Editorial [New fields of archaeological research]
- Cet article est une traduction de :
- Éditorial [Nouveaux champs de la recherche archéologique] [fr]
- Autre(s) traduction(s) de cet article :
- Editorial [Nuevos campos de la investigación arqueológica] [es]
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1The implementation of mitigation archaeology in France was carried out in two main stages. The first consisted of building it up, and this phase started in the 1970s. Afan (Association pour les fouilles archéologiques nationales), ancestor of Inrap, undertook evaluation work and excavations up to 2002, in a legislative climate that was uncertain. This period was rife with political questioning of the use of the discipline as well as with social struggles (Talon and Bellan 2009); it was also full of ideas about methodology, with many new techniques being pioneered. In many cases these are still in use today. The methodological principles largely adopted today (such as long trial trenches, open area excavations, stripping with machines) date to this seminal period. Above all, these methods and techniques have accompanied and allowed archaeological research questions targeted at the landscape to be formulated; these are aims are till valid today and their pursuit far from exhausted.
2Inrap was created in 2002 on this already sound foundation. The employment of new archaeologists in a fast recruitment drive matching the expansion of Inrap’s portfolio (from 1672 employees in 2002 to 2323 in 2012, equivalent to 2021 FTEs) was a successful venture, even though problems have sometimes cropped up.
3A major innovation must be highlighted: the implementation of a scientific policy is considered essential to the conduct of the institute. Such a policy, which is based on experience, multidisciplinarity and partnership, has one ultimate aim: to study people and society in their milieu. This approach, made possible by the size of Inrap and its nationwide coverage, seems to be exceptional among organisations concerned with mitigation archaeology (or CRM archaeology) in Europe, and makes Inrap an instrument envied beyond our borders, as Francesco Bandarin, Assistant Director General for culture at UNESCO, remarked in November 2011.
4While the ultimate aim is, of course, to disseminate results through scientific and popular publications, the research policy of the institute cannot confine itself to this aspect: its is rooted in the operating process and comprises all the stages of archaeological investigation, from research design up to final report. A major challenge in the implementation of this research policy consists of setting up good procedures – from site management to delivering the report – in order to enhance the impact of the evidence uncovered.
5The procedures for identifying and evaluating the archaeological potential, the conditions and means of acquiring data, the ways analyses are conducted, and finally the need to turn these data into a coherent account constitute priorities within this policy: site organisation, research and development, as well as promulgation of appropriate methods and techniques – machine stripping, on-site digital recording, deployment of systems such as GIS, standardisation of reporting procedures – all these are achievements which match the requirements of our policy.
6The evidence acquired must be organised, supported and made accessible. The policy on documentation, put in place in 2006, aimed to disseminate and make available the greatest amount of research outcomes and discoveries, thus fulfilling Inrap’s scientific and cultural mission. This has now largely been achieved, with the launch of Inrap’s online portal and the release of the Dolia catalogue, which already gives access to over 400 reports in full.
7The research policy, defined in close cooperation with the scientific council and validated by the board of the institute, follows two clearly defined lines: prioritising publication and partnerships on the one hand, and supporting scientific investigation on the other. Thus Inrap’s researchers have published hundreds of articles, monographs or synthetic works in the last few years, in specialist journals, conference proceedings, or dedicated series such as the “Recherches archéologiques” series, co-published with CNRS Editions. An audit of this activity is at present being carried out and it should confirm Inrap’s position within the current scientific climate.
8The partners and scientific collaborators are also major players in Inrap’s scientific policy: working agreements with top scientific and cultural institutions (e.g. CNRS,
9Musée du Quai Branly, Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine) as well as with higher education establishments (e.g. universities or Ecole du Louvre) embed Inrap, its researchers and the framework of mitigation archaeology in the national archaeological landscape. Local authorities also figure among privileged partners.
10Of course a research policy only makes sense if it leads to meaningful enquiries, whose identification rests on an appraisal of the state of archaeological knowledge in terms of knowledge at a regional and national scale. A scientific plan, implemented since 2006 by the institute and its scientific council, allows research and analyses undertaken within Inrap to be targeted, in close cooperation with its partners (see Augereau, this volume).
11This special issue of Archéopages, published on the occasion of the institute’s tenth anniversary, hopes to present (though not exhaustively in the pages allocated here) the development of our discipline and the new research domains to which Inrap is contributing. These domains touch on current concerns, such as urbanisation and the study of monuments, the evolution of the landscape, long-tem sustainable development or planning. Archaeology, through its focus on past communities, participates fully in these concerns of our present-day society.
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Pascal Depaepe et Anne Augereau, « Editorial [New fields of archaeological research] », Archéopages, Hors-série 3 | 2012, 3.
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Pascal Depaepe et Anne Augereau, « Editorial [New fields of archaeological research] », Archéopages [En ligne], Hors-série 3 | 2012, mis en ligne le 10 avril 2024, consulté le 19 février 2025. URL : http://0-journals-openedition-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/archeopages/17804 ; DOI : https://0-doi-org.catalogue.libraries.london.ac.uk/10.4000/archeopages.17804
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