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Ten Years On: The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

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Ten Years On: The Community Archaeology Project
Quseir, Egypt
Gemma Tully1

Received: 28-02-2009
Accepted: 10-05-2009

Abstract

The Community Archaeology Project Quseir (CAPQ), Egypt, celebrated its tenth anniversary
in 2008. The longevity of the project is a testament to its success. In this paper I shall outline
the history of the project and detail the various developments that have enabled the project to
grow together with the local community.
Developing a clear methodology and acknowledging education as the cornerstone of com-
munity archaeology have been at the heart of the project from the very beginning. Receiving the
first academic grant awarded to a community archaeology project in which determining a method-
ological strategy for community archaeology was the explicit aim, the CAPQ provides the most
explicit methodology for community archaeology published to date. Helping to establish com-
munity archaeology as a research topic in its own right, the CAPQ demonstrates the potential
for collaboration and reciprocal learning between seemingly distanced cultural and geographi-
cal, archaeological and local communities.
Keywords: Community archaeology; Methodology; Education.

Resum. Fa ja deu anys: el projecte d’arqueologia i comunitat de Quseir, Egipte

El projecte d’arqueologia i comunitat de Quseir (CAPQ), Egipte, va celebrar el seu desè aniver-
sari el proppassat 2008. La llarga durada del projecte fa palès el seu èxit. En aquesta presentació
explicaré breument la història del projecte detallant els diversos processos que han permès el crei-
xement conjunt del projecte amb la comunitat local.
El desenvolupament d’una metodologia clara i el reconeixement de l’educació com a pilar
central dels projectes d’arqueologia i comunitat han format el nucli del nostre projecte des de
l’inici. El fet de rebre el primer finançament acadèmic per un projecte d’arqueologia i comunitat,
amb l’objectiu explícit de determinar una estratègia metodològica per a aquest tipus de projectes,
fa que CAPQ proporcioni la metodologia més desenvolupada publicada fins a l’actualitat. De la
mateixa manera, demostra el potencial de col·laboració i d’aprenentatge mutu entre les comu-
nitats arqueològiques i locals, aparentment distanciades culturalment i geogràficament, ajudant
a establir els projectes d’arqueologia i comunitat com a camp d’investigació per dret propi.
Paraules clau: arqueologia comunitària; metodologia; educació.

1. University of Southampton. Department of Archaeology. School of Humanities. Highfield.

Southampton SO17 1BJ. [email protected]

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15, p. 63-78

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

Resumen. Hace ya diez años: el proyecto de arqueología y comunidad de Quseir, Egipto

El proyecto de arqueología y comunidad de Quseir (CAPQ), Egipto, celebró su décimo aniver-

sario en 2008. La longevidad del proyecto es el testimonio de su éxito. En esta aportación esbo-
zaré la historia del proyecto y detallaré los diversos procesos que han permitido el crecimiento
conjunto del proyecto con la comunidad local.
El desarrollo de una metodología clara y el reconocimiento de la educación como el pilar
central de los proyectos de arqueología y comunidad han conformado el núcleo de nuestro
proyecto desde sus inicios. Gracias a haber recibido la primera financiación académica para un pro-
yecto de arqueología y comunidad con el objetivo explícito de determinar una estrategia meto-
dológica para este tipo de proyectos, CAPQ proporciona la metodología más desarrollada publi-
cada hasta ahora. Asimismo demuestra el potencial de colaboración y aprendizaje mutuo entre las
comunidades arqueológicas y locales, aparentemente distanciadas cultural y geográficamente,
ayudando a establecer los proyectos de arqueología y comunidad como un campo de investiga-
ción por derecho propio.
Palabras clave: arqueología comunitaria; metodología; educación.

TULLY, Gemma. «Ten Years On: The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt». Treballs
d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15, p. 63-78.

