As an archaeologist in a dire state, I have decided to post an account of a recent discussion in the House of Lords about the dire state of British archaeology, international readers unfamiliar with the institution may find it interesting to see who contributes to such a debate . . . .
On Monday afternoon the effects of the recession in the building industry on archaeology was raised in the House of Lords by the Liberal Democrat peer the Earl of Glasgow, eliciting a somewhat confused response from a government spokesman Lord Davies. In a House of Lords question he asked the government;
What steps they are taking to secure the future of
professional archaeology in the United Kingdom, and in particular to mitigate the effect on archaeologists of the recent contraction in the building industry.
Often, when we think about the past, we do so in our imaginations, using the pictures and impressions we have picked from our shared visual culture, we mix the real things we find into a fantasy world. Envisioning the environment in terms of its familiar topography and plants does not present much of a problem, domestic animals are bits hazier, but most of the things that made up the fabric of life just don’t survive here in our damp climate. However, even trees in the picture may not be clear, the focus of archaeology is on tools, seldom extending to a consideration of the materials and products that gave them utility and value. How to discuss, visualise and define things that no longer exists except in the imagination is one central issues of presenting archaeology. 
