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Prospects of Public Archaeology in Heritage Management in Bangladesh: Perspective of Wari-Bateshwar

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Abstract

Culture wandered through the plain-lands of Himalayan valley all through Bangladesh, enriching the heritage and diversity of this piece of land for centuries. This country, hence, witnesses numerous changes in its geo-political graph and inherits a reach archaeological heritage. In this land, the practice of archaeology has also witnessed a historical development. With the passage of time, the archaeological practices have found a new dimension in terms of diversities and development. New theories and excavations enriched the whole practice. With the foundation of a new era, new views and motifs have splayed roots in the ground of archaeological practices. Public archaeology is one of the newest areas on which archaeology and archaeological practices are been flourishing lately. This article tries to find out the prospects and the importance of Public Archaeology in Bangladesh in the perspective of the stupendous excavation taken place at Wari-Bateshwar.

Résumé

La culture s’est diffusée à travers les plaines de la vallée de l’Himalaya jusqu’au Bangladesh, venue enrichir l’héritage et la diversité de ce territoire pendant des siècles. Ce pays se voit donc soumis à des transformations nombreuses quant à sa carte géopolitique et il est dépositaire d’un héritage archéologique considérable. La pratique de l’archéologie dans ce pays a également connu une évolution historique. Au cours du temps, les pratiques archéologiques ont trouvé une dimension nouvelle en termes de diversité et de développement. Des théories ainsi que des fouilles nouvelles sont venues enrichir la pratique dans son ensemble. Avec l’avènement d’une ère nouvelle, des conceptions et des motifs inédits ont pris racine dans le terreau des pratiques archéologiques. L’archéologie publique est l’un des secteurs les plus récents dans lequel l’archéologie et les pratiques archéologiques ont récemment prospéré. Cet article s’attache à identifier les perspectives et l’importance de l’archéologie publique au Bangladesh dans le contexte des fouilles extraordinaires engagées à Wari-Bateshwar.

Resumen

La cultura ha vagado por las tierras llanas del valle del Himalaya atravesando Bangladesh, enriqueciendo el patrimonio y diversidad de este trozo de tierra durante siglos. Por ello, este país es testigo de numerosos cambios en su gráfica geo-política y hereda un rico patrimonio arqueológico. En esta tierra, la práctica de la arqueología también ha sido testigo de un desarrollo histórico. Con el paso del tiempo, las prácticas arqueológicas han encontrado una nueva dimensión en términos de diversidades y desarrollo. Nuevas teorías y excavaciones han enriquecido toda la práctica. Con la fundación de una nueva era, nuevas visiones y motivos han esparcido sus raíces en el terreno de las prácticas arqueológicas. La arqueología pública es una de las novísimas áreas en las que la arqueología y las prácticas arqueológicas están floreciendo últimamente. Este artículo trata de averiguar las perspectivas y la importancia de la Arqueología Pública en Bangladesh con la perspectiva de la asombrosa excavación que está teniendo lugar en Wari-Bateshwar.

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Acknowledgement

I am grateful to my colleagues of Oitihya-Onneswan to perform a successful research in the Archaeological Excavation Project at Wari-Bateshwar. I would like to thank all who helped and encouraged us during our excavation. I also would like to thank my friend Ghulam Murshed, sub-editor of the daily news paper New Age and Md. Jahurul Islam, Lecturer of Department of Archaeology, Jahangirnagar University to help me editing the paper. I owe a debt to Sanyat Sattar, Visiting Foreign Faculty of Centre for International Education and Exchange, Osaka University and Assistant Professor of Department of English, Jahangirnagar University for his comments and corrections of the final version of this article. Finally I am grateful to Nick Shepherd to permit me some more days to edit the paper.

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Correspondence to Morshed Rayhan.

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Rayhan, M. Prospects of Public Archaeology in Heritage Management in Bangladesh: Perspective of Wari-Bateshwar. Arch 8, 169–187 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-011-9177-5

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