Abstract

Members of the public do visit archaeological sites, heritage places and attend public lectures about various topics relating to heritage. However, museums often provide the first point of contact between the public and the artifacts recovered, analysed and presented for display from archaeological sites. Museums also provide a meeting place to bridge the gap between the archaeological profession and members of the public. For this reason museums can influence how archeology is presented to the public and the direction of archaeological education. This paper presents data from a survey about the types of public archeology activities undertaken at museums in Japan and discusses the nature of interaction between members of the public and the profession. It also suggests future directions that public archeology activities may take in order to involve the public more in museum activities.