We are excited to announce that an article from Internet Archaeology has been nominated for an Archaeological Achievement Award! The online publication of Hollis Croft: a comic tale has been nominated in the category ‘Public dissemination or Presentation’.
A historical comic book, written by Mili Rajic and illustrated by independent artist Dave Howarth, was produced following the excavation of the industrial site at Hollis Croft in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The original excavations by Wessex Archaeology inspired a great deal of public interest, and so a comic book (Mili is a big comic fan) was devised and published alongside a more traditional article in Internet Archaeology that detailed the results of the excavation.
The comic uses the local landscape and factual historical/archaeological context of the site, as detailed in the Internet Archaeology article, but is a work of fiction. Locations mentioned in the comic appear as they were in 2017 and in 1850. Hollis Croft in Victorian Sheffield has been reconstructed using the archive from the excavation, historic Ordnance Survey maps and other written records. An X on the 12 full page illustrations in the comic marks a ‘clickable spot’, which takes readers straight to the excavation report, digital archive or other documents and images concerning the site and the project.
“Telling stories about the past is what archaeologists do. A comic, especially one that integrates and connects directly with the archaeological data, is a great example of how a different/novel form of publication can help us tell those stories. By further transforming archaeology into something that is interesting, meaningful, relevant, and useful to communities and the public in the context of their daily lives, we can foster a real and long lasting connection with the past.” – Judith Winters (Editor, Internet Archaeology)
You can read the article and the comic for free via Internet Archaeology.
Tuck, A. and Rajic, M. 2021 Hollis Croft, Sheffield, South Yorkshire: Old site and new connections, Internet Archaeology 56. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.56.4
Hollis Croft – the site
In 2017, a team from Wessex Archaeology investigated a site, Hollis Croft (NGR 434990 387580), prior to the construction of a housing development. Hollis Croft is one of many Sheffield’s sites where well-preserved industrial archaeology survives beneath modern buildings. Archaeological investigation at the site revealed the substantial 18th and 19th-century remains of several steel conversion furnaces, constructed by Burgin and Wells and W. Fearnehough Ltd. Wessex Archaeology also discovered metres of entwined brick-built flues, traces of two pubs – The Cock and The Orange Branch – and a wide range of finds that were all indicative of both industrial activity and the everyday lives of the workers.
The Internet Archaeology article and comic is associated with a digital archive held by the ADS that contains a final report, two interim reports, three written schemes of investigation, the original site records, photographs and CAD survey of the excavations.
Emma Carter, Jenny Crangle, Milica Rajic, Ashley Tuck (2020) Hollis Croft, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Archaeological Excavation (OASIS ID: wessexar1-309354) [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1079016
The Archaeological Achievement Awards
The Archaeological Achievement Awards, as presented by the Council for British Archaeology, are a showcase for the best in UK and Irish archaeology. They encompass five Awards including Early Career Archaeologist, Learning, Training and Skills, Archaeology and Sustainability, Public Dissemination or Participation and Engagement and Participation. These awards celebrate every aspect of archaeology and its contribution to society and environmental sustainability. The awards ceremony for this year will take place at the De Grey Rooms, York on the evening of Friday 24 November 2023.
