Abstract
The recent publication of The Oxford Handbook of Wetland Archaeology is a welcome addition to the Oxford Handbooks series, which aims to present up-to-date surveys of current research aimed at an audience of graduate students and academics. Like others in the series, this edition on wetland archaeology is substantial. It totals 943 pages containing 54 chapters written by 59 different authors who, together, represent 16 different countries from across five continents. As suggested on the inside of the dust jacket, this is ‘the most comprehensive survey of global wetlands ever published’. Certainly, this volume does have considerable breadth in terms of chronological and geographical spread, and in terms of the diverse range of subject areas. With such an ambitious portfolio, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of wetland archaeology, showcasing the relatively familiar territory of the subdiscipline, as well as some less familiar themes and approaches. Along with Menotti’s recent volume on the same subject (Menotti, 2012), this volume represents a significant addition to the growing corpus on the subject.
The broad range of topics presented in this volume is organised into seven themes, or ‘parts’, with a concluding epilogue. However, this structure is not always as clear-cut as it might appear due to the very nature of wetland archaeology. For example, while parts 1 and 2 provide the cultural overview of the archaeology of wetlands across the globe, the case studies presented within the chapters in later parts add to these examples, broadening the chronological and geographical coverage considerably. Similarly, towards the end of the book, there are parts that contain groups of quite diverse topics across the chapters, perhaps most significantly in the section on changing research attitudes, which contains an extremely assorted mixture of chapters detailing subject areas ranging from issues of contemporary climate change and wetland archaeology (Robert van de Noort), to the interpretation of long-distance trade routes based on the analysis of material culture (Paolo Bellintani). However, this diversity of subject areas within these groupings presents the rare potential of serendipity, where the unexpected is found almost by accident.
The first two parts of the book focus on the cultural archaeology represented by sites, landscapes and finds from wetland environments. The first of these presents a broad overview of wetland archaeology from all populated continents, although for some areas, the coverage is general and chronological, as illustrated by the chapters on the wetland archaeology of prehistoric and historic Europe by Francesco Menotti and Aidan O’Sullivan, respectively, or by Peter Mitchell’s overview of the wetland archaeology of Africa. For other regions, the focus is, by necessity, on particular regions, such as the outlining of prehistoric wetland occupation in the lower regions of the Yangtze River in China (Yunfei Zheng). Part 2 of the volume continues this theme of cultural archaeology through a consideration of the waterlogged archaeological evidence itself, arranged around the themes from settlement to human remains. The three chapters on settlement focus on the vast range of structures that have been excavated from Alpine lake-dwellings (Pierre Pétrequin) and crannogs (Jon Henderson and Rob Sands), in addition to a more discursive chapter on living spaces (Renate Ebersbach). Material culture is explored through overviews of wooden artefacts (Rob Sands), fishtraps (Madonna L Moss) and wet-preserved bone and antler artefacts (Jörg Schibler). Road networks and transport are explored through an excellent overview of trackway structures (Richard Brunning and Conor McDermott), and the practical and symbolic functions of rivers and lakes (Fiona Haughey). The concluding subtheme on ‘human bodies’ consists of a single chapter on bog bodies by Wijnand van der Sanden, providing a useful summary approached from a number of different perspectives and providing a forward-looking assessment of research in this area. For such a broad subject as the archaeology of wetlands, there will always be some areas which might have warranted more attention. For example, while there is some coverage within Brunning and McDermott’s chapter, boats are not explored in detail, although they do appear within some later sections of the book, such as within Martin Bell’s chapter on intertidal archaeology.
With cultural archaeology explored within these first two parts of the book, the focus of the following two is methodological. Part 3 is devoted to survey and excavation, with a diverse range of chapters that range considerably in their scope, while also containing significant cultural data relating to specific sites and landscapes that are not featured elsewhere in the volume. The section on survey commences with two chapters devoted to terrestrial (Andreas Weller and Andreas Bauerochse) and underwater remote sensing (Ruth Plets), providing in-depth consideration of the latest developments in approaches, including a useful overview of the results of laboratory- and field-based experiments in Germany in the efficacy of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and spectral-induced polarisation. The third survey chapter is driven more from a policy perspective on strategies for terrestrial wetland landscapes, bringing methods into the wider framework of decision making and strategies around the debate between preservation in situ and excavation, noting that the greatest advances have been made not through the establishment of strategies, but by the celebrated actions of specific researchers (Richard Brunning). The following section on excavation provides two chapters, each of which explores strategies, methods and practical advice for excavating in intertidal (Martin Bell) and wetland environments more generally (Glen Doran), with coverage including excavation, on-site water management, sampling, data management, transportation of finds, storage and public engagement.
