Islands Matters: Whose heritage and what is it for?

The issue Doctor Clarke would like to explore, with examples drawn primarily from Shetland, is for whose benefit are we managing archaeological heritage; locals or visitors from outside Shetland; academic researchers, educationalists, interested amateur public, or tourists; the present population or future populations. The needs and aspirations of these aren’t necessarily in opposition, but they aren’t fully aligned either. Where does a just and effective compromise lie?

Dr Simon Clarke works with UHI Shetland in Lerwick, where he also resides. Graduating with first class honours in Archaeological Sciences from Bradford University followed by a PhD in settlement archaeology of the Dobunni Iron Age Tribe and Roman Civitas (centring on Gloucestershire), he has extensive experience in the field. Since directing excavations at the Newstead Roman Fort and Hinterland Project in the late 1980s and 1990s he has since travelled to Croatia for the Hvar Landscape Project, the Kops Plateau Roman military complex in the Netherlands, led geophysics at the Punic and Roman cityscape at Leptiminus in Tunisia and excavated at Pompeii in Italy. Since joining the UHI, Simon has been involved with supervision & training at the Scatness Broch Village project, has led UHI students on the National Museums of Scotland excavation at Birnie near Elgin, and often works collaboratively with other discipline areas, such as cultural studies, environmental studies, the creative arts and tourism. Simon has been a leading practitioner of VC for teaching and has written a number of academic papers and best practice guides on the subject.

Most recently, Simon has been collaborating with Dr Andrew Jennings to investigate the Viking Age promontory fortress at Kame of Isbister, near the northern tip of the Shetland mainland.

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