Ancient Identities in Britain
Exploring heritage in the making
Richard Hingley (Author), Kate Sharpe (Author), Thomas Yarrow (Author)
How are ideas about Iron Age and Roman pasts relevant to people in contemporary Britain? And how do the interests and ideologies of our own society shape the way we present, curate and understand these histories? This book is the first detailed study to explore these questions. It addresses how Iron Age and Roman heritage in Britain is conceived and understood today and sheds new light on the continued social significance of these ancient histories.
Ancient Identities in Britain investigates how ideas about the Iron Age and Roman past remain socially relevant: how they are studied in UK classrooms and presented in the media, and how they are projected by ancient monuments, open-air museums, re-enactments, living history exhibits and community projects across England, Scotland and Wales. Adding to this survey, fieldwork and interviews at five heritage venues, including Vindolanda, Castell Henllys and Butser Ancient Farm, reveal the principles and motivations of professional staff and different styles of presentation for the public. An engaging and nuanced account of everyday practices, this study sheds new light on the processes through which heritage has been made. Throughout, Ancient Identities in Britain explores the actions, ideas and material conditions through which these periods become, and have become, heritage in the present, and investigates how contemporary social practices are transformed through encounters with material traces and conceptual legacies.
List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Preface
1 Introduction: myths, dualities and the making of places
Part I: Places and practices: venues, community archaeology and re-enactments
2 Ancient monuments: whose places?
3 Building a better yesterday? Re-constructing places
4 Re-enacting Iron Age and Roman pasts
5 The archaeological community and community archaeology
Part II: Sensing place and time: ethnographic approaches
6 Places apart and within: observations of a time traveller
7 Experiencing the past: empathy and engagement
8 Conclusion: imagining future pasts
References
Index
DOI: 10.14324/111.9781800089426
Publication date: 21 October 2025
PDF ISBN: 9781800089426
EPUB ISBN: 9781800089433
Hardback ISBN: 9781800089396
Paperback ISBN: 9781800089419
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Ancient Identities in Britain
Exploring heritage in the making
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Open Access PDF ISBN: 9781800089426
Paperback ISBN: 9781800089419
Hardback ISBN: 9781800089396
Trim size (hardback): 23.4cm x 15.6cm
Trim size (paperback): 23.4cm x 15.6cm
How are ideas about Iron Age and Roman pasts relevant to people in contemporary Britain? And how do the interests and ideologies of our own society shape the way we present, curate and understand these histories? This book is the first detailed study to explore these questions. It addresses how Iron Age and Roman heritage in Britain is conceived and understood today and sheds new light on the continued social significance of these ancient histories.
Ancient Identities in Britain investigates how ideas about the Iron Age and Roman past remain socially relevant: how they are studied in UK classrooms and presented in the media, and how they are projected by ancient monuments, open-air museums, re-enactments, living history exhibits and community projects across England, Scotland and Wales. Adding to this survey, fieldwork and interviews at five heritage venues, including Vindolanda, Castell Henllys and Butser Ancient Farm, reveal the principles and motivations of professional staff and different styles of presentation for the public. An engaging and nuanced account of everyday practices, this study sheds new light on the processes through which heritage has been made. Throughout, Ancient Identities in Britain explores the actions, ideas and material conditions through which these periods become, and have become, heritage in the present, and investigates how contemporary social practices are transformed through encounters with material traces and conceptual legacies.
