Shriya Gautam

Speaking Archaeologically

     Speaking Archaeologically

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Motto "Forgotten History is Forgotten Culture" Founded 2015 Founder Shriya Gautam Field Archaeology Services Archaeological Training Educational Workshops Educational Seminars Conferences Cultural Activities

Speaking Archaeologically is an archaeological education group, based in India, which focuses on Object Analysis, documentation of neglected and forgotten archaeological sites and Rescue Archaeology. It was founded in June 2015 by Shriya Gautam, a freelance archaeologist, along with her colleagues, Lyn Pease, Catherine Holtham-Oakley, Max Zeronian-Dalley and Molly Lockeyear. The group operates on almost all social networking forums, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogger and Instagram, for the purposes of site documentations and archaeological education and was registered for the same on July 1, 2015. On June 1, 2017, the group launched its own YouTube channel to showcase its activities and host lectures on archaeology.

History

Founding

Speaking Archaeologically first came to existence as a Facebook Page, aimed to bring neglected archaeological sites and objects in private collections on the global archaeological radar. It also aimed at facilitating archaeological research, especially with respect to sites and objects which have not been previously documented or adequately researched about. For the first year of its existence, it provided free reading lists as well as copyright free image access to all its followers about the sites and the objects it showcased.

Volunteering and Public Involvement

Citizen Archaeology

The group launched its first public involvement drive shortly after its foundation, aiming to engage general public to "narrate the story past has to tell us." The movement was called Citizen Archaeology and was launched on Twitter and Facebook simultaneously, directed at both academics as well as amateurs with an interest in history. Subsequently, the group expanded to Instagram and Pinterest with the aim of involving more photographers and popularising its own site covers as well as creating awareness.

In June 2016, Citizen Archaeology evolved into a membership option for students and travel bloggers, who wished to publish their photographs with the group and host their travelogues on the group's blog. In 2017, a vlogging or video blogging option was extended to the members, with the aim of hosting it on the Speaking Archaeologically YouTube channel.

Introductory Seminars and Workshops

In October 2015, the first Introductory Seminar to Speaking Archaeologically was held in MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh followed by a similar event in DAV College Chandigarh, where the aims and objectives of the group were highlighted in front of the staff and students, so that more people could participate. A third Introductory Seminar was held in December 2015, in Army Public School at Ferozepur, Punjab, to emphasize the importance of archaeology among young students,

In November 2015, the first open-to-public hands-on Object Analysis Workshop was held in Chandigarh for British Indian Coinage and Coinage of Indian Princely States. Participants were encouraged to bring in coins from their personal collections and were taught identification, cleaning and preservation techniques for coins. Another short workshop on Medieval Miniature Painting styles and study of miniature paintings was also held in November 2015.

In January 2016, a Workshop on using Philately as a Source of Historic Information was held in Chandigarh. In March 2016, MCM DAV College for Women invited Speaking Archaeologically to host a Workshop on the Ethnoarchaeological History of Silk. These were followed by a Workshop on Medieval Indian Coinage Handling and Studying African Woodwork with respect to the Bembe tribe. With the exception of the first, all Speaking Archaeologically Workshops are free for Volunteers and cost a nominal participation fee for the general public.

Membership

In November 2015, Speaking Archaeologically first welcomed Volunteers for its Research Wing from schools and colleges across North India. These were honorary members, who were taught the basics of research techniques in archaeology, museology and archaeological planning. In June 2016, a Member Recruitment Drive was held in Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, where new Volunteers were recruited for Research Wing, Citizen Archaeology and a new wing for Workshop attendance.

Types of Membership	Fee	Perks
Research Wing	Rs 600 or £7	Free attendance to workshops, seminars and lectures as well as lessons and tasks based on world archaeology, archaeological photography, fieldwork and object handling. Members can also host and post archaeologically relevant travel related content on all Speaking Archaeologically forums and blogs.
Workshop Membership	Rs 300 or £3	Free attendance to workshops and access to printed and study material, worksheets and handouts
Citizen Archaeology	Rs 200 or £2	Access to Speaking Archaeologically Blog and YouTube channel and Photoblogging platforms.

