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Newsletter of the Association for Environmental Archaeology Latest edition: Newsletter 100 May 2008 ISSN 1363-6553 EditorialNews from the Committee Conferences & Meetings Archaeology of Water Conference Report Courses Studentships Radiocarbon special offer EAB A View from the Midlands Bibliography |
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Edited by Wendy Carruthers and Vanessa Straker (e-mail addresses: wendy.carruthers@virgin.net; vanessa.straker@english-heritage.org.uk AEA Membership Secretary; Dr Ralph Fyfe, Room 211, 8 Kirkby Place, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA. UK; e-mail: membership@envarch.net
The 100 th edition of the Newsletter contains information about the AEA conference this September in Denmark. Thanks to Ruth Pelling for reporting on the very successful Spring Meeting in Cardiff. We would be grateful for further articles along the lines of Andy Howard's and Ben Gearey's ‘A View from the Midlands' – the authors have put forward a few possible topics for further discussion at the end of their report. Please note that the Committee is currently seeking nominations (see the first item below). We would also like to point out that some of the deadlines for the Bradford Studentships are very close; 14 th May.
NOMINATIONS TO THE AEA MANAGING COMMITTEE The AEA Managing Committee seeks nominations for three ordinary committee members (each a four-year position). Elections will be held at the AEA AGM, which is to be held during the conference at Aarhus in September 2008 . The AEA Managing Committee usually meets four times a year (usually in April, July, October and January). The main items of business discussed are the organisation of conferences, and the publication of conference monographs and the Journal, as well as issues relating to the Newsletter, Website maintenance and membership. Nominees must be current AEA members . To make your nomination : Any AEA member can make a nomination, but this must be seconded. A brief personal statement from the nominee (which implicitly indicates the nominee's willingness to stand) should accompany nominations. This can be received by e-mail or regular mail. This statement will be published in the August Newsletter or, if received afterwards, posted at the AGM. Nominations can be received up to the time of the AGM, although the committee would like to encourage members to submit nominations before the August Newsletter deadline ( 20th July 2008 ). Nominations and personal statements can be e-mailed or posted to the AEA Secretary, Meriel McClatchie. http://www.envarch.net/aea/committee.html The AEA constitution is also on the AEA website: http://www.envarch.net/aea/constitution.html
THE JOURNAL The Journal's editor, Ingrid Mainland, would like to encourage AEA members to submit research papers, review articles or short contributions on any aspect of environmental archaeology. Full details regarding submission to the Journal can be found at the following website: http://www.maney.co.uk/journals/env , or contact Ingrid Mainland for further information. Journal Editor: Dr Ingrid Mainland, Online access for all subscribers Online access to Environmental Archaeology (Volume 11 onwards) is now available to all AEA members. If you would like to register for access the Journal online, please email Rob Craigie, the AEA Webmaster ( r.craigie@shef.ac.uk ), with your chosen username and a password . When your registration has been accepted, access to the Journal will be available through a link on the AEA website ( www.envarch.net ). Please note that access will only be made available to fully paid-up members. Also note that Institutional subscription to Environmental Archaeology is only £98 ($186 in North America) and includes online access to the full text. If your institution is not currently subscribing to the Journal, please encourage them to do so. Information on institutional subscriptions to the Journal is available at: http://www.maney.co.uk/journals/env
