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Newsletter of the Association for Environmental Archaeology Latest edition: Newsletter 88 - May 2005 ISSN 1363-6553 Submit information to the newsletter |
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Edited by Wendy Carruthers and Vanessa Straker Copy dates for Items for the Newsletter may be submitted by e-mail or on disk. Newsletter: 20th of the following months - January / April / July / October. Short typed manuscripts can be sent to Wendy Carruthers. (e-mail addresses: wendy.carruthers@virgin.net; vanessa.straker@english-heritage.org.uk AEA Membership Secretary;Jane Richardson, Archaeological Services WYAS, PO Box 30, Nepshaw Lane South, Morley, Leeds LS27 0UG, Tel: 0113 3837509; e-mail: membership@envarch.net
This issue of the Newsletter contains information about the Autumn conference in Hull and a registration form. Please note that we are seeking nominations for committee members to be elected at the conference, including Secretary (see below). We would also like to draw attention to the English Heritage job advertisement, as the deadline is rapidly approaching! Many thanks to Meriel and David for their report on the Winchester conference – volunteers to cover the Hull conference would be warmly welcomed. We are also very pleased to include the article on environmental archaeology in Ireland and hope it will inspire readers to send us similar articles for other areas.
NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS TO THE AEA MANAGING COMMITTEE The AEA Managing Committee seeks nominations for three ordinary committee members and the position of Secretary (four vacancies altogether, each a four-year position). Elections will be held at the AEA AGM to be held at the conference in Hull, 8-10 September 2005. The AEA Managing Committee usually meets four times a year (usually in March, June, September and December). The main items of business discussed are the organisation of conferences and publication of conference monographs, and publication of the journal, as well as issues relating to the Newsletter, Website maintenance, and membership. Nominees must be current AEA members. The role of Secretary (elected officer) To make your nomination Nominations can be received up to the time of the AGM, although the committee would like to encourage Carol Palmer, AEA Secretary, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 4ET, UK E-mail: c.palmer@sheffield.ac.uk Current committee details can be found at: www.envarch.net/aea/committee.html The AEA constitution is also on the AEA website: www.envarch.net/aea/constitution.html
CONFERENCES & MEETINGS Workshop on pollen-landscape calibration using POLLSCAPE and HUMPOL See Forthcoming events for up to date details CALL FOR PAPERS - "PALAEOENVIRONMENT, LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION AND HUMAN IMPACT" We are organising a symposium for the 52nd International Congress of Americanists, which will be held in Seville, Spain, 17-21 July 2006. Although the normal deadline is already closed, we have been allowed some more days to propose it. Those interested in participating, please send us title of communication, abstract (1 page maximun), contact information and professional affiliation. More information may be obtained from the site www.52ica.com Rita Scheel-Ybert Rita Scheel-Ybert MESSAGE FROM JAMES STEELE, BABAO CHAIR Please find below details of the BABAO 2005 Annual Conference. AEA membership entitles participants to pay the (discounted) BABAO membership rate. BABAO 7TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE This year’s conference will be held on Friday 2nd and the morning of Saturday 3rd September at the Museum of London, located in the Barbican Centre in the heart of the City. The conference is open to both members and non-members: students, professionals and the public alike. Registration costs between £25 and £45 (membership and student discounts apply) including an evening wine reception in the galleries on Thursday 1st September and tea and coffee during the conference. Accommodation will be available in Walter Sickert Hall, City University and there will be a conference dinner in a local restaurant on the evening of Friday 2nd September. The conference will include a session dedicated to current work in the capital. Papers resulting from developer funded, commercial sites are particularly welcomed. As the conference is slightly shorter than it has previously been places are limited, but there will also be a dedicated poster session. Offers of posters or papers should be marked “BABAO conference 2005” and sent to: Bill White
CONFERENCE REPORT: AEA SPRING MEETING University College Winchester The annual one-day meeting of the AEA was held at University College Winchester on 31st March 2005. The theme of the meeting was ‘Environmental archaeology in landscape archaeology’, and a range of research projects from north-west Europe, Iceland and the Mediterranean region was presented, encompassing archaeological deposits ranging in date from the Palaeolithic to the Industrial Revolution. Geoarchaeological approaches and chronological issues were the principal themes addressed during the day. Presentations highlighted projects being carried out by graduate students and academic researchers, as well as commercial and state archaeologists. The meeting took place in the former Chapel, a marvellous building, now the West Downs Performing Arts and Conference Centre, and was well-attended, with more than 60 participants. Most of these were UK-based, but