Introduction with current debates concerning identity,

citizenship, heritage and beyond.
The greatest challenge confronting the mod- Since the end of World War II we
ern discipline of archaeology is to develop have seen a considerable shift in the glob-
a balance between «expert» and «public» in al order. The role of archaeology in the
order to maintain relevance to the lives of discussion of human history is changing
people today. This paper aims to address (MacDonald 1996). It is now acknowl-
this issue through the examination of com- edged that archaeology and its associated
munity based strategies for the exploration practices «construct the past» (Moser 2003:
and representation of the city of Quseir on 3). Over the last two decades those work-
the Red Sea coast, Egypt. Although focusing ing within the cultural fields of archaeol-
of a specific example, the groundbreaking ogy, museology and anthropology have,
work at Quseir has implications for the therefore, begun to consider the powerful
wider future of archaeology. Incorporating role that their disciplines play in the cre-
collaborative, community based method- ation of knowledge and thus, their impact
ologies, cross disciplinary knowledge and on the formation of modern identities (e.g.
addressing the general invisibility of «non- Karp and Lavine 1991, Ames 1992,
specialist» communities in archaeological Coombes 1994, Bennett 1995, Dean
and historical narratives, Quseir demon- 1996, Lidchi 1997, Moore 1997, Roberts
strates the potential for archaeology to find 1997, Hein 1998, Herle 2000, Hooper-
relevance with new audiences and engage Greenhill 2000, MacDonald 2002).

64 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

Post-war, post-modern theories pro- therefore offer one such inclusive method-
pose a relative concept of history. Recog- ology and highlight the potential of the
nising the impossibility for one person or subfield to address current issues of her-
culture to «decode» fully another (see e.g. itage, identity and citizenship. The CAPQ
Shanks and Tilley 1987, Tilley 1991, Hod- is an ideal platform for discussions of this
der and Hutson 2003), and that history is type, as diverse, ongoing collaboration
re-written every generation, does not how- between archaeologists and local commu-
ever necessitate the acceptance of complete nity members not only address issues of
cultural relativism. By taking a critical ownership and knowledge production, but
stance, mediating between diverse com- also geographical distance and the divi-
peting narratives and accepting the fact sions of politics, language and culture.
that meaning is «produced» by present day Aiming to expound upon these issues,
societies within specific contexts, we can I begin my discussion by detailing the
begin to engage in meaningful dialogues broad framework of the CAPQ: location,
within and between cultures. Thus, by con- history and methodology. Building upon
sidering community based approaches, the the foundations of the 2002 publication,
changing needs of audiences and by tak- Transforming archaeology through prac-
ing a more reflexive stance, archaeology tice: strategies for collaborative archaeol-
has begun to see beyond the tunnel vision ogy and the Community Archaeology
of its imperial roots. Project at Quseir, Egypt (Moser et al),
Coinciding with the ideological shift I proceed from the contextual to outline
taking place within all realms of heritage the specific Quseir sub-projects which have
ethics, we have also witnessed archaeolo- developed from, and alongside, this
gy take a step away from a narrow focus methodology. Helping forge a more rig-
on «things and places» to a greater consid- orous, socially relevant discipline, this
eration of anthropogenic issues (Barker paper brings the CAPQ up to date and
2003: 71) and the social relationships demonstrates the potential for «lived», col-
—public and professional— that revolve laborative archaeology to challenge the
around locations and objects (see Lynott hegemonic roots of the discipline and find
2003, chapters in Zimmerman et al 2003, real value in the world today.
Smith 2004). It has become clear that any
form of heritage based discussion of ethics
cannot be encompassed by an explicit set of Locating Quseir
rules. If the discourse is to maintain cred-
ible ethical awareness, ongoing negotia- Situated in a dry, inhospitable environment,
tion, critical reflection and debate are essen- sandwiched between the Red Sea and the
tial between all those (people and things) mountain foothills of the Eastern Desert,
affected by the exploration and presenta- the modern city of Quseir has a rich and
tion of the past. This means that change turbulent history. Located some 600 kilo-
is slow as, whilst practitioners readily metres south of Cairo, 150 kilometres from
acknowledge the necessity for innovation the banks of the Nile (fig. 2), Quseir is
and collaboration, few explicit method- building a new identity as it transforms
ologies have been proposed. Community itself from a fishing village into a tourist
based, collaborative archaeological approaches hideaway. Approximately eight kilometres

