ABSTRACT
The notion of ‘the public’ in the sense of a collective body of citizens, and in contrast to the private realm, has been around since at least Roman times (Melton 2001: 1). However, there are two more specific meanings of the term, both of which are central to any discussion of public archaeology. The first is the association of the word ‘public’ with the state and its institutions (public bodies, public buildings, public office, the public interest), which emerges in the era of intensive state-formation from the Early Modern period onwards (ibid.). As far as archaeology is concerned, the opening of the British Museum in 1753 is probably the first instance of a state creating a public institution which includes the display of archaeological collections as part of its central remit.
