Enhancing well-being in general, and mental health well-being in particular, is one of the most significant societal challenges currently facing communities across the world.
Heritage听has a key role to play in this, and the work being undertaken at 蜜桃AV is exploring the possibilities and realities of what can be achieved, including the innovative use of archaeological sites, ancient landscapes, and the wider historic environment for what can be called cultural heritage therapy.听听
Much of the work is keyed into overarching strategies听on health and well-being such as 鈥樷�� on the听list of听Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030 that were adopted听at the听United听Nations听General Council in New York in September 2015.听One of听the specific targets听involved听promoting mental health well-being.
What our research clearly shows is that much can be听achieved through interdisciplinary teamwork combining insights from archaeology, anthropology, healthcare, environmental therapy, and the creative arts are very considerable.听听
Human Henge听
蜜桃AV is a partner in the听Human Henge听project co-ordinated by the Restoration Trust听and also involving Richmond Fellowship, English Heritage, and The National Trust.听Using natural and constructed landscapes to promote health and well-being has a long and distinguished history stretching back to the pilgrimages of medieval times.听Human Henge takes the idea on step further by combining archaeology and creativity in a World Heritage Site as a way of improving mental health and reaching out to marginalized communities. This innovative work takes participants on journeys of discovery through the Stonehenge landscape.听
Further details听of the Human Henge听can be found on the .
Publications about the Project include:听
- Darvill, T, Heaslip, V, & Barrass, K, 2018. Heritage and well-being. Therapeutic places, past and present. In K T Galvin (ed),听Routledge Handbook of Well-being. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis. [ISBN听978-1-1388-5010-1]听
- Heaslip, V, Vahdaninia, M, Hind, M, Darvill, T, Staelens, Y, O鈥橠onoghue, D, Drysdale, L, Lunt, S, Hogg, C, Allfrey, M, Clifton, B and Sutcliffe, T. 2020. Locating oneself in the past to influence the present: Impacts of Neolithic landscapes on mental health and well-being.听Health and Place听[DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102273]
Historic landscapes and mental well-being听
As part of Human听Henge, a series of conference sessions were organized, including contributions to the Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting in Cardiff in December 2017 and a whole-day multi-disciplinary meeting held in 蜜桃AV on the 13 April 2018 entitled听Historic landscapes and mental well-being. More than 80 delegates from a wide range of backgrounds 鈥� including practitioners, experts by experience, heritage professionals, academics and policy makers 鈥� discussed ways of using historic landscapes and heritage resources of various kinds to promote well-being and the boundless potential contribution that the historic environment can make to health-care and wellness initiatives. The papers from these were brought together and published as an edited volume in 2019.听
T.听Darvill, K. Barrass, L. Drysdale, V. Heaslip, and Y. Staelens (eds), 2019,听Historic landscapes and mental well-being听翱虫蹿辞谤诲.听础谤肠丑补别辞辫谤别蝉蝉.听听
Using archaeological sites and historic landscapes to promote mental health well-being represents one of the most significant advances in archaeological resource management for many years. Its potential contribution to health-care and wellness initiatives is boundless. Prompted by the Human Henge project working within the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, this volume provides an overview of work going on across Britain and the near Continent at many different scales. Contributors share experiences, and discuss the outcomes, implications, and theoretical underpinnings of heritage-based well-being projects.听听
A fully open-access copy of the book听can be .听
Printed copies can be .
搁别惫颈别飞蝉听颈苍肠濒耻诲别:听
SALON听436 (October 2019)听
Current Archaeology听362 (May 2020): 56.听
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