The second section devoted to methodologies, Part 4, focuses on palaeoenvironmental and dating methods, with an introduction appropriately calling for integration across techniques. It begins with two chapters outlining the analysis of waterlogged plant remains (Stefanie Jacomet) and insects (Stephen Davis), followed by a chapter on the integration of techniques, providing a historical overview of the development of palaeoecological methods in archaeology, and highlighting the value of using multiproxy records for the reconstruction of past environments (Ciara Clarke). Subsequent chapters provide an overview of the techniques of geoarchaeology and soil micromorphology (Charles French), an introduction to the use of ancient DNA (Angela Schlumbaum and Ceiridwen J Edwards) and an overview of methods for reconstructing palaeoclimate (Michel Magny). In general, these chapters appear to be targeted at the more general reader, providing overviews of the methods and capabilities of the techniques. The subsequent section on dating methods is also aimed at a relatively general audience, while presenting areas of recent development, with chapters covering radiocarbon (Tom Higham), dendrochronology (André Billamboz) and lacustrine varves (Hiroyuki Kitagawa). The first of these presents an outline of the entire process, from sampling and contamination, through to calibration and methods for refining chronologies such as wiggle-matching and the application of Bayesian statistics. The chapter focusing on dendrochronology provides a historical overview of the approach and also broadens it beyond dating with a useful consideration of the additional benefits of the approach such as past economic strategies (such as woodland management) and the identification of climatic events. The final chapter in this section provides a comprehensive overview of the establishment and use of varve chronologies from lake deposits, discussing their relative merits compared with other approaches to dating.
The practical focus of these sections is continued to some extent within the subsequent Part 5 of the volume, which provides overviews of both the practical aspects of in situ preservation and artefact conservation, and the wider agendas of international policy. It begins with two chapters focusing on the active management of lake and coastal sites from erosion (Denis Ramseyer), and the conservation of waterlogged organic archaeological material (Dilys A Johns). The following two chapters shift the topic onto themes relating to policy; the first providing an overview of international wetland management policies, including a succinct summary of the threats and pressures to the archaeological resources of wetland environments, in addition to briefly outlining approaches to the monitoring of in situ preservation (Adrian Olivier). The second presents a case study from the Pacific coast of North America, focusing on the value of collaborative engagement with local communities in enabling access to wetland sites, supporting their management, promoting public awareness and assisting in the reporting of finds (Dale R Croes).
Part 6 of the volume presents a more eclectic group of chapters highlighting a diverse range of research priorities that largely reflect the personal perspectives of the seven contributing authors. In addition to van de Noort’s consideration of climate change and Bellintani’s assessment of trade patterns, this section also includes chapters on the application of life-history approaches to interpreting structures and settlements (Stijn Arnoldussen), an anthropological study of riparian communities on the Amazon (Mark Harris), a focus on hunter–gatherers and wetlands (George P Nicholas), a holistic approach to the interpretation of prehistoric Danish sites based on consideration of the interface between wetland and drylands (Kristian Kristiansen) and, finally, a comprehensive overview of the wetland archaeology of the Baltic region (Peter Bogucki). While these chapters are diverse, together, they represent a considerable range of both challenges to research in wetland archaeology, and avenues for further investigation that will enrich the subject in the future.
The penultimate section of the volume, Part 7, turns the attention to the relationship between wetland archaeology and the wider public, beginning with a historiographical view of the way in which wetland archaeology has been presented to the public, which highlights the need for greater public communication of wetland archaeology (Marc-Antoine Kaeser). This subject is re-visited in subsequent chapters, focusing on the relationship between the public and the expert, the mass media and the role of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (Urs Leuzinger), and on the presentation of wetland sites through open air museums, alongside ‘hands-on’ and experimental archaeology (Gunter Schöbel). The ‘part’ is concluded with a consideration of the ethics of collecting from wetland sites, and particularly of the dispersal of artefacts into collections across several countries, making the argument for the benefits of re-uniting these collections, if only in a ‘virtual’ manner (Bettina Arnold).
The volume is concluded with an epilogue which sets aside space for two personal, in part biographical, reflections from eminent wetland archaeologists Charles FW Higham and Bryony Coles. While these two chapters present personal views, they each present erudite conclusions to the book as a whole, providing strong cases for future research in the area of wetland archaeology. In bringing together some of the themes from the volume, Higham highlights specific factors, such as the wide variation of different types of sites that are brought together under the broad title of wetland archaeology, in addition to providing a discussion of a wide range of cross-cutting themes. Higham’s reference to wetland archaeology as an ‘extension’ of the discipline of archaeology (p. 896) seems appropriate, and is reminiscent of earlier debates around its relationship with its parent discipline (van de Noort and O’Sullivan, 2006: 34–38). The final chapter by Coles presents a slightly different approach to drawing together the themes of the book, providing a historical overview of the development of the discipline, augmented by a biographical overview of her own research career by reflecting upon three of her own projects. Coles concludes with a human-centred reflection on