The Value of Reconstruction Drawing to Archaeological Understanding: An Irish Case Study

Daniel Tietzsch-Tyler

There are several categories of archaeological reconstruction in use today. These include the production of scaled models and dioramas, the creation of historically set reconstruction drawings and paintings or of virtual 3-dimensional models, full-size recreations of archaeological sites, restoration of historic monuments, and the re-enactment of elements of past life or significant historical events. Each category has its own value, but this thesis concentrates on a discussion of the value of reconstruction drawing (or painting), see illustrations below, discussing the other categories only in this context.

The generally perceived value of reconstruction artwork is in its presentation of archaeological information in a form easily accessible to a public audience. This has been acknowledged in the United Kingdom since the 1950s through the systematic use of artwork by, for example, the late Alan Sorrell, Terry Ball, Ivan Lapper and Chris Jones-Jenkins both for display at historic monuments and in guidebooks. Such presentation was largely neglected in Ireland until the mid-1990s, occurring only on an occasional basis.

This thesis extends the discussion to explore the value of the reconstruction process itself for archaeologists and others engaged on archaeological projects. It discusses the value of the forum the process can create for interdisciplinary discussion between archaeologists, architects and historians who are attempting to understand a site or monument in an integrated way. This is done with reference to the author’s own experiences and with particular emphasis on a case study involving the creation of seven reconstruction drawings of Tintern Abbey in Co. Wexford for the Irish Government heritage services.

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