OVERVIEW \ PREFACE \ ^01
1: G. Buccellati, February 2003
General overviewTaking their place next to brochures and popular articles, websites in general serve an excellent function as general introductions to projects such as an archaeological dig. The Urkesh website does this, too, as can be seen from the introductory section on the site or from the gallery of visual impressions which I have called a kaleidoscope. |
Steps to deeper levelsIn addition, the introductory pages to each section are aimed at all audiences. The material becomes progressively more technical as one proceeds down the hierarchy of topics on the left sidebar – those of tier 4 (in green) being always the more specialized. The aim of these progessively more detailed introductory sections is to elicit interest in real problems, without downplaying them but at the same time trying to convey their real importance even to the occasional reader. Notice, for instance, the progressively greater technical detail as you follow a path that takes you from preliminary comments on the urgency of methodology in general, to a presentation of the basic principles and presuppositions that govern our work, and then to a statement about the importance of philosophy (seemingly unrelated to our immediate concerns), and finally to a discussion of such abstract concepts as epistemology in tier 4 (in green). |
EducationA special section devoted to education offers assistance for interested “lay” persons who wish to get deeper into the scholarly argument even from a non-scholarly point of view. Re-emphasizing the firm belief that culture is a continuum, I seek to avoid the alternative dangers of being either patronizing or abstruse. In this light, the website proposes to lead the reader, from grammar school children to college students or interested adults, along “inquiry paths” that develop arguments using the substantive data contained in our website and related links. We will also place on the website select contributions produced by outside interested users, who will be assisted in their effort by members of our staff.It is especially in two respects that the educational effort of the Mozan/Urkesh Archaeological Project is implemented: the website itself, and the physical site of Tell Mozan. |