AEA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Aarhus, Denmark 12 th -14 th September, 2008 The Association for Environmental Archaeology (AEA) and Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus, Denmark are pleased to announce the Association's Annual Conference on 12 th -14 th September 2008. The conference will by hosted by the Department of Environmental Archaeology and Conservation at Moesgård Museum, located approximately 10 km south of the City of Aarhus. The museum is situated in an 18 th century manor surrounded by forest and near the eastern coast of Jutland. The subject for this year's conference is “The Consequences of Fire” in the preservation and interpretation of the environmental archaeological record. Charred organic material, bone, grain, wood etc. is often among the most abundant find type recovered during excavation. It is therefore of vital importance to understand the role of fire whether intentionally used or in catastrophic accidents. Provisional session titles: Intentional Use of Fire, Accidental Fires, Transformation Processes. Offers of oral presentations (20-25 minutes) and posters are invited and these should be accompanied by a comprehensive abstract. Abstracts should be 1-2 pages in length, including figures and bibliography if appropriate. The abstracts will be included in a conference book. Please send them to the contact address below. Deadline for abstracts: 31st July 2008. Preliminary programme: Friday 12 th September
Saturday 13 th September
Sunday 14 th September
Venue: The conference will be held at “Handelsfagskolen” located 15 minutes walk from Moesgård Museum. Registration: Conference fee: 200 DKK (AEA members)/300 DKK (Non-members) Deadline for registration: 31 st July 2008 Registration forms are available at the AEA website: http://www.envarch.net/events/index.html#aea2008 Deadline for payment: 1 st September 2008
Organizing Committee: Peter H. Mikkelsen (Head of Environmental Archaeology and Conservation, Moesgaard) Accommodation, travel and further information is available at the AEA website: http://www.envarch.net/events/index.html#aea2008
WORLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONGRESS (WAC) UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN 29 th June-4 th July 2008 Website: http://www.ucd.ie/wac-6/ The 6 th World Archaeological Congress will take place in the Republic of Ireland this summer. The main venue for the academic programme is the campus of University College Dublin, and the social events and tours will take in some of Ireland's fantastic historic venues and outstanding archaeological monuments and landscapes. There is a wide-ranging programme of cutting-edge themes and sessions to which participants can contribute, and whose organisers alone represent over 50 different nations around the world. Registration is now open (register before 26th March to take advantage of an ‘early' fee). Many of the confirmed sessions will incorporate aspects of environmental archaeology. AEA members subscribing to the AEA Discussion List will already have received emails from various theme and session organisers encouraging the proposal of papers (also see AEA website, www.envarch.net ). Members interested in presenting a paper/poster or attending the conference are encouraged to visit the conference website for a list of confirmed themes and sessions and further information. Please note that the closing date for the proposal of papers and posters is 22 nd February 2008 .
BABAO 10TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE Reading, UK, 5 th -7 th September 2008 The 10th Annual Conference of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) will be jointly hosted by Oxford Archaeology and the University of Oxford between Friday 5th and Sunday 7 th September 2008 at St Anne's College, Oxford. The conference is open to both members and nonmembers. The conference will include two themed sessions as well as a round table discussion on human remains and ethics in Britain. There will also be two ‘open' sessions in which papers and posters on any topic can be presented. The titles of the themed sessions are: The modified body: Bio-cultural approaches to the study of human skeletal modification Ten years down the line: Osteoarchaeology at the molecular level Registration details, session abstracts, details of conference venue and accommodation, and guidelines for abstract submission are available from the BABAO website www.babao.org.uk Abstracts for spoken or poster presentations should be sent by email to l.loe@oxfordarch.co.uk The deadline for abstract submission is Monday 2 nd June Please note: late conference registration fee applies after 8th August For any further enquiries please contact:
