Eric-

It is good to hear from you ... since this recent turn of the thread has
headed us down your alley. I completely agree with you ... in all of the
survey questionnaires that I have done as well as my own experience on
the "frontline" ... I have found that the people who do visit
archaeological sites actually find the visits much more appealing than
museums, lectures, television programs, newspapers, etc. There is something
to be said both for the "sense of discovery" and for the creation of a
dialogue. Plato remarked that the written word will always be subservient
to the spoken since no matter how well we might represent reality in
writing ... we can never question a text ... or at least ... we can
never question a text and get a response ... unless you are as nuts as
some of us of course.

Kevin.