one of the speakers came from the City University of New York, and there were two participants each from Universidad de Valencia and Universiteit Gent. After a brief introduction by Keith Wilkinson (University College Winchester), who chaired the morning session, presentations began with an investigation by Jen Heathcote (English Heritage) of relationships between geoarchaeology, landscape archaeology and the planning process. Geoarchaeological work can often be very site-specific when associated with the PPG16 process, but it was emphasised that the current increase in large-scale developments requires approaches at landscape scale. It was suggested that a technique similar to that used in Historic Landscape Characterisation be developed. By examining the wider implications of geoarchaeology for landscape research, this presentation prompted much discussion. Andy Howard (University of Birmingham) then described his work with archaeological prospection in deeply-alluviated environments, providing a case study from the Trent Valley that modelled sub-surface sedimentary architecture using borehole drilling. Deeply alluviated areas are often relatively poorly understood, being sometimes seen as archaeologically “blank”, but it was demonstrated here that archaeological remains can be deeply buried in such environments, with the occurrence of multiple land surfaces. Catherine Neal (University of York) took us up to tea-break by outlining her postgraduate research into dry-valley deposits at the Yorkshire Wolds, in which she examined how the landscape has evolved and been managed over time. Her presentation included a useful methodological study concerning the relative merits of Dutch and steel augers. After tea-break, Helen Wickstead (University College London) presented multi-disciplinary research into field systems on Dartmoor, highlighting an intriguing project that aims to integrate social and environmental approaches to the investigation of land use and abandonment. Steve Davis (University of Exeter) was the final speaker before lunch, and he presented research into burnt mounds and troughs excavated in Ireland in association with the construction of a gas pipeline. The lecture highlighted the outstanding preservation conditions often encountered at these sites, which allows high resolution analysis of pollen, as well and multi-element and Coleoptera analyses. An impressive and enjoyable buffet was provided at lunchtime, at which participants were seated ‘wedding-style’ around large round tables, prompting much friendly discussion. The afternoon session was chaired by Robin Bendrey, and the first speaker after lunch was Michael Grant (University of Southampton), who described ongoing PhD research into woodland change and heath development in the New Forest. He provided fascinating evidence for very different vegetation histories from bogs located only 0.5km apart, thereby highlighting the need to consider results from a suitable range of sites when attempting landscape reconstruction. Jane Wheeler (University of Bradford) presented results from her PhD research at Bilsdale and Rievaulx in northern Yorkshire, in which she employed a variety of approaches to investigate human impact on natural resources. The main focus was tracing the effects of mineral exploitation by assessing the environmental impacts of iron-production at varying degrees of intensity. George Hambrecht (City University of New York) then presented research from a large team involved in the investigation of fishing and related activities in AD 9th-11th century Iceland – a project that has produced an impressive quantity of data. Evidence was presented for the exploitation of marine resources by inland farmers, as well as providing a compelling argument for re-dating the initiation of reliance on preserved marine-fish products to the Viking period. The final tea-break was followed by a very well received presentation, in which Kerry-Anne Mairs (University of Edinburgh) provided results from her Masters research into long-term settlement and abandonment in southern Iceland, examining the interplay between human and environmental factors. Intense ‘tephra-envy’ was induced in a number of the meeting’s participants, as the clearly-identifiable tephra deposits used in establishing dating sequences in the region were unveiled and described. Gianna Ayala (University of Sheffield) followed this with account of her PhD research into an upland valley in the Nebrodi mountains of north-central Sicily. Geoarchaeological investigations were an important part of the project’s primary research aims and the presentation included detailed results from mapping of the valley floor, sedimentary characterisation and micromorphological analyses. The final paper was given by Keith Wilkinson (University College Winchester), who provided initial results of geoarchaeological field survey in the Zaragoza province of Aragón, northern Spain. In doing so he provided a cautionary tale in relying solely on desk-top survey, demonstrating that sediment stratification could be extremely variable in both uplands and valleys. A good number of posters was displayed in the area where coffee was provided during the morning and afternoon breaks. Several were by researchers from the City University of New York focussing on zooarchaeological research in Iceland and the Faroe Islands and others examined trading in Iceland, as well as pollen studies from the southern French Alps. By the end of the day, it was clear that the concept of ‘landscape’ could be interpreted in