PEOPLE & PLACE: LANDSCAPE AND IDENTITY THROUGH TIME University of Chichester, 13th & 14th September 2008 Call for Posters This collaborative conference brings together researchers from a variety of disciplines (in particular Archaeology, History, Geography, English and Performing Arts) to highlight new approaches to understanding past and present landscapes, and to consider the multifarious ways that cultural landscapes, both physical and psychological, have been created and perceived through time. Further details of the conference programme can be found at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/conf_people.php The Organising Committee is inviting researchers, in particular postgraduate students, to submit proposals for posters based around one, or a combination of, the following themes: 1) Images, Value and Knowledge: Our perception of the world around us is shaped by our own social, cultural and ethical values. As such, a single landscape may be viewed differently by different people, its meanings changing with time and space. This theme considers how different groups and cultures have described and understood landscape and environment. 2) Time, space and narrative: Landscape and environments are constantly changing, being influenced by long term processes or more dramatic events. These changes are not only written into the historical record but are also usually inscribed in the physical landscape. This theme explores how the landscape and environment have been used to preserve and fabricate ideas of personal or group memory, forming a narrative of the past. 3) Settlement and movement: The desire to move from A to B has left indelible traces on the world around us: from Prehistoric cursus monuments and trackways to Roman roads and medieval harbours. At the same time, travel (be it pilgrimage, tourism, commuting or rambling) shapes our views of landscape and environment. This theme examines how, and for what reasons, people throughout time have managed and moved through spaces. It considers how population movements/migrations have influenced forms of landscape, whether through the introduction of new ideas, animals or plants. 4) Authority and access: Throughout time, conflicting claims over landscape and environment have been made by different groups (social, cultural, political or religious). This theme seeks to demonstrate how physical or imagined space has been incorporated into expressions of ideology and identity. Interested parties should contact either Martyn Allen acxmga@nottingham.ac.uk or Caroline Juby C.Juby@rhul.ac.uk for a Poster Presentation Form and the guidelines for poster production, although these can also be downloaded from the website. Abstracts must be submitted to the session organisers by 29th August 2008 . There is no limit to the number of authors involved in the research/fieldwork project and thus appearing on a poster. There are no restrictions as to the number of projects (and therefore posters) featuring the same author/s. Posters will be selected according to the relevance of the proposed contribution to the themes stated above. Poster sessions will take place only during the workshop on Saturday 13th September 2008. For those wishing to attend the conference please contact the organisers above. Please note, registration fees will apply to individuals presenting posters with the exception of students to whom discounted fees apply. There is funding available to cover the printing costs of student posters at the University of Nottingham but only if a digital copy is received well in advance of the conference date (no later than 5th September). People and Place: Landscape and Identity Through Time is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of their trans-disciplinary Landscape and Environment Programme which aims to examine the changing ways that landscapes and environments have been imagined, experienced, designed, made and managed in the past, present and future. For further information visit: http://www.landscape.ac.uk .
9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ANCIENT DNA AND ASSOCIATED BIOMOLECULES Pompeii, Italy, 19-22 October 2008 The "9th International Conference on Ancient DNA and Associated Biomolecules" will be held in Pompeii, one of the world's most intriguing archaeological sites, from 19 to 22 October 2008. The conference is an excellent opportunity for ancient world enthusiasts to meet in a relaxing and stimulating environment. While we encourage you to strike out and explore Pompeii, Naples and its unique surroundings, we hope you will find it equally stimulating to navigate the meeting. For further information please visit the meeting website http://www.ancientdna9.it/index.aspx or contact info@ancientdna9.it
