ABSTRACT
France has a High Council for Archaeological Research chaired by the Ministry of Culture. Its Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique has a special section promoting archaeological research and publication. In Britain there has never been a public agency devoted to archaeology, not even to the archaeology of Britain. Presently certain archaeological responsibilities are scattered between the Department of Education and Science (for funding university teaching), the Property Services Agency (maintaining monuments) and the Department of the Environment (ensuring that archaeology does not hinder development, though it has an Ancient Monuments branch which is supposed to protect sites). Some research funding is available from the British Academy, though in general university departments and museums have to manage as best they can, and all initiatives rely on the energies of the individual archaeologist.