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15 65

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

to its north, now opposite a stretch of mod- In five field seasons held between 1999 and
ern hotels, lie the remains of Quseir al- 2003 (see Peacock et al. 2000, 2001, 2002,
Qadim (Old Quseir). The site, a Roman 2003), the wealth of artefacts (see
(1st Century BC to 3rd Century AD) and www.arch.soton.ac.uk/research/quseir),
later Mamluke harbour (13th-15th Cen- including the discovery of a papyrus frag-
tury AD), is of considerable archaeological ment, dated 25th March AD95, almost
significance (see Peacock 1993: 232, Blue undoubtedly confirmed the site to be the
and Dix 1999, 2000). First excavated in Ptolemaic and Roman port of Myos Hor-
the late 1970s by a team from the Univer- mos. Alongside its sister port Berenike,
sity of Chicago (see Whitcomb and John- some 300km to the south, the port was
son 1979, 1982), it was concluded that the central in trading networks between Rome,
site constituted the remains of the small the Mediterranean and the East. Aban-
Roman port of Leucos Limen (the white doned and then reoccupied sometime in
harbour) (fig. 1). Further investigation, the 13th century, the site then became an
however, conducted by David Peacock and important Mamluke centre and waqf port,
a team from the University of Southamp- acting as a hub for trade and place of pas-
ton, revealed Quseir al-Qadim to be of sage on the pilgrimage route to Mecca and
much greater archaeological importance. Medina.

Figure 1. Egypt map with the location of Quseir al-Qadim.

66 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

The history of the modern settle- The community of Quseir is as

ment of Quseir is of equal interest. inhomogeneous today as it was in the
Developing since the early 16th centu- past. Quseir is multifaceted and sup-
ry, the town continued to grow under a ports as many internal differences as
succession of rulers: Ottoman, French, similarities (Hall 1990), thus it is impor-
English and Egyptian. Shifting in pri- tant to avoid essentialism in the repre-
mary role from a trading post, to a Hajj sentation of the contemporary views of
port, phosphate centre and, at present, the community, just as with narratives
tourist hub, Quseir presents a distinct of the past. Following the work of
environment for collaborative archaeo- CAPQ team member Darren Glazier
logical practice (fig. 3). However, whilst (2003), a location based context was
on the one hand the city, embedded in found to be most appropriate in regard
a wealth of archaeological and historical to the specifics of Quseir. Glazier
narratives, appears ideal for the com- defined the local community to refer
munity approach, it simultaneously poses «solely to the people who live within, or
significant challenges to the collabora- close to, the modern city of Quseir»
tive ethos due to the diverse cultural (Ibid. 2003: 15). This particular defini-
backgrounds, identities and interests rep- tion, as opposed to a community clas-
resented. Under the invitation of the sification based on length of familial ties
director of excavation, David Peacock, or roots, makes it possible to talk about
Stephanie Moser initiated the commu- the community without enforced
nity archaeology project in order to homogenization, since the multiple,
explore the role of the past in the pres- intersecting identity constructs of class,
ent within this unique context. There- gender, religion, economic status, eth-
fore, developing an understanding of nicity and sexuality, can be addressed.
what and who comprised and comprise Overcoming the archaeological ten-
the ever changing modern community dency to ignore present-day, non-West-
of Quseir was, and remains, essential. ern communities that are not considered
to be «biological descendants» (Singleton
and Orser 2003: 144), a greater appreci-
The Community of Quseir ation of diaspora within a modern,
localised community enables the sub-dis-
There is no one definition of communi- cipline to move forward. Avoiding the
ty. On a basic level «community» can be danger of encouraging individuals to
defined as the group of individuals living locate their own identities within a par-
in the vicinity of the area being investi- ticular past, this approach also reveals
gated. Implying a sense of cohesion and how this past is perceived in relation to
solidarity, created through a common the present. Therefore, the important fac-
interest in a shared locale (Gilroy tor in the Quseir case is that the com-
1987:247), this notion of community munity is unified through location (the
cohesion, as with the notion of identity, city itself ), sharing the history and expe-
is however «created» as opposed to riences which shape individual, everyday
«authentic» (see Anderson 1983, Gilroy notions of local culture, heritage and
1987: 247, Urry 1995: 71). identity.

