Internet Archaaeol. 6. Edmonds and McElearney. Inhabitation and Access

Conclusions

In order to summarise our reflections on the site as it stands, it is helpful to reconsider what sort of site did we want, and its corollary, as yet undiscussed, what would the visitors to the website want? We haven't provided the level of detail necessary for the site to be a viable alternative to an excavation report for other archaeologists, nor have we presented the information in a way that makes it usable as a kind of tutorial package for an interested newcomer. It certainly cannot be described as a `virtual site tour' in any satisfactory sense. We haven't even managed to provide a location map for those wishing to visit the excavations from anywhere further than the bottom of the hill!

The most poignant observation to date came from someone who had actually visited Gardom's Edge many times during the last excavation season. They noted that nothing in the web site conveyed the fact or impression that the two main excavation trenches were located less than 300 metres apart in space, but over 2000 years apart in time. The material remains of two radically different worlds were thus exposed but created an analytical synchrony in the present. Our approach so far has failed to convey the complex evolution of a relatively small area over a relatively long period of time, not to mention the changing nature of our models. We hope that at least some of our current experiments will go some way towards dealing with this problem. It is in developing our understanding of the iterative flow between imaginative design conception, and technical realisation, that we hope to address these issues. There is a tremendous amount to be done and we welcome as many comments and suggestions as we can get. One thing at least is certain - Internet publishing will inevitably become an established component of archaeological practice, and it is necessary for us to reflect critically on this practice now. The alternative is the simple addition of yet another context for our maps and plans.