Stadtarchäologie - Workshop 7

Silicon Valley re-excavated: mapping the constant change

This paper revisits the research areas the author studied in the year 2000, when she explored the material culture of Silicon Valley, California, through the eyes of an archaeologist. The rapid rate of change precipitated by the economic downturn can be considred in the same way as the ascent of the area in the 'goldrush' days of the dot.com boom. What is left for field study now, and how valid is this archaeological analogy?

Christine Finn
Research Associate,The Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford christine.finn@archaeology.oxford.ac.uk

Silicon Valley re-excavated: mapping the constant change This paper revisits the research areas the author studied in the year 2000, when she explored the material culture of Silicon Valley, California, through the eyes of an archaeologist. The rapid rate of change precipitated by the economic downturn can be considred in the same way as the ascent of the area in the 'goldrush' days of the dot.com boom. What is left for field study now, and how valid is this archaeological analogy?