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15 67

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

Figure 2. The archaeological site of Quseir al-Qadim. Photograph: Gemma Tully.

Figure 3. The beach front in modern Quseir. Photograph: Gemma Tully.

68 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

The History of the Community Archae- see also Gero 1989, Meehan 1995, Field et
ology Project at Quseir al 2000). Providing the most explicit
methodology for community archaeolo-
Like any nation with a colonial past, the gy published to date (Moser et al 2002,
Egyptians have suffered under the hand developed in Tully 2007) and helping to
of Western appropriation (see Reid 1997, establish community archaeology as a
2002, MacDonald 2000, Meskell 2001). research topic in its own right, the CAPQ
However, whereas indigenous populations demonstrates the potential for collabora-
in Australia (e.g. Field et al. 2000) and tion and reciprocal learning between seem-
North America (e.g. McDavid 1997, ingly distanced cultural, geographical,
1999, 2000) have increasingly been archaeological and local communities. Sug-
involved in archaeological research, Egypt, gesting not only what needs to be done,
like many other recently independent but how and why such practice would be
nations, has been neglected. This oversight beneficial in strengthening archaeological
stems from differing social and political knowledge and community identities, the
climates. Whereas, both Australia and CAPQ methodology is not intended as a
North America are regularly faced with «recipe» but more as a means of facilitat-
the juxtaposition of «indigene» and ing and offering ideas for effective collab-
«coloniser», modern Egypt, now inde- orative involvement in the study of the
pendent2, falls largely outside the daily archaeological resource (Ibid.: 220, 229).
concerns of Western powers. Even though The seven key components proposed for
«The West’ still lays claim to much of the conduct of community archaeology
Egypt’s ancient past (Mitchell 1991, Reid include (Ibid.: 229-242):
2002, Moser 2006), the lack of direct
communication between Egyptian and 1) Communication and collaboration
Western archaeological communities 2) Employment and training
explains why the community approach 3) Public presentation
has been neglected in Egypt and in other, 4) Interviews and oral history
similarly placed, socio-political contexts. 5) Educational resources
The CAPQ, conceived in 1998 and 6) Photographic and video archive
set in motion in 1999, represents the first 7) Community controlled
attempt of its kind to bridge the gap merchandising
between the traditional archaeological
boundaries of «expert» and «local» in Numerous research projects have been
Egypt. Dealing with modern Quseir as carried out which, between them, discuss
much with its past, the CAPQ also and combine all aspects of the CAPQ
received the first academic grant awarded methodology (see Philips 2001, Conner
to a community archaeology project in 2001, Conner et al. 2002a, 2002b, Earl
which determining a methodological strat- 2002, Glazier 2003, Slack 2003, Jones
egy for community archaeology was the 2003, 2004, 2008, Tully 2005, forth-
explicit aim (Moser et al 2002, Tully 2007 coming, Smith 2006). It is to these vari-

2. Egypt gained full independence from British control after the 1952 revolution which led to
the formation of the Egyptian Republic in 1953.

