Digging Lincoln: An Archaeological Memoir

Digging Lincoln is a uniquely personal account of how a record of the city’s rich archaeology was recorded from the time of the early antiquaries through to the commercially funded professional teams of today, by someone who was closely involved in a senior capacity for over half a century. The author recounts his background and initiation into archaeology, and the various arrangements under which an archaeological team for the city of Lincoln operated over the next few decades. It was both an exhilarating time and full of important discoveries, but also at times a struggle to survive in the face of other forces. Over that long period, appreciation of the importance of Lincoln’s archaeological story and its public presentation have grown remarkably, such that it has now become a major heritage destination.

Table of Contents:
Preface and acknowledgements   Part One: From the Pit to the Trench Chapter 1: A personal backstory Chapter 2: 1966-70: Beginning in archaeology   Part Two: The Early History of Archaeology in Lincoln Chapter 3: Shoulders and giants: antiquarians to archaeologists, c. 1700 - c. 1900 Chapter 4: 1906-1970: A museum and a research committee   Part Three: Urban Archaeology in Lincoln Chapter 5: 1970-72: Becoming urban archaeologists Chapter 6: 1972-74: A new trust for Lincoln’s archaeology Chapter 7: 1974-78: City under the county Chapter 8: 1978-84: Stability challenged and restored Chapter 9: A major exhibition: Lincoln comes of age, 1984 Chapter 10: 1984-88: County unit, and a new crisis Chapter 11: 1988-94: Another new dawn - another city unit Chapter 12: 1995-2000: Unit in distress Chapter 13: 2000-2005: Into the city Chapter 14: 2006-12: Winding up Chapter 15: 2012 On: Investment in Lincoln’s heritage reaches new heights Chapter 16: Epilogue: some reflections   Appendix: Some Wider Horizons Some Further Reading Index

About the Author :
A native of South Yorkshire, after studying at the University of Manchester (1966-72) Michael J. Jones spent almost all his professional career in the city of Lincoln, becoming Director of the city's archaeology team in 1980 and City Archaeologist in 2000. He has particular knowledge of Roman military and urban archaeology, and later developed expertise in the archaeology of the early Christian church and its international context. His job demanded also that sites of prehistoric to post-medieval date were explored, and that the results were made available not only to academic audiences but also to the wider public and schoolchildren. He has won awards for his work from the Society of Antiquaries of London, the University of Lincoln, and Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, where he is currently an Honorary Associate Professor. He has written a number of books and archaeological reports, as well as countless articles on the city's archaeology and related matters. He has served on a number of local and national bodies, notably the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, of which he has been President.