The Ancient Identities project will explore ways in which people in modern Britain respond to, identify with, and exploit their early heritage. In doing so we will seek to understand the many and varied contexts in which public views are shaped, and the ways in which they are influenced by contemporary media, academic communications, and heritage policies. As adult participants in the world, we each draw on our own individual experiences, circumstances and ideologies when we engage with our heritage. But what about those who have yet to develop a sophisticated understanding of their personal place in society, and who are encountering the past for the first time? What messages are we
presenting to pre-school and primary age children, either directly or unintentionally, and how are these received, interpreted and built upon? This paper will present preliminary findings from ethnographic studies probing the ways in which young children first meet the ancient people of Britain and how those early encounters may impact their longer term views of these cultures.

Author: DR Sharpe, Kate - Durham University (Presenting author)

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