ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on in-depth physical involvement during excavation, for archaeological excavation in situ is a very special and valuable resource for those members of the public who are interested in archaeology. It discusses a public involvement programme for local people during the excavation at Nanwang, to set an example for colleagues on how to share archaeological excavation in situ with the public in China. Archaeologists have no right to ignore people who want to get involved in the process of excavation; for all archaeology is public archaeology, whether in terms of the funding or the audience of the final product. Once excavated, they cannot be reassembled. To sum up, archaeological excavation in situ has archaeological, educational and social values. Education is inextricably linked to archaeology because archaeology provides the raw data for the teaching of those subjects concerned with the social world.