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15 69

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

ous research projects that I now turn. clarity, I shall work through each of the
Demonstrating how a community archae- remaining methodological points to out-
ology project can become truly inclusive line the projects that worked most closely
on the local scale, I also expand upon the within each.
traditional boundaries of the sub-disci-
pline to address the potential role for col-
laborative, heritage, culture and identity Public Presentation
debate in the wider national and interna-
tional arena. Numerous collaborative projects have
explored strategies for the presentation of
Quseir, ancient and modern, for both the
Communication and Collaboration- local and visiting audience. Building upon
Employment and Training interview and oral history, these projects
aimed to represent equally both the local
Communication and collaboration repre- and the archaeological narratives. James
sent the foundations upon which all other Phillips (2001) looked at the way in which
aspects of community archaeology are archaeological «objects» are created and
built. Similarly, though not the focus of the tradition through which archaeology
an exclusive set of research at Quseir, classifies objects as solely «of the past.»
employment and training for both archae- Working collaboratively through inter-
ologists and community members are inte- views, Phillips proposed local interpreta-
gral to the success and sustainability of a tions of the objects found at Quseir al-
project. All of the CAPQ research proj- Qadim as a means through which different
ects have developed from the core princi- «object life-ways»3 could be incorporated
ples of communication and collaboration into the proposed Quseir heritage centre.
and have necessitated various levels of As part of a wider methodology aiming to
employment and training, from the hir- construct museum displays that look at
ing of a full-time community archaeolo- the whole life of an object and the role
gist within the city to the development of that both archaeological and subaltern per-
community led merchandising. These two spectives can play in the creation of dif-
methodological aspects are therefore ferent ways of «knowing» objects, this
implicit in the discussion of the five research promotes a view of objects that
remaining elements of the CAPQ method- is not just «of the past», to reveal their
ology below. Naturally, one needs to keep importance in the continual development
in mind the fact that collaborative research of meaning in the present.
carried out in Quseir encompassed not Alistair Jones’ work spans over six
just two or three of these methodological years of collaborative research with vari-
factors but most, if not all, of the seven ous members of the Quseir community
points outlined. However, for the sake of (2003, 2004, 2008). Considering the rep-

3. Phillips uses the term object life-ways in a similar sense to that of object biographies (Kopy-
toff 1986, Appaduari 1986, Gosden and Marshall 1999, Holtorf 1999). The term «life-way»
is however preferred as it implies a less linear object narrative which is more suitable to colla-
borative strategies for the discussion and presentation of the past.

70 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

resentation of Egyptian heritage in the community identity within Quseir.

museum environ, Jones suggests commu- Reflecting a local identity that is simulta-
nity based strategies for the development neously defined by the area’s archaeology,
of exhibitions, ranging from the specific history and folklore, Glazier demonstrates
context of Quseir to the wider «retelling» the «richer texture» of an archaeological
of the Egyptian past in British museums narrative that incorporates the oral histo-
(see also Tully forthcoming). Through col- ry of local communities. Glazier’s work
laborative work with individuals from the complements both collaborative practice
Quseir community, alongside findings and socio-political analysis in archaeolog-
from numerous literary, political, archae- ical scholarship, but goes beyond the lim-
ological and anthropological sources, his its of these studies to push the boundaries
work discusses the potential of folkloric of the sub-discipline by demonstrating the
and «performative» narratives to weave potential of collaborative archaeological
together the ancient and the modern in partnerships to generate research questions
the communication of more representa- and data of interest and relevance to all
tive perspectives of Egypt. Egyptian parties.
approaches to the structure and content
of exhibition messages are also central to
this goal. Challenging the «museological Educational Resources
distancing of the “other” by actually seek-
ing to drive elements of the display of In 2001 Andrew Conner submitted his
Egyptian archaeology with the narratives Masters thesis, Sharing Stories, Drawing
and memories of modern Egypt« (Jones on the Past. Detailing strategies for the
2008: 69), Jones represents a truly revo- production of educational resources for
lutionary approach to the issue of public the CAPQ, Conner focused on the devel-
presentation within collaborative archae- opment of collaboratively written chil-
ological practice. dren’s books about the Roman and Mam-
luke eras at Quseir al-Qadim. Aimed at
developing history resources for children of
Interview and Oral History primary age within the Quseir communi-
ty, the books also went towards commu-
Essential to the sharing of knowledge, nity controlled tourist merchandising.
interview and oral history represent the Examining the most effective way of pre-
main format through which community senting the past to young children in the
archaeology can begin to establish effec- collaborative archaeological context, this
tive modes of communication. Drawn research also took into consideration other
from 170 interviews conducted with both elements from the community project,
local residents and archaeologists in the such as excavations, local modes of learn-
city of Quseir, Darren Glazier’s Ph.D thesis ing and daily life experiences. With this
(2003) examined the relationship between community informed understanding in
archaeology, archaeologists and members place, Conner developed working strate-
of the local community. The work pro- gies for archaeological programmes which
vides a unique insight into the role of the took into account education in the con-
past in the construction of contemporary text of cultural difference, for example