Seminars and Lectures

The first Speaking Archaeologically seminar was held in the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh, in November 2015 which dealt with Palaeolithic Archaeology and Human Evolution. An on-site lecture on Panchayatna Temples was held in Bhima Devi Temple Complex in Pinjore in February 2016, which dealt with Temple archaeology, architectural styles and site documenting and mapping. In July 2016, an object study session was held in the Himachal State Museum, Shimla which was followed by a series of Sculpture sessions held for all Volunteers in the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, between December 2016 and January 2017.

In October 2016, a live session was held in real time by Max Zeronian Dalley on Crusader Castles and their associated archaeology.

In March 2017, Speaking Archaeologically documented sites and participated in live object analysis sessions from various archaeological places in England, especially Calleva Atrebatum in Silchester, the Old Winchester Hill, Wolvercote and Avebury Stone Circle. The Members also got to interact with various archaeologists from Butser Ancient Farm, University of Oxford and University of Kent through real time Q&A sessions.

In June 2017, the Research Wing members undertook a three-day archaeological expedition to Kasauli Hills for the purpose of observing old architectural techniques and understanding the hazards development poses on archaeological sites.

In October 2017, the group recruited new members in all wings after an on-the-spot artefact analysis workshop in the Natural History Museum at Chandigarh. It then held various site surveying expeditions in and around Pinjore and Morni Hills in Haryana from November 2017 to April 2018. In April 2018 a lecture on Quantitative Approach to Object Analysis was also held in association with the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh for members and non members.

Papers and Publications

Various research projects by Research Wing and the Panel of Speaking Archaeologically have been both published and presented in national and international conferences.

A thorough study of Monastic Architecture in Ladakh written by Shriya Gautam, Vedant Chandel and Rakshanda Thakur was published in Arnava Shodha Sanstha's eponymous research journal. Another research project on Dogra Jewellery was presented in a National Conference held by Science and Management Society, Himachal Pradesh in December 2016 and a third project on The Great Mythological Flood and Indian Identity: What Genetics show us about the Creation Myth was presented at an International Interdisciplinary Conference on Water Culture in India organised by Sadguru Education and Welfare Association (SEWA) Kalyan, Maharashtra in May 2017. The Group also raised concern on the state of neglect of the monument Sarai Amanat Khan at a conference on Monuments of Medieval India held by the Indian Council of Historic Research in November 2017 and a paper on preservation of Buddhist Stupa sites was published in the journal, Arnava, yet again in December 2017.

In March 2018, Shriya Gautam represented he group in the International Conference on Order and Chaos, organised by the Graduate Archaeology at Oxford, University of Oxford and spoke about the threats of urbanisation on the archaeological sites in Allahabad.

Currently, the group is working on a Temple Project and also aiming to release a journal publishing their own researches independently.

Restoration Projects

In June 2016, an Art Revival Workshop was hosted by Speaking Archaeologically. The workshop was organised with the motive of spreading inspiration for restoration of Raja Dhaulpur House in Kandaghat, erstwhile Kohistan of the Princely State of Patiala. The building is now the Government Degree College, Kandaghat,in Solan District of Himachal Pradesh.

The College Management Team and Speaking Archaeologically jointly held an art competition in order to form a team of mural restorers for the purpose at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh. A team of seven artists was selected from all over India after a live-art session and two online submission deadlines.

The selected team was, then, trained in restoration processes and worked from July 7 to July 10, 2017 on the Indo-Saracenic Panels in the Maharaja Dhaulpur Residence. Mughal Miniature paintings, Pahari art and paintings inspired by folk tragic romances and heroes of Punjab were used as inspiration for the artwork.

At the end of the project, the College Management Team selected the three best panels from the restored ones and awarded prizes besides formal letters of recommendation and certificates to the restorers. The event was duly recorded and posted on the Speaking Archaeologically YouTube channel and was covered by all major local and national dailies.