THE MAIDEN CASTLE FILM

This is a 7-minute film of the 1934-37 excavations of the Maiden Castle site in Dorset, England. Maiden Castle is a hill-fort showing evidence from the early Neolithic up to Roman conquest of Britain. The excavations were headed by Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1890-1976).

Audience is key to understanding this object, and its relation to our theme. Although we know little about the film and what it was made for, we can assume a few things from its material properties. When the Institute of Archaeology’s Ian Carroll took this film to the British Film Institute (BFI), it was identified as 16mm safety film made of cellulose acetate. Its identity as an original became clear from a splice in the film, indicative of where the original film was physically joined together. There are double perforations along the edges of the reel, and it is possible that a sound track, now lost, once accompanied the film. From what we know of early film technology, safety films were primarily designed to make copies from the material. Furthermore, 16mm films required semi-professional equipment, and so were generally not used for home videos. However, the film is hardly a comprehensive view of excavation tactics or even of the site itself. Instead, it views almost as an advertisement. The film starts by following two cars up the long winding road of the largest hill-fort in Britain, to the site that shows evidence of use from the early Neolithic. This long lead-up ends with a man opening the gate to the site. Although it could demonstrate the path taken by Roman soldiers attacking the fort, it is difficult to not view the beginning of the film as a dramatic build up, culminating with the gate being opened, and the viewer welcomed into the site. This lead-up seems to me adapted to reel in and intrigue a public audience, rather than educate. In fact, although the film demonstrates the grid system of excavation that became known as the ‘Wheeler-Kenyon Method,’  there are relatively few shots of the archaeological methods used, or even of the discoveries made. The film is dominated by shots of happy men and women marching into the site, smiling as they work, and picnicking on the bank. Thus, we can perhaps surmise that the film was made to advertise Wheeler’s work, and archaeological practice in general.

We can thus assume that this film was made to be copied and disseminated to a wider audience. The purpose of the film was thus to educate the public about the life of the archaeologist. (See example of public archaeology video on Youtube below).

Courtesy of UCL Institute of Archaeology

It is of course arguable whether a film can really be termed ‘still life.’ However, we thought that this film represented a snapshot of Mortimer Wheeler and his role in spreading archaeology to the public. Furthermore, the material film itself is as static as is possible - it sits in a box, locked away in the Institute of Archaeology. What was once Wheeler’s dynamic life, as viewed by the public, is now completely still.

And yet, the legacy of the film continues - it is not completely still. Wheeler’s influence in ‘public archaeology’ has been huge. Television shows such as Time Team have continued to display archaeological information to the public, and archaeological museums strive towards public engagement. Thus, the Maiden Castle films still have implications for real life today.