successes. An important contribution to the historiography of Lincoln’s heritage, Digging Lincoln adds depth to our understanding of the emergence of professional archaeology.
Digging Lincoln
Michael J Jones
Archaeopress (£25)
ISBN 978-1803278476
