Akira Matsuda

... created sensation in Italian and international academia (Angrisani 1935, 1937), it soon ran out of funds and was suspended in 1935, and the entire site was backfilled in 1939 (D'Avino 1979). ... I am indebted to Fabio Romano, who assisted me in the arrangement of the interviews. ...

Since its very beginning, archaeology has in many senses always related to a much wider constituency than just archaeologists. Archaeological excavations, for example, have affected and been affected by the lives and activities of people in nearby communities. ...

Context permitting, should public archaeologists allow “archaeologically incorrect” accounts of the past? In this paper I discuss this question through a case study based on the experience of myself and my colleagues at the excavation of the Villa of Augustus in Somma Vesuviana, Italy. In 2003 and 2004, we became aware that some visitors to the excavation interpreted the site by reference to a legend of the tunnel of Queen Giovanna, which had existed in Somma Vesuviana over the centuries. Although initially interested in this phenomenon, we soon realised that we needed to make certain judgements as to how to respond to local people asking whether the tunnel had been discovered in the excavation. We presented two different ways of interpreting the site, one based on archaeology and the other on the legend, and both as equally meaningful, while at the same time stressing what we as archaeologists believed, based on what we had found. In this process we decided to adhere to the principles of archaeology, even in embracing the multivocality of material remains.RésuméSelon le contexte, les experts archéologues doivent-ils relayer les interprétations «archéologiquement incorrectes» du passé? Au cours de cet article, j’aborde cette question au travers d’une étude de cas basée sur l’expérience que mes collègues et moi-même avons vécue lors de la fouille archéologique de la villa d’Auguste à Somma Vesuviana, en Italie. En 2003 et 2004, nous avons réalisé que certains visiteurs du site de fouille l’avaient interprété en s’appuyant sur la légende séculaire à Somma Vesuviana du tunnel de la reine Giovanna. Bien qu’initialement intéressés par ce phénomène, nous avons rapidement compris la nécessité de faire des choix concernant la réponse à apporter à la population locale, qui demandait si le tunnel avait été découvert au cours des fouilles. Nous avons présenté deux axes d’interprétation du site: l’un basé sur l’archéologie et l’autre sur la légende, en prenant soin de leur donner une importance équivalente mais tout en insistant sur ce que nous, en tant qu’archéologues, avions déduit de nos découvertes. Ce faisant, nous avons décidé d’adhérer aux principes de l’archéologie, en embrassant même la multivocalité des vestiges matériels.ResumenSiempre que lo justifique el contexto, ¿deberían los arqueólogos públicos permitir descripciones del pasado «incorrectas desde el punto de vista arqueológico»? En este trabajo, analizo esta cuestión a la luz de un estudio de caso basado en la experiencia que, tanto mis compañeros como yo, tuvimos en la excavación de Villa Augustus en Somma Vesuviana, Italia. En 2003 y 2004, nos dimos cuentos de que algunos visitantes de la excavación interpretaban el yacimiento en función de una leyenda sobre el túnel de la Reina Juana, con varios siglos de antigüedad en Somma Vesuviana. Aunque inicialmente nos interesamos por este fenómeno, pronto nos percatamos de que debíamos valorar la respuesta que dábamos a los lugareños que nos preguntaban si el túnel había sido descubierto en la excavación. Presentamos dos interpretaciones distintas del yacimiento: una basada en la arqueología y la otra, en la leyenda, las dos igualmente significativas, aunque dejando claro nuestra opinión como arqueólogos en función de los descubrimientos realizados. En este proceso decidimos adherirnos a los principios de la arqueología, aunque aceptando la multivocalidad de los restos materiales.

Context permitting, should public archaeologists allow “archaeologically incorrect” accounts of the past? In this paper I discuss this question through a case study based on the experience of myself and my colleagues at the excavation of the Villa of Augustus in Somma Vesuviana, Italy. In 2003 and 2004, we became aware that some visitors to the excavation interpreted the site by reference to a legend of the tunnel of Queen Giovanna, which had existed in Somma Vesuviana over the centuries. Although initially interested in this phenomenon, we soon realised that we needed to make certain judgements as to how to respond to local people asking whether the tunnel had been discovered in the excavation. We presented two different ways of interpreting the site, one based on archaeology and the other on the legend, and both as equally meaningful, while at the same time stressing what we as archaeologists believed, based on what we had found. In this process we decided to adhere to the principles of archaeology, even in embracing the multivocality of material remains.