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15 71

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

between Egyptian and British groups. The et al. 2001, Jarvis et al. 2003, Jarvis 2004),
result was the creation of a resource that the QSLP has since produced collabora-
was both educationally and commercial- tions that are both popular and relevant
ly viable whilst remaining fully collabora- to local children, adults, visitors and the
tive and the product of communication archaeologists (fig. 5).
with all relevant groups: children, school
teachers, local people and archaeological
specialists. Photographic and Video Archive
With the aim of furthering educa-
tional resources, in 2004 I began work on The work of Graeme Earl (2002) and
the Quseir Schools Learning programme Nicole Smith (2006) represents a combi-
(QSLP) (see Tully 2005) (fig. 4). From the nation of public presentation and the pro-
work of Conner (2001) and discussions duction of photographic, video and digi-
with the Quseir teachers it became clear tal archives for the CAPQ. Whereas Earl
that traditional, Westernised education used 3D modelling to deal with the issue
programmes, such as those used in most of «reconstructing» Quseir’s heritage,
museums (e.g. The Ashmolean Ancient Smith, after a request from the Quseir
Egypt Resource Pack n.d., Lloyd et al. community, formed a web based recourse
1991, Watson 1991, 1997, contributions to present the dataset from the CAPQ to
to Hooper-Greenhill 1994), were not suit- the World Wide Web community. Creat-
able for discussions concerning the past ed in total collaboration with a focus
in the Egyptian context, nor within the group from Quseir, Smith’s project
collaborative framework of community involved a consideration of the ways in
archaeology. Such teaching methods would which community archaeology has been
merely impose archaeological perspectives applied online in the past, and how inter-
on the local children rather than discov- net multimedia resources can be used to
ering their thoughts pertaining to Quseir’s enhance the future communication of
past. Therefore, a creative learning proj- community archaeology as a whole. The
ect, the QSLP, suited to both the cultural project also produced a downloadable
environment and the community archae- advice pack to aid other such projects in
ology ethos, was developed. Building upon the creation of an effective, community
the earlier success of children’s books co- based, collaborative online tool.
authored by two of the project members Aiming to bridge the digital divide
and the local community archaeologist between nations and create a community
(see Conner et al. 2002a, 2002b), the driven forum for discussion, positioning
QSLP tailored resources and activities to Quseir residents as «participants» rather
the story telling, folkloric and imaginative than «audience», Smith combined
way that many Egyptians learn about the advances in internet communication with
past (see Glazier 2003, Jones 2003, 2004, the need for effective, organically evolv-
2008). Developing active, imaginative, ing internet resources within collaborative
people centred, culturally relevant methods archaeological practice. In this case, rep-
of communication (see Hari and Akos resenting Egypt’s multiple pasts in the pres-
1988, Rogers & Freiberg 1994, Nanzhoo ent, the research reveals the potential for an
1996, OECD 1996, Delors 1996, Christal online resource both to store an archive

72 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

Figure 4. Local children involved in the Quseir Schools Learning Project (QSLP). Photograph:
Gemma Tully.

