Presented Past

<p><em>The Presented Past</em> is concerned with the differences between the comparatively static well-understood way in which the past is presented in schools museums and at historic sites compared to the approaches currently being explored in contemporary archaeology. It challenges the all-too-frequent representation of the past as something finished understood and objective rather than something that is `constructed' and therefore open to co-existing interpretations and constant re-interpretation. <br> Central to the book is the belief that the presentation of the past in school curricula and in museum and site interpretations will benefit from a greater use of non-documentary sources derived from archaeological study and oral histories. The book suggests that a view of the past incorporating a larger body of evidence and a wider variety of understanding will help to invigorate the way history is taught. <em>The Presented Past</em> will be of interest to teachers archaeologists cultural resource managers in fact anyone who is concerned with how the past is presented.</p>