Deadline for abstract submission: 15 May 2008 Don't miss this opportunity of participating in this unique event! Main Topics Preservation, isolation and analysis of ancient DNA and other ancient biomolecules Methods of extraction and purification of ancient biomolecules from ancient materials PCR and sequencing of ancient DNA Prevention and causes of sample contamination Authenticity of putative ancient DNA Hereditary and infectious diseases in past populations Population genetics, DNA profiling, sexing, methods and application Identification of species Forensic applications Evolution Human migrations Domestication New and emerging technologies We sincerely hope you will enjoy your visit to Southern Italy and will remember both the scientific and social aspects of the 2008 Conference as a pleasant and fruitful experience. Marilena Cipollaro Second University of Naples Organising Secretariat: Scientific Communication, Via Quagliariello 35/E, I-80131 Naples, Italy E-mail: info@ancientdna9.it ; Tel. +39 081 2296460; Fax +39 081 2296037 http://www.ancientdna9.it/index.aspx
37 th I NTERNATIONAL S YMPOSIUM ON A RCHAEOMETRY Siena, Italy May 12 th - 16 th , 2008 http://www.unisi.it/eventi/isa2008/index.htm
EURODENDRO 2008 Hallstatt, Austria, 28 th May – 1 st June www.boku.ac.at/eurodendro/Registration.html
LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION AND GEOARCHAEOLOGY CONFERENCE Porto Heli, Greece, 18 th -21 st June, 2008
INTERNATIONAL PALYNOLOGY CONGRESS Bonn, Germany, 30 th August-6 th September 2008 www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/IPC12.pdf
15 TH NEOLITHIC SEMINAR University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 7 th -8 th November 2008 http://arheologija.ff.uni-lj.si/seminars/index.html
QUARTERNARY RESEARCH ASSOCIATION University of Oxford, UK, 5 th -7 th January 2009 CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THEMED VOLUME ON: Submission by end of May 2008 for publication in March 2009 The study of water-management and its relationship to the state has undergone significant changes over the last few decades. Semi-arid environments have received particular attention in response to traditional models that have singled out state controlled irrigation (and the concomitant agricultural surplus) as one of the key factors in the development of complex societies in these areas. These have drawn heavily on Wittfogel's idea that Asia's predominantly semi-arid environment, watered by several large river systems, created a situation whereby agricultural surplus was dependent on large scale, centrally-administered irrigation systems. Recent research, however, has put greater emphasis on the role of devolved systems of water management, often with significant input from religious institutions or village-based organisations. Others have highlighted the level of diversity in the design and function of water-resource structures within a single region, as well as in the administration systems behind their construction, management and upkeep. Archaeologically-orientated papers which introduce new light on these debates are invited here. Although the semi-arid regions covered by Wittfogelian models of ‘Asiatic hydraulic civilisations' are of major interest, other relevant case-studies from non-Asian regions are welcomed. This volume will focus as much on the cultural, economic, ritual and symbolic aspects of water-harvesting, water-control, and irrigation systems, as on more practical considerations such as hydrology and engineering. Marco Madella, PhD (Cantab) Department of Archaeology and Anthropology e-mail: marco.madella@icrea.es http://www.icrea.es
AEA SPRING 2008 ONE-DAY MEETING, 1 ST MARCH 2008 School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff Unconsidered Trifles? Environmental Archaeology at a Small Scale This one-day seminar organised by Jacqui Mulville and Richard Madgwick focused, as the title suggests, on the small details and the ‘mundane' of environmental archaeology with a range of fascinating papers from Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands. This was a well-run, relaxed seminar with a high standard of papers, and a lively and entertaining discussion which raised some important points to consider, both for the specialist and the field archaeologist. There were ten papers presenting both research and commercially generated data. Two principal recurring themes of the day were the importance of integrating results, (sometimes poorly done, particularly in the commercial