Figure 5. «Swaping Stories» Local Bedouin children tell the history of their tribe through song.
Photograph: Gemma Tully.

Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15 73

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

of information and reflect the multiplici- ing project, these resources are not finite
ty of meanings surrounding such data but part of continuous collaborative
in order to avoid static representations of involvement and development. Address-
culture. ing identity, heritage and citizenship, the
Quseir example therefore highlights how
archaeology can «become a relevant social
Community Controlled Merchandising science that says something about cul-
ture, selves and difference both in antiq-
Working within the collaborative context, uity and in a contemporary setting»
Kathryn Slack (2003) developed a (Meskell 1999: 224).
methodology to facilitate the production People need to find «common
of a range of souvenirs inspired by the dis- ground» to engage meaningfully with past
coveries at Quseir al-Qadim and the his- dialogues. Playing a vital role in main-
tory of the modern city. Combining com- taining the balance between the past, the
munity archaeology with the anthropology present and the future, community archae-
of tourism, theories of museum shop mar- ology therefore offers, at present, the best
keting and research carried out in British, way to meet the needs of diverse cultural
North and Central American and Egypt- and intellectual communities. The
ian museums, Slack worked with mem- research, however, also highlights a yet
bers of the Quseir community to promote unsolved problem within the sub-disci-
a series of objects «inspired by» not «copied pline, as, although promoting collabora-
from» the local past . Working with the tion at all stages of community archaeol-
local community in all aspects, from the ogy practice, archaeologists, partially due
design of items through to production and to the epistemological background of aca-
sale, the proposed merchandising method- demia, still struggle to escape the role of
ology would both enhance the sustain- the professional. Leading to the propaga-
ability of the wider CAPQ and offer a tion of community marginalisation, which
locally relevant alternative to the Pharaon- this form of discourse is ultimately trying
ic souvenirs that dominate the Egyptian to challenge, the sub-discipline still needs
market. to readdress the unification of individuals
with common interests in the past on an
equal level.
Conclusion One way of addressing the paradoxes
implied by the collaborative ideal is to
All of the projects outlined above discuss emphasise that academic output is only
the potential for their underlying princi- one (small) part of the process; it is the
ples to be employed, where appropriate, longer term outcomes that are most
in community archaeology projects else- important. The CAPQ addresses this issue
where. More importantly perhaps, the through the diversity of elements, beyond
diverse components that contribute to the academic, involved in its subjective,
the success of the CAPQ demonstrate the self-reflexive projects, which challenge the
need for equilibrium between the study divide between expert and non expert in
of the past and its use in the present. Rep- the shaping of knowledge. Following the
resenting «living» elements of an ongo- lead of CAPQ team member Alistair Jones

74 Treballs d’Arqueologia, 2009, núm. 15

 Ten Years On:
Gemma Tully The Community Archaeology Project Quseir, Egypt

(2008: 15-18), we therefore need to pro- «expert» led, collaborative archaeological

mote the term «collaborative archaeolo- practice, especially as we have the power
gy» as it is does not epitomise the archae- to represent communities through publi-
ology led, aid giving connotations of cations like this, for example. However,
«outreach», «public» and even «commu- balance can be achieved if community
nity archaeology». Jones suggests «collab- members play a more active role. Rather
oration in archaeological practices is about than being simply «informed» by the
rehabilitating fiction within non-fiction, archaeology or asked opinions on exhibi-
realigning centre and periphery; it is about tions only to be ultimately over-ruled,
being prepared to study the myths, the fic- communities need to be fully involved,
tions people live by and seeking to include positioning archaeologists as «stewards»
them within empirical enquiry, even if it (Zimmerman 1995, Lynott and Wylie
means that this enquiry is irrevocably 2000) as opposed to «leaders» to enable
changed in doing so» (Jones forthcoming: true compromise and the negotiation of
16). Admittedly, it is difficult to escape multiple identities and heritage narratives.

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