For continuous support of excavations at Arbeia, a Roman fort in northeast England, Earthwatch is honored by British archaeologists
Earthwatch Institute is proud to announce that it has been awarded a prestigious British Archaeological Award, considered the "Oscars" of British archaeology. At an awards ceremony in Belfast, on October 8, 2004, Earthwatch was recognized as "best sponsor of archaeology" for its 12 consecutive years of support for the Roman Fort on Tyne project, in South Shields, England.
Nathaniel Spring, science and research manager for Earthwatch (Europe) was present at the awards ceremony in Belfast, Northern Ireland, attended by many distinguished archaeologists, to proudly accept the sponsorship award.
"The Arbeia Roman Fort project has allowed Earthwatch volunteers from all over the world to play a hands on role in the largest ever investigation of a Roman military site," said Spring. "We hope that it will continue long into the future."
" This is a very important award because sponsorship for archaeology is very rare, and therefore extremely valuable," said Dr. Alison Sheridan, honorary secretary of the British Archaeological Award.
The British Archaeological Awards are considered the most prestigious in British archaeology. Awarded every two years since 1976, with support from the British Archaeological Association, The Council for British Archaeology, and other scholarly organizations, they have grown to include 15 awards on a number of aspects of archaeology. The awards celebrate the achievements of amateur and professional archaeologists alike, as well as acknowledging the help archaeologists receive from sponsors, such as Earthwatch Institute.
"Earthwatch's unflagging support has underpinned the long-term conservation of the Arbeia site and its accessibility to visitors," said Dr. Nick Hodgeson, one of the principal investigators of Roman Fort on Tyne and the archaeologist who nominated Earthwatch for the award. "In a climate where funds to carry out long-term research excavation are difficult to come by, and with fewer and fewer opportunities for students and volunteers to experience field archaeology, Earthwatch sponsorship has been decisive in allowing socially inclusive research excavations in South Shields to continue."
Earthwatch volunteers have helped Hodgeson and colleagues Paul Bidwell and Graeme Stobbs (all from Tyne and Wear Museums) for twelve years, making discoveries at Arbeia that exceeded all expectations. In addition to excavating large areas of the Roman Fort, including a series of barracks that produced the best preserved plans ever recovered by archaeologists, teams have mapped more than 1,000 square meters of pre-Roman settlement.
The discovery of a multi-period prehistoric site, in particular Neolithic evidence and the well-preserved Iron Age round house interior, is of international importance. The teams' extraordinary finds have shown that Arbeia went through several periods of building and abandonment, both in the pre-Roman era and during occupation to meet the needs of Rome's rulers.
Contrary to the image of Roman domination, artifacts such as jewelry, armor, game boards, and ceramics, have drawn attention to the two-way process of acculturation in the Roman Empire. Thanks in part to Earthwatch support, Arbeia is one of the most extensively researched and published sites in the Hadrian's Wall area.
"The success of the project can be attributed to the dedication of the research team and I would like to thank them, on behalf of Earthwatch, for nominating us for this award," said Spring at the Belfast ceremony. "Our archaeology projects in Europe are consistently popular and we would be interested in considering applications for additional research projects."
In addition to Roman Fort on Tyne, Earthwatch supports 20 other archaeological projects around the world, from sacred Inca mountains of Argentina to historic sugar plantations on Hawaii. For more information about Earthwatch's archaeology program, go to http://www.earthwatch.org/subject/archaeology.html
Earthwatch Institute is an international nonprofit organization that supports scientific field research by offering members of the public unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and researchers. Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.