Using the Underwater Cultural Heritage to Understand Coastal Change

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Attention this is a Submergency: Incorporating Global Submerged Records", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Sea-level fluctuations have had an impact on humanity from the earliest times, forcing people to move and adapt. While doing so, they have left tools, structures and settlements within inundated landscapes, sealed beneath anaerobic sediment. These artefacts are often exquisitely preserved cultural assets, but they are also a datable resource that can be analysed scientifically to understand past climatic variations. These preceding events are causal and lay a foundation for ongoing change that can be interpreted. In addition, the exposure of prehistoric material for the first time since it’s deposition, can provide direct evidence of current coastal change, whereby adding value beyond their cultural significance. The EU SARCC project has been quantifying historical and archaeological material to understand long term patterns of climate change while developing nature based strategies to protect urban centres. This paper will look at significant historical and archaeological artefacts that have provided insights into coastal change.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Attention this is a Submergency: Incorporating Global Submerged Records   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow