ABSTRACT
In 1996, when discussing forensic archaeology, Charles Thomas questioned whether some archaeologists were perhaps guilty of selling themselves short, and whether we might apply our skills in outer space! He considered that the ability of many to ‘hypothesise inferences from visible, tangible evidence’ (Thomas 1996: 14) was a skill that should be confidently deployed, not only in archaeology but in any context, and that most of our techniques, both field and scientific, have much wider potential than we realise. He effectively reminded archaeologists that our approaches and expertise have relevance outside of traditional archaeological frameworks, and questioned the frequently encountered impression of a precious and exclusive discipline, one with little social relevance and one not fit to face up to the challenges of ‘final frontiers’ (ibid. 14).
