Susan Pearce (ed.). Visions of Antiquity. The Society of Antiquaries of London 1707-2007.

Susan Pearce (ed.). Visions of Antiquity. The Society of Antiquaries of London 1707-2007. SUSAN PEARCE (ed.). Visions of Antiquity. The Society ofAntiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society, based in the United Kingdom, concerned with "the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries". 1707-2007. xii+452 pages, 116 b&w colourillustrations, 27 tables. 2007. London: Society of Antiquaries ofLondon; 978-0-85431-287-0 hardback 75 [pounds sterling]. This rich and erudite er¡¤u¡¤dite?adj.Characterized by erudition; learned. See Synonyms at learned.[Middle English erudit, from Latin volume brings together a set of scholarlyarticles on the past, present and future of the Society of Antiquariesof London. Many of the papers emphasise the unusual origins of thissociety, formed through the private and professional passions ofgentlemen scholars for the study of antiquities (the Royal Charter onlybeing granted in 1751). With its origins in the early eighteenthcentury, the early interdisciplinarity of this society makes this volumean invaluable addition to the history of archaeology The history of archaeology has been one of increasing professionalisation, and the use of an increasing range of techniques, to obtain as much data on the site being examined as possible. OriginsThe exact origins of archaeology as a discipline are uncertain. , which will also beof interest to anthropologists, historians and social scientists. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The unusual 'fellowship' of this community made forlively debate, and various papers touch on both the serendipitous ser¡¤en¡¤dip¡¤i¡¤ty?n. pl. ser¡¤en¡¤dip¡¤i¡¤ties1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.2. The fact or occurrence of suc h discoveries.3. An instance of making such a discovery. relationships forged through its membership, as well as the tensions anddisagreements that arose in this ferment ferment/fer¡¤ment/ (fer-ment¡ä) to undergo fermentation; used for the decomposition of carbohydrates. fer¡¤mentn.1. of ideas and clash ofidentities (papers by MacGregor, Sweet and Hingley). The selectivemembership of the early Society--based both on financially demandingsubscriptions and personal connections--is not shied away from, andBarker's contribution updates this analysis by considering thecontemporary membership and constitution of the Society. Whilst somebiases are still evident (women are still under-represented althoughtheir relative percentage of the membership has risen over the last fewdecades), Gaimster sets out an important agenda for further diversifyinggrowth of this 'tree with many branches' (as Mortimer Wheeler Brigadier Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler CH, CIE, MC, FBA, FSA (September 1 0, 1890 Glasgow – July 22, 1976 London), was one of the best-known British archaeologists of the twentieth century. described the Society). Many of the papers skilfully set theinstitution's changing fortunes within the broader context ofcontemporary social events, as well as evaluate the influence ofindividual Presidents and their roles in politics or academia. Rivalryand competition with other institutions (such as the Royal Society) isalso colourfully discussed. Important issues--such as the development of deep-time chronologiesand challenging of biblically-based timeframes (Hingley), the refinementof typologies and critique of conceptual frameworks (Evans), or thecourse followed by protective legislation for monuments (Morris)--arewell documented and evaluated. Equally, some of the more recent rolesplayed by the Society are given prominence in later papers: vitalsupport for major excavation programmes in the twentieth century(Fulford), the Society's part in the inc reasing professionalisation Noun 1. professionalisation - the social process whereby people come to engage in an activity for pay or as a means of livelihood; "the professionalization of American sports"; "the professionalization of warfare"professionalization of the discipline (Barker) and its current remit as both advisory andlobbying group for contemporary issues of national archaeologicalimportance. This volume is lavishly illustrated with both black and whiteillustrations and colour plates, bringing out the marvellous visuallegacy of the Society; it includes an insightful evaluation of how earlyantiquarians were 'seen' (Woolf) as well as how theypioneered, fostered and encouraged the development of technically andaesthetically adept representations of antiquities (Myrone and Smiles).It also highlights the importance of the Society's financial,infrastructural and academic resources (such as its library and meetingplaces, see papers by Nurse and Sweet respectively). One of the keyacademic outcomes of the Society was Archaeologia, first published in1770, and initially based upon papers presented to the Society'smeetings and drawn from its minute books. Hingley presents a revealinganalysis of the topics and themes which featured in its pages, showinghow members' interests changed over rime. This is usefullycomplemented by Barker's later exploration of the content andcharacter of the Antiquaries Journal, published from 1921 onwards. Thelack of an extensive collection of objects is also considered bydifferent authors, and related to the private acquisition practices ofthe members and haphazard nature of donations, as well as lack ofquality material and appropriate storage or exhibition space. Had thingsbeen different, wonders Pearce, might this not have resulted in anational museum of archaeology? Meanwhile, papers by Evans and Smilesbring out the 'performance of the past' which characterisedthe nineteenth century meetings, with imaginative mag ic lantern shows,facsimiles, maps, plans, sections, models and reconstructions, all usedto bring the past to life. One of the highlights of this volume is the way in which individualpapers move with ease between the documentary and artefactual adj. 1. of or pertaining to an artefact.2. made by human actions.Adj. 1. artefactual - of or relating to artifactsartifactual evidencefor the Society's activities, bringing an up-to-date,museologically informed approach to the history of collecting,exhibiting and debating the past (especially papers by Pearce, Evans,Smiles and Turner). Individual members' biographies are explored inrelation to their network of connections, the changing ideological orconceptual frameworks within which they worked, and the material remainsupon which they established both their professional reputations as wellas the cornerstones of archaeological knowledge. These clearly written, fascinating studies are a pleasure to read,and the volume provides an indi spensable insight into not only into theworkings of an individual society, but the construction of thediscipline itself. MELANIE GILES School of Arts, Histories & Cultures, University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a university located in Manchester, England. With over 40,000 students studying 500 academic programmes, more than 10,000 staff and an annual income of nearly ¡ê600 million it is the largest single-site University in the United Kingdom and receives ,UK (Email: melanie.giles@manchester.ac.uk)