sector) and the importance of not over-looking the mundane or ordinary. These themes were particularly well-illustrated by David Smith (Birmingham) in his entertaining discussion of insect indicator groups from medieval cess pits in London. Similarly, Cynthia Poole (Oxford Archaeology) demonstrated the importance of the ‘mundane' in a discussion on the recognition of cooking in the archaeological record and the various associated artefacts or structures (ovens, hearths and stoves). The benefits of a well-integrated approach were illustrated by Tim Mighall (Aberdeen, with Peter Crew, Snowdonia National Park) in his discussion on the environmental impact of medieval iron working in Snowdonia. Evidence from pollen, microscopic charcoal, mineral magnetics, peat geochemistry, and Pb210 and C14 dating were used in collaboration with documentary evidence to detect short-term, repeated cycles of clearance and metal working. Two papers explored aspects of DNA analysis (Abigail Bouwman, Manchester and Ceiridwen Edwards, Trinity College Dublin), both stressing the importance of a self-critical approach to avoid spurious results. The first presented the possibility of burial groups being based on kinship rather than marriage in Mycenaean grave circles, with implications for inheritance and property ownership. The second explored post-glacial mammalian colonisation of Ireland, stressing the need for archaeological material of non-domestic species often overlooked, such as badger and fox. Three papers explored unusual animal bone assemblages: Fiona Beglane (freelance, Ireland) discussed a medieval assemblage of pig forelegs from Trim Castle, Co. Meath; Andy Bates (Oxford Archaeology), explored evidence for cattle sacrifices accompanying an Iron Age chariot burial in Yorkshire; Richard Madgwick, (Cardiff, who kindly stepped in at the last minute) discussed the faunal assemblage from a Bronze Age midden at Llanmaes, Vale of Glamorgan, dominated by front right limbs of pig. A fourth bone paper looked at Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic evidence for discrete hunting acts in river valley deposits at Friesland, the Netherlands (Wietske Prummel, Groningen). Erica Guttmann (Cardiff) presented some fascinating results of anthropogenic soil analyses associated with Iron Age settlement sites on Shetland, demonstrating that the degree of fertilization at all three sites was such that the buried soils retained higher fertility than the modern land surface. Five research posters were also presented. Preliminary results were provided of a collaborative project examining isotopic analysis of Iron Age faunal material from Uist by researchers from Cardiff and Cambridge. The other four posters presented post-graduate research projects, including floodplain insect indicators (Lynda Howard, Loughborough), burials in Roman Britain (Jane Masters, Cardiff), osteochondrosis in cattle remains (Richard Ward, Cardiff) and Iron Age fowling in The Hebrides (Julia Best, Cardiff University). The day was rounded off with a wine reception at the School of History and Archaeology, followed by dinner and a celebration of St David's Day at a local pub. Jacqui Mulville and Richard Madgwick are to be congratulated for organising an interesting, useful and very enjoyable meeting at Cardiff. We look forward to returning again! Ruth Pelling (AEA Member)
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF STABLE LIGHT ISOTOPES Next course: 30 June - 4 July 2008 This five day, intensive course on the basic principles of stable light isotope biogeochemistry, and their use as natural abundance tracers, is aimed at archaeologists, ecologists, and (palaeo-)environmental, and forensic scientists who wish to apply isotope tools in their work. It covers the principles for the isotopes of H, C, N, O, S in all fields, and includes case studies and practical guidance. The format is a series of lectures by experts, reading material, exercises, and sessions in our mass spectrometry laboratories. Topics covered
Contributors The course is convened by Professor Julia Lee-Thorp with the help of Dr Ben Stern, Dr Andrew Wilson, Mr Andrew Gledhill, (all Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford), Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Phil Hopley (both Environmental Institute, University College London), Dr Arnoud Boom (Department of Geography & Neotropical Research, University of Leicester), Dr Matt Sponheimer (Anthropology Department, University of Colorado at Boulder), Dr Wolfram Meier-Augenstein (Environmental Forensics & Human Health Research Group EERC, Queen's University Belfast) and tbc: Dr
