2026/02/05 by Paul Kiem, James Donaldson · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Archaeological Research and Protection #Australian History and Society #World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/14443058.2026.2625213
openalex publication_date 2026/02/05 · openalex created_date 2026/02/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
As a result of exposure to a classical education or to the histories permeating the popular culture of the British Empire, many Australian soldiers who went overseas during World War I were receptive to encounters with the past. There are examples of soldiers practising amateur archaeology and souveniring artefacts. The officially sanctioned excavation and appropriation of the Shellal Mosaic is the most well known, but there were many small-scale instances of similar activity. This article assesses the evidence for Australian encounters with Roman antiquities at Brightlingsea, Essex. Notwithstanding the limitations of this evidence and the scope for further research, we argue that the likelihood is that Australians did unearth and souvenir Roman artefacts at Brightlingsea. Like similar incidents from other theatres of the war, many of which were also poorly documented, it helps to illustrate the way in which engagement with the material culture of the past was a significant aspect of Australians’ wartime experience.