Editorial

This issue presents three papers focused on the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, and Turkey) dealing with a wide range of topics, but all characterized by the use of quantitative and qualitative data for different purposes. In the first paper, Francesco Ripanti reflects on the evaluation of public participation in archaeology in Italy. The topic of the ‘evaluation’ is recurring in several countries, and the need to demonstrate the impact of public spending on archaeology for accountability reasons has been a standing concern for both academics and practitioners (e.g. Watson, 2021). In the UK, in recent months (March–May 2021), demonstrating the value of archaeology has become extremely significant in the face of proposed funding cuts to humanities research and universities (linked to this context, we have already seen the closure or the risk of closure of some Archaeology Departments in the UK). From a theoretical perspective, in public and community archaeology ‘evaluation’ is particularly relevant, but still significantly underestimated (e.g. Ellenberger & Richardson, 2018). In his paper, Ripanti frames the topic of evaluation as pertaining to two different levels: a strictly operational one and a theoretical one. The author uses the case study of the excavation of a Roman and late antique villa (a project called ‘Uomini e Cose a Vignale’) to test a value-based methodology which provided ‘an informed description of participation’, useful for shaping the future of the project. The case study serves as an example of how and why an ‘intermediate level’ between practice and theory should be sought. Although tailored solutions are clearly necessary to fit with different contexts, the paper also provides a replicable methodology which is of universal interest. In the second paper, Isı̧lay Gürsu, Gül Pulhan, and Lutgarde Vandeput present some of the results of the Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey (SARAT) project. As part of this programme aimed at promoting a better knowledge and understanding of archaeological heritage in Turkey, a nationwide survey was conducted, whose results are presented in this paper. The findings were somewhat unexpected and provided invaluable insights to help frame heritage policies and practices in the following years. Within the SARAT project itself, the data of the survey has informed the development of a pilot project to promote awareness of archaeology in the country. This workflow which starts from data gathering and analysis to ground new policies and projects is often still overlooked in many Mediterranean countries (although with exceptions), and this paper shows the potential public archaeology, Vol. 18 No. 2, May 2019, 63–64