Tamsin O'Connell (McDonald Inst, Cambridge University). Web: http://www.brad.ac.uk/archenvi/research/isotopes/PPSLIcourse2008 Contacts: Tel: +44 1274 235428
University of Bradford School of Life Sciences Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences 4 AHRC Collaborative PhD Studentships 2008 1 AHRC/EPSRC Science & Heritage Studentship 2008 1 NERC PhD Studentship 2008 Subject areas: AHRC PhD Collaborative Studentships for each of the following topics:
Understanding objects: Broxmouth and materiality in the southern Scottish Iron Age Supervisors: I. Armit, N. Fojut (external, Historic Scotland); Deadline: 14 May 2008
Inhabiting Broxmouth: domestic buildings and everyday life in the Scottish Iron Age Supervisors: I. Armit, N. Fojut (external, Historic Scotland); Deadline: 14 May 2008
Marking the land: Broxmouth and the hillfort landscapes of southern Scotland Supervisors: I. Armit, N. Fojut (external, Historic Scotland); Deadline: 14 May 2008
New Approaches for low impact assessment of sensitive archaeological landscapes Supervisors: A. Schmidt, C. Gaffney, A. R. Walker (external, Geoscan Research); Deadline: 14 May 2008 AHRC/EPSRC Science & Heritage PhD Studentship topic:
Sustainable radiography of heritage materials for the 21 st century: optimising filmless capture techniques Supervisors: A. Wilson, R Janaway, S. O'Connor, Jason Maher (University of Bradford) and David Crombie, Dr Siobhan Watts, Dr Jon Murden (National Museums, Liverpool); Deadline: 30 May 2008 NERC PhD Studentship in one of the following topics:
Development of micro-mammalian isotopic palaeoenvironmental indicators for application to the Interpleniglacial in SW Europe Supervisors: J. Lee-Thorp, E. Morin (external, Trent University)
Holistic sampling: integrating geophysical techniques for the assessment of Iron Age landscapes in Slovenia Supervisors: A. Schmidt, C. Gaffney, I. Armit
Seasonal mobility of red deer in NW Europe from the Late-glacial to the middle Holocene Supervisors: R. Donahue, J. Lee-Thorp, and J. Montgomery
Rapid climate change in the early Holocene: Multiproxy records from northern Britain and Ireland Supervisors: G. Swindles, J. Lee-Thorp, R. Donahue Deadline for all NERC topics: 14 May 2008 Project details are provided upon request and can be found at the following website: http://www.brad.ac.uk/archenvi/courses/research_studentships.php The Division has excellent research facilities including a state-of-the-art Stable Light Isotope Laboratory, X-ray, SEM, GCMS, and access to laser-ablation ICP-MS and a Bio-imaging Suite in the Analytical Centre, as well as a large human skeletal collection in the Biological Anthropology Research Centre. Further information on current research interests can be found at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/AGES/Research/index.php/AGES/Staff . Please contact Dr Randolph E. Donahue ( r.e.donahue@bradford.ac.uk ), Director of Postgraduate Research, or the Principal Supervisor of each topic. Application forms are available from Margaret Hey, Division of AGES, University of Bradford, Phoenix Building SW, Bradford BD7 1DP; Tel: 01274 234213; Fax: 01274 235190; Email: m.hey@bradford.ac.uk Qualifications required: Applicants should submit:
If your degree result is not yet known, please inform us as soon as it becomes available. Outcomes:
UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO RADIOCARBON DATING NEWS - SPECIAL OFFERS. The University of Waikato carbon dating laboratory has provided radiometric C14 determinations to the International scientific community for more than 30 years and AMS determinations since 2001. Our radiometric laboratory uses 10 Quantulus spectrometers and can now provide increased standard counting times and precision for clients wishing to use this technique to date their samples. We are currently offering a special discounted price on radiometric dates until 7 August of NZD 450 (UKP 180 @ 2.495). This is down from the normal price of NZD 525. AMS dates are permanently reduced to NZD 775 per sample with additional discounts available for larger numbers (>10) of AMS determinations. However we are offering a discounted price to AEA members of NZD 765 (UKP 307 @ 2.495), with further discounts for multiple samples. Please contact the Director, Dr Alan Hogg ( alan.hogg@waikato.ac.nz ) or visit our web site ( www.radiocarbondating.com ) for more information.
