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The Oosterdalfsen excavation in the municipality of Dalfsen received a wealth of media attention in the Dutch and foreign press in spring 2015 (Bouma and van der Velde 2017) due to spectacular finds and a well-thought-out media strategy. The excavation sparked the imagination of the village, local politicians were positive, and the site was visited by large numbers of local residents. This article looks at the background of this excavation, why local politicians were so mistrustful of archaeologists before the excavation began, and how the local government turned an unexpected find not only into a short-term marketing asset but also into an enduring cultural program that is still active two years after the event.
The positive attitude of the government of Dalfsen toward its own archaeological heritage today contrasts sharply with the views expressed during previous projects. From the start of development-led archaeology in the Netherlands, archaeological projects have been undertaken at the municipality level. As such, Dalfsen illustrates an interesting example of the position of public archaeology in the Netherlands. Noteworthy projects include Oosterdalfsen (which spans the years from 2011 to the present) and the adjacent Gerner Marke (2001–2007) (Figure 1). Here, we will suggest that the way Dutch archaeologists designed archaeological projects during the early days of development-led archaeology impacted and influenced the effectiveness of public archaeology initiatives. We will look back at how these two major archaeological projects were designed and implemented and how this was perceived by the contracting authority. Of special interest is the way archaeologists themselves perceived their role in the system of spatial planning.
FIGURE 1.
Dalfsen and the location of the Gerner Marke and Oosterdalfsen projects (Source: ADC ArcheoProjecten, Amersfoort).
[Figure omitted. See PDF]
In this contribution, we will show that the relationship between contract archaeology and public archaeology is historically difficult due to the fact that archaeologists are seldom stationed in one place, so they are not able to build long-lasting relations with the public, and that contract archeologists do not have dedicated funding for community archaeology projects. After a brief summary of the results of the archaeological projects in Dalfsen, we will focus on the way the projects were perceived by the various stakeholders in the archaeological process: the local government, the villagers, and...