a number of ways, with presentations exploring ecological, regional, cultural and social landscapes. Keith Wilkinson (University College Winchester) had opened the meeting by questioning the extent to which environmental researchers have joined archaeologists in the shift towards the study of archaeological landscapes rather than single sites. Presentations at the Winchester meeting indicate that environmental research is very well-placed to adopt landscape approaches, particularly when analyses are integrated into multi-disciplinary projects. The final discussion focussed mainly on chronological and tephra-related issues, and, after the meeting was closed, a number of participants continued discussions in a local hostelry. Congratulations and thanks to all at Winchester, particularly the organisers, Keith Wilkinson and Robin Bendrey, for a very enjoyable and well-organised day. Meriel McClatchie and David Earle Robinson
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE ISLAND OF IRELAND? Meriel McClatchie, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London Botany departments at NUI Galway (NUIG) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) are more active, particularly in areas such as palynology. Current doctoral research on archaeological material also includes entomology (TCD) and wood charcoal (NUIG). Other university departments in Ireland, such as Agriculture at University College Dublin, have produced studies of relevance to environmental archaeology, for example in the history of farming. Staff and post-graduate students from a number of Geography departments in Britain, including Coventry, Hull and Exeter, carry out research in Ireland, often in palynology and wetland studies. Current projects being undertaken through British archaeology departments include geoarchaeological analysis of prehistoric soils, based at Reading, and doctoral research into Bronze Age arable farming, based at University College London. In Northern Ireland, environmental archaeological research represents a sizeable proportion of archaeological research being undertaken within the School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). Here, up to eight members of staff are involved in palaeoecological and environmental archaeological research. Four members of staff are concerned with animal and human bone research, including two who study bone isotopes, and one with entomology. A further three staff are involved in tephra, pollen and plant macrofossil analysis, including wood identification, waterlogged and charred plant remains. A further four members of staff’s research focus is on dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Recent research has seen a major publication in 2005 on Illaunloughan Island; an early medieval monastery in County Kerry authored by Jenny White Marshall and Claire Walsh, with Grellan Rourke, Emily Murray and Finbar McCormick. The volume is published by Wordwell. Analyses of animals and plant materials from this site have been undertaken, amongst others, by Emily Murray, Finbar McCormick, Eileen Murphy and Gill Plunkett. Other research that the group is currently involved in includes the Bog Bodies Project, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Gill Plunkett, Valerie Hall and Nicki Whitehouse), along with other researchers from Ireland and the UK (main contact Isabella Mulhall, email: imulhall@museum.ie). The work will lead to a major television programme later this year and publications. The British Academy awarded a large grant to Nicki Whitehouse and Gill Plunkett to investigate the environment context of a lakeside settlement at Ballyarnet Lake, near Derry City and explore the wider human-ecodynamic relationships within this important prehistoric landscape. This work is being carried out in collaboration with the excavators John Ó Néill and Rick Schulting, QUB, and will lead to a series of publications. The Republic of Ireland has been undergoing a boom in archaeological excavation during the past decade, and specialists, often from within Ireland, carry out a range of environmental analyses on material from these excavations. Although government departments strictly regulate much work carried out on archaeological excavations, environmental analyses on material from these excavations are not subject to such attention, resulting in work that is of variable quality, depending on the experience of the specialist and the requirements of the excavation director. While most specialists work alone, efforts have been made to maintain good communication amongst workers in certain areas (for example, see http://www.xs4all.nl/~tbreen/PPA.html for the Irish section of the Paleopathology Association). Two archaeological companies in the Republic of Ireland have in-house environmental sections incorporating larger numbers of specialists – Archaeological Services Unit, UCC and Margaret Gowen & Co. Ltd. – and these groups also make use of out-sourced trained specialists and companies, resulting in a quality of work that is generally high. In Northern Ireland, the range of environmental work associated with commercial archaeology tends to be more limited, largely as a result of a lack of awareness, variable sampling strategies and issues concerned with the quality of follow-up work. The absence of trained environmental archaeologists amongst the staff of commercial units in part explains this situation, as well as the absence in the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) of the equivalent of English Heritage’s Regional Scientific Advisors. This is mostly due to limited funding available to EHS. Environmental work can therefore be somewhat variable, with some environmental remains being regularly examined to a high standard (e.g. animal/human bone, most of which comes to QUB for analysis), whilst other remains are sometimes not considered or poorly analysed. In contrast, work undertaken for EHS is carried out by the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF), based at QUB, and benefits from a highly-trained environmental archaeologist as part of their staff. Across Ireland, a critical mass of workers has yet to be established, and variable ranges of expertise means that work can sometimes be undertaken to a relatively limited standard, or perhaps, more commonly, environmental work is biased towards some types of ecofacts over others. The establishment of an MSc in Environmental Archaeology at QUB in recent years has started to help reverse this trend and a better-trained work force is now emerging. An encouraging development concerns moves to accredit environmental archaeologists in the UK, through the IFA. A similar move by the equivalent organisation in Ireland, The Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland (IAI), would be enormously beneficial to the practice of environmental archaeology and address some of the quality issues highlighted. Previous IAI activities of interest to environmental archaeologists include the publication in 1999 (under the organisation’s previous title of IAPA) of a practical guide to the treatment of human remains for archaeologists (www.instituteofarchaeologistsofireland.ie). Within the last few years, the IAI has also appointed an advisory committee on environmental archaeology, but the appointment of this committee has, regrettably, been of little consequence to date. Although a range of monographs and papers has recently been published on various aspects of environmental archaeology (see Environmental Archaeology 9.2), much of the data being amassed as a result of the current excavation boom have not been published. Exceptions to this include the recent publication of the Lisheen project, directed by Margaret Gowen and Co. Ltd, by Wordwell Books, and a range of analyses published during the last few years in large monographs detailing excavations of urban deposits at Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford. Most recently, in order to highlight the importance of environmental archaeology within Ireland, Eileen Murphy and Nicki Whitehouse have commissioned a series of papers to be published in an edited volume entitled Environmental Archaeology in Ireland. The book provides an introduction to the techniques, approaches and potential of environmental archaeology and highlights the profusion of high-standard environmental archaeological research that is currently being undertaken in Ireland. The volume will be published next year. Local AEA meetings in Ireland have recently been revived, providing an important forum for peer-review of such work and, hopefully, impetus for further publication. The Irish Quaternary Association (IQUA) is another active group that regularly holds conferences on Quaternary issues, as well as hosting field meetings. An AEA meeting is planned for Spring 2006 in Cork, where the theme will be recent work in environmental archaeology in Ireland. It is envisaged that the Cork meeting will provide much-needed discussion opportunities for environmental people working in Ireland, as well as updating the wider archaeological community of latest research.
See Bibliography to view and download
I would like to announce the launch of a new web site, "PalaeoWorks", that is designed to be a portal to key resources being developed to facilitate palaeo- and archaeobotanical research in the Asia-Pacific region. Please take the time to visit the web site. Comments and contributions welcome... PalaeoWorks home page http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/index.html Contents include: Information for students interested in studying palaeoecology and archaeobotany in the Department of Archaeology and Natural History at the ANU. ( http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/students.html ). The INDO-PACIFIC POLLEN DATABASE contains information on over 600 pollen sites from a region extending from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean. The database and is available as a FileMaker Pro 5 file and a bibliography of 645 references is also available as a PDF file. The AUSTRALASIAN POLLEN AND SPORE ATLAS is a pollen image database under development at ANH that will provide web access to the pollen and spore collection held in the department. A draft version of the database is accessible through this site. Publications include online "Technical Reports" that are intended to support palaeoecological and archaeobotanical research in the Asia-Pacific and Australian region. (e.g. Fairbairn, A., 2005. Simple bucket flotation and wet-sieving in the wet tropics. PalaeoWorks Technical Report 4. p.18). Individual collections of pollen floras from sites investigated by members of PalaeoWorks are being developed and will be freely available. (e.g. A New Caledonia Pollen Flora contains around 360 pollen and spore images from the flora of New Caledonia) Up-to-date information on the groups current research activities, news and publications. Price list for analytical services provided to Australian and international clients. Dr Simon Haberle tel: +61 2 6125 3373 |
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