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY BIBLIOGRAPHY UPDATE RELEASED http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?eab_eh_2004 The ADS and English Heritage are pleased to announce the release of a major update to the Environmental Archaeology Bibliography (EAB). The EAB is maintained, with funding from English Heritage, by Dr Allan Hall, Department of Archaeology, University of York. This update adds more than 3,000 new reports and means the online database now contains information on over 11,000 sites and over 21,000 individual specialist reports. This resource is accessible as a fully searchable online database. This release is a significant enhancement to a resource that has already established itself as being of critical value to environmental archaeologists, as well as to archaeological researchers more generally. Dr Stuart Jeffrey, User Services Manager, Archaeology Data Service, Allan Hall adds this footnote [eds]; ”The online version of the EAB does not, of course, permit the level of flexibility in querying the records that can be achieved with the 'master' version. If users have very specific queries they wish to pursue, Allan Hall is always happy to help. Similarly, all suggestions for improvements or notice of errors may be sent to Allan, along with any missing entries (especially 'grey' literature reports).” Contact Allan at Department of Archaeology, University of York, The King's Manor, York, YO1 7EP, UK ( arh1@york.ac.uk )
A.J. Howard, B.R.Gearey & T.C.B. Hill Birmingham Archaeo-Environmental, Institute of Archaeology & Antiquity, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT. E-mail: a.j.howard@bham.ac.uk Birmingham Archaeo-Environmental (BAE) was formed in 2005 as an offshoot of Birmingham Archaeology, the University of Birmingham's Institute of Archaeology & Antiquity field unit and contractual arm. Since its inception, it has used a combination of income generated from central and local government, research councils and commercial development to drive a range of research agendas in Environmental Archaeology. Despite Birmingham Archaeology undertaking excavations throughout the West Midlands region for over thirty years, and both the University and English Heritage having a long history of supporting active regional specialists, a recently published review of ‘ Priorities in Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age Environmental Archaeology in the West Midlands ' by James Greig suggests a general dearth of post-glacial environmental analysis (2007, in Garwood, P. (ed)., The Undiscovered County. The Earlier Prehistory of the West Midlands , Oxbow Books, pp39-50). Figure 4.1. (of Greig) illustrates that the majority of work has been focused on valley floor sites in the Avon, Severn and Lugg valleys as well as a few kettle holes in the Shropshire/Staffordshire Plain. Given the potential of the West Midlands landscape, such coverage is disappointing and in part reflects three common themes that continue to dog the profession: (1) the perception that environmental archaeology is always expensive and often yields little additional site information; (2) the problem of what precisely is sampled by excavators who often have little experience of, or training in environmental archaeology and hence often sample the wrong types of sediment; and (3) the absence of well developed regional environmental research agendas to allow prioritization of resources and funds. Within BAE, we have begun addressing these issues through in-house training and information days for our own excavation team. Such initiatives appear to be working since more regional sites are being considered with focused environmental questions in mind. We've also been working hard to ensure that by the time any of our undergraduates become practicing archaeologists, they are exposed to all aspects of environmental archaeology. For the last two years, BAE has run a wetland training excavation at Beccles in Suffolk in conjunction with Will Fletcher from the County Council. This excavation of a prehistoric timber triple post alignment has put environmental archaeology and techniques of wetland excavation at the very core of the research activity rather than being viewed as a peripheral specialist activity. As part of a larger, landscape archaeology grouping, which has a particular emphasis on remote sensing, GIS and spatial analysis, we have exploited these digital technologies to map and model environmental attributes such as landforms, vegetation, climate and land use at a range of scales from the peatlands of Hatfield Moors to the now submerged landscape of the North Sea Basin. The next challenge is to take our environmental records and use them to create sophisticated virtual worlds. The recent development of the university's Blue Bear computer cluster provides the necessary ‘power' for such opportunities and for the sake of applicability and realism, such initiatives must include the development of ‘agent based models' to interrogate environmental scenarios. Clearly, whilst environmental archaeology can often be weighed down with the baggage of costs and backlog, there is much exciting research that can be developed. In times of global climate change, environmental archaeologists have a real chance to contribute significantly to topical debates and what's more, by thinking laterally, acquire the research funds to do it. [The authors would like to encourage feedback, for example; Does this sound like the way forward? Do people think EA is dogged by problems? How do other Universities train in wetland techniques? Can EA really get money from other sources by thinking laterally? The Editors would also be grateful for other articles about current research in Universities and other organisations. Eds.]
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