This web site hosts the MERC Manifesto, a document prepared by the Medieval Europe Research Community, a collective of medieval archaeologists from around the globe.
Europe’s Medieval Pasts: a Manifesto lays out our vision for a socially-engaged medieval archaeology, one with potential to enhance cultural value all across Europe. The document demonstrates the significance of the legacy and contemporary relevance of the medieval and early modern, and illustrates ‘Why Medieval Archaeology Matters’. The Manifesto builds upon the Burra Charter and highlights the guiding principles needed to foster and develop social value in the context of medieval archaeology. Case studies that embody one or more of these guiding principles are presented as examples of best practice.
As well as providing access to the Manifesto text, this site documents the process of formulating the Manifesto over a series meetings held at the Annual Meetings of the European Association of Archaeologists and workshops sponsored by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Download MERC Manifesto
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