Duncan H. Brown (Southampton City Council; duncan.brown@southampton.gov.uk)and Andy Russel (Southampton City Council; andy.russel@southampton.gov.uk)

This session aims to examine in detail the way archaeology has contributed to an urban community. We will be looking closely at the archaeology of different periods and archaeology at different times. The development of our understanding of prehistoric, Roman, Saxon and medieval Southampton has been dependant on states of knowledge current in particular decades, so interpretations of the evidence in the sixties are different from those of today. The reasons for conducting excavation and the methods of recovery have also changed, along with the profile given in the local media to archaeological discoveries. These issues will be examined by representatives of different organisations who have worked in the city, and by looking at some of the ways archaeology was carried out and understood in previous decades.

Our intention is to bring these factors together to tell the story of how archaeology has developed in Southampton, and how that has contributed to a popular perception of the city and its past. Southampton has many archaeological assets, and several claims to archaeological fame, yet there remains a feeling that too few among the residents of the city fully understand that. The relationship between archaeologists and citizens will be explored by looking at the activities of amateur groups, and also the role of the museum.

By the end of the session it is hoped that a detailed examination of a single place will provide an insight into the aims of archaeological research, the role of archaeologists within a community, and the archaeology of a single place.

The session will begin and end with two longer contributions, with three shorter case studies in between. This will hopefully allow a thorough treatment of a subject that is almost a complete conference in itself, while providing plenty of time for discussion.