People from all walks of life are intrigued by the major civilizations of antiquity. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, Sumerians, Harappans, Mayans, Greeks and Romans have long captured imaginations of many, but people are also curious about themselves and their past, always showing strong interests in new archaeological findings. Archaeology is important because it offers a unique viewpoint on past cultures, including both their successes and failures. It also provides exceptional insights into the critical need for preservation of diverse cultural and historical resources. Moreover, archaeology is valuable in providing a unique perspective for looking at the present and planning for the future.

古埃及文明、两河文明、印度河文明、中国文明、希腊罗马文明和中南美洲文明等古代文化和文明令人神往 。世界不同地区的人们对自己民族的来龙去脉格外关注。公从对相关的考古新发现总是怀有浓厚的兴趣。古物和古迹的发现,是了解古代社会和文明的第一手材料。考古学对古代社会的繁华和衰亡有其独特的研究视野。科学的考古研究,有助于积极有效地保护文化资源和历史遗产。更重要的是,考古学的价值不仅仅在于了解过去,而且能帮助我们更好地认识当今社会和展望未来。

We are in an era in which archaeology is both exciting and challenging. There is an explosion of new discoveries throughout the world, many of which are rewriting our collective human history. Today, with highly sophisticated suites of techniques that are available to archaeologists in both the field and laboratory, archaeology is capable of generating more detailed information about the material culture of the past. Many advances have also been made on theoretical and methodological fronts. As a result the topics for discussion in archaeology have been widely expanded, including subjects relevant to a wide variety of modern concerns, such as sustainability of environments and human societies, colonialism, gender, ethnicity, ethnic conflicts and warfare, economic and social inequality, urbanization, globalization, nationalism, global warming, and community engagement.  In a world increasingly dominated by short-term thinking and objectives, the long-term perspective that archaeology is uniquely positioned to offer is critically needed for understanding and evaluating many contemporary debates and policies.

当今考古学处在既令人振奋又极具挑战性的时代。一方面,世界各地的考古新发现层出不穷,其中很多发现正在改写以往对人类历史的认识;另一方面,各种科学技术手段广泛、深入地应用于田野考古和实验室分析,考古学家可以从古代物质文化遗留中,提取更多和更详尽的考古信息。同时,考古学理论和方法也得到了前所未有的发展。可以说,当今的考古学研究非同往日,其探索的内容非常广泛,除了对古代文明和文化发生、发展的深入了解,还越来越关注与当今社会休戚与共的重大研究课题,例如环境和人类社会的可持续性发展、殖民化、性别、文化交流、族群认同、民族冲突和战争、经济和社会不平等、城市化、全球化、全球气候变迁、以及大众社会的参与等等议题。当今世界在迅猛发展,社会越来越过分沉迷于短而快的目标和结果而无视长期的需求、利弊和发展。考古学特别注重时间深度,擅长对社会发展长期过程的研究,因此在当今社会发展中,考古学研究显得尤为重要。

In this unprecedented era of globalization and urbanization, one of the most pressing global problems today is the protection and conservation of historical resources and cultural heritage. Untold numbers of archaeological sites and all forms of historic heritage around the world are being ruthlessly obliterated or severely damaged in the name of development. Moreover, widespread looting of archaeological sites has been accelerating worldwide, a phenomenon that can be directly related to the commercial marketing of illegally looted artifacts by auction houses and galleries. The knowledge obtained through proper archaeological excavation is irreplaceable and cultural heritage is a nonrenewable resource. Once destroyed it is lost forever. Archaeologists need a forum that can be used to reach world leaders, policy makers, politicians and developers. Archaeologists must play an advocacy role in protecting and preserving archaeological sites and landscapes by promoting the appreciation of the importance of cultural heritage and its relevance to the world today. This can be done through developing public outreach programs to educate, motivate and inspire the local governments, developers, and the general public, particularly children, in helping to promote sensible and sustainable heritage and archaeological tourism, and actively engaging with indigenous and local communities.

在我们这个全球化和城市化空前发展的时代,世界各地普遍面临的一个严峻挑战就是如何保护考古资源和文化遗产。在“经济”发展的名下,不计其数的考古遗址和各种各样的历史遗产正在被无情地破坏甚至毁灭。同时,世界各地考古遗址的非法盗掘不断加剧,这与很多盗掘品的非法买卖有着直接的关联。通过科学考古发掘获取材料和信息来认识古代社会,是任何其它手段和途径都不可替代的。文化遗产是不可再生的资源,一旦被破坏,就将永远消失。世界各地考古工作者迫切需要一个国际平台来与世界各地的领导、政策制定者、开发实业家、以及大众进行对话和交流。通过提升人们对文化遗产重要性及其与现代社会发展关系的认识,积极推进考古遗址和文化遗产的保护。通过推动公共考古和宣传,鼓励和激发地方政府、实业家和公众的积极参与,促进发展有利于遗产保护、经济和社会可持续发展的文化遗产和考古旅游业,我们坚信世界考古上海论坛在保护世界文化遗产中能够扮演积极而至关重要的角色。

Despite increasing interest of the public in archaeological discoveries, there are significant barriers between the valuable contributions archaeology can make to understanding and helping solve the myriad problems facing our society today and the public’s perception and attitude toward archaeological findings and cultural heritage. It remains very challenging for archaeologists to communicate the value, relevance, and importance of archaeological research to the public at large, especially to policy makers and developers, and to make new knowledge of past cultures generated from archaeological findings applicable to the modern world.  The Shanghai Archaeology Forum is devoted to meeting this very challenge because the knowledge gained from proper archaeological research can contribute much to the contemporary world, and benefit society both now and in the future.

尽管社会大众对考古发现抱有浓厚的兴趣,但对考古发现和研究在当今社会发展中的重要性则认识不足,有时甚至非常片面。如何就考古研究的价值、重要性、和相关性与社会公众进行有效沟通,以及如何利用考古发现和研究所获取的新知识来分析和认识当今社会所面临的一系列重大问题,对于考古工作者而言,这些都是严峻的挑战。科学的考古发现和研究能够对现代世界做出巨大贡献,今天和未来的社会都会从中获益。世界考古上海论坛的建立就是要迎接这样的时代挑战。