OIC 9 – 05.03.2026

Session leader: Ana Margarida Aparício do Vale, CITCEM/FLUP (Territories, Landscapes and Environment). ORCID 0000-0002-6564-7193

Title/General theme of the session: Communicating Science in Archaeology

Session Summary: In Portugal, the Regulation of Archaeological Work in force (RTA 2014) provides for the dissemination of scientific results from archaeological work “in the areas of scientific publication, awareness raising and heritage education.” He added: “As well as being the archaeologist’s responsibility, they should be an opportunity to bring the scientific discipline closer to the public.” At the same time, competitive funding tenders are beginning to require the proposal of a plan for communication, dissemination and exploitation of the project’s results, while the application phase is still underway. How are the results of archaeological work in Portugal being communicated? What’s the impact? Are archaeological research projects reaching audiences other than the archaeological community? In Portugal, we are beginning to see formal science communication initiatives, such as the successful Podcast “Let’s Rock. A Stone Age Podcast” by Sara Cura and the project “Archaeologists Don’t Dig Dinosaurs” by Susana Nunes. But how do different audiences receive the themes proposed by archaeology? How does Archaeology receive and work with current issues that arouse the most curiosity among citizens?

Name of the speakers and their paper titles:

Andrea Mariani – It’s forbidden not to touch: experimental archaeology as a means of reaching the general public

José Varela – The role of publicizing archaeological heritage in building social and cultural cohesion in communities: the case of Monte Castêlo Hillfort (Guifões, Matosinhos)

Susana Andreia Nunes – Archaeologists don’t dig dinosaurs: heritage mediation and science communication in archaeology

Sérgio Monteiro Rodrigues & Daniela Ferreira – Talk about the challenges of communicating archaeological results to non-specialists

Moderators-commentators of the session:

Proposed by the proposers:

Andreia Arezes, FLUP (ORCID 0000-0002-3290-0949)

Appointed by the CITCEM Executive Committee:

Sara Cura. ESCS-IPL (Science ID 4B19-FA7C-BB2A)

Leonor Medeiros, FCSH-UNL (Science ID 5713-7EC5-2091)