Networks across the Border: Investigating prehistoric social and cultural networks through the Tyne-Forth Prehistory Forum

英格兰和苏格兰被一条政治边界分隔开来，这条边界从贝里克河（Berwick）沿特威德河（River Tweed）中部流下，然后将切维奥特山（Cheviot Hills）一分为二。它从公元11世纪就存在了。没有证据表明史前存在任何边界，然而对史前感兴趣的考古学家经常在这条边界的一边或另一边工作。但是，如果我们把泰恩河周围到福斯河周围的景观和考古遗迹视为未被边界分割的呢？然后我们可以考虑史前社区在这片土地上建立和维持社会网络的更广泛的模式。要做到这一点，我们需要创建一个新的社会网络，将来自英格兰和苏格兰的考古学家和其他专家聚集在泰恩-福斯史前论坛上。我们已经进行了两次“试验”，我们可以把这些考古学家、对人们使用的材料感兴趣的专家、对了解人们曾经如何生活和耕作感兴趣的科学家、保存和保护考古遗址和景观的同事，以及那些充满活力的火花的业余爱好者聚集在一起。我们知道这个想法是有效的：我们在第一届泰恩-福斯史前论坛上审查了现有“区域研究框架”的状态；第二次，我们开始讨论生活在切维奥特丘陵高地环境中的史前社区。这个论坛的成员有极大的热情来加速这种互动，并共同研究如何进行进一步的研究来调查这些过去的社区及其环境。我们正在为泰恩-福斯论坛申请财政支持。特别是，我们要求支付参加我们会议的费用，这些会议包括：为获得资助而苦苦挣扎的年轻研究人员、退休的专家、没有资金来源的业余爱好者，以及如今很少有机会与研究问题作斗争的考古承包商。我们将通过实地考察史前景观的证据，并在该地区各地的不同地点举行会议。我们提出的会议计划将把不同的研究小组团结在一起，成为一个可以在未来几年继续合作的社区。我们的目标是成为一个可以比较工作方法和术语的辩论论坛，在这里可以讨论我们地区的特殊和重要之处，并可以比较与邻近地区的相似之处。我们打算创造一个空间，在那里我们可以讨论现有知识的差距，以及我们如何制定战略来学习更多知识，在那里我们可以汇集许多专家的工作，否则他们很少开会讨论这些主题，在那里我们可以分享和发展专业知识。为此，我们将在亚太地区的不同地点举行五次主题会议、实地考察主要地点和景观，以及通过电子通讯、网页和杂志来实现这一目标。我们将广泛宣传我们的活动，并鼓励新成员加入已经承诺的65个左右。有许多前沿话题需要探索，从人们如何居住在不断变化的景观中，到支持过去社区的社会和贸易联系，到文化的异同（例如，他们如何对待死者），再到这些社会是如何组织和结构的。我们将通过帮助个人会面规划和讨论这类项目，鼓励新的合作研究。当我们项目的财政支持停止时，我们的联系和合作将更加牢固和持久，我们预计，从本次论坛中产生的研究项目将导致未来进一步的会议和讨论。我们期望这项AHRC网络资助将帮助我们建立新的、包容性的研究社区，以应对跨越边境调查史前社会网络的挑战。

England and Scotland are separated by a political boundary that runs down the middle of the River Tweed from Berwick and then slices the Cheviot Hills in two. It has been there since the 11th century AD. There is no evidence any boundary existed in prehistory, yet archaeologists interested in prehistory have often worked on one side or other of this border. But what if we approached the landscape and the archaeological remains from around the River Tyne to around the River Forth as undivided by the border? Then we could consider the wider patterns made by prehistoric communities in establishing and maintaining their social networks across this landscape. To do this we need to create a new social network, bringing archaeologists and other specialists from England and Scotland together in the Tyne-Forth Prehistory Forum. We have already explored in two 'trials' that we can bring together these archaeologists, specialists interested in the materials people used, scientists interested in understanding how people once lived and farmed, colleagues who conserve and protect archaeological sites and landscapes, and those vital sparks, the amateur enthusiasts. We know the idea works: we reviewed the state of the existing 'regional research frameworks' at the first Tyne-Forth Prehistory Forum; at the second we began to discuss prehistoric communities living in the upland environments of the Cheviot Hills. There is great enthusiasm among members of this forum to accelerate this interaction and to investigate together how further research can be conducted to investigate these past communities and their environments. We are applying for financial support for the Tyne-Forth Forum. In particular we are asking to cover the cost of attending our meetings for young researchers struggling on grants, experts retired from work, amateur enthusiasts with no sources of money and archaeological contractors who nowadays find few chances to grapple with research questions. We will prehistoric evidence in the landscape through a field visit and hold meetings in various venues around the region. The programme of meetings we propose will knit the diverse research groups together as a community which can continue collaboration for years to come. We aim to be a forum for debate in which methods of working and terminologies can be compared, where what is special and important about our region can be discussed, and similarities with neighbouring regions can be compared. We intend to create a space where we can discuss gaps in existing knowledge and how we might develop strategies to learn more, where we can bring together the work of many specialists who otherwise seldom meet to discuss these themes and where expertise can be shared and developed. We will do this through five themed conference meetings held at different venues around the region, a field trip to key sites and landscapes, and through e-newsletters, a web-page and magazine pieces. We will advertise our events widely and encourage new members to join the 65 or so already committed. There are many cutting-edge topics to explore, from how people inhabited their changing landscapes, to the social and trade links that supported past communities, to cultural similarities and differences (in, for instance, how they treated their dead), to how these societies were organised and structured. We will encourage new, collaborative research by helping individuals meet to plan and discuss such ventures. Our links and collaborations will be much stronger and more enduring by the time this financial support for our project ceases, and we anticipate that research projects springing from this Forum will lead to further conferences and discussions in the future. We expect this AHRC networking funding will help us establish new, inclusive research communities equal to the challenge of investigating prehistoric social networks across the Border.