ABSTRACT
The transformation of particular places is an inevitable consequence of archaeological excavation, central to the way in which archaeology, as a distinct form of historical and material practice, creates, alters and destroys memory. To expand upon this, and as a way of introducing my wider topic, I would like to draw upon a personal recollection of one of the first excavations in which I participated, before beginning my formal education in archaeology and anthropology. The name and precise location of the site are of secondary importance here, as I do not wish to make any direct moral or political point. Rather I wish to highlight the way in which political considerations may enter, more or less consciously, into the very methods and practice of excavation, if we take the time and trouble to find out about the people whose landscapes we are altering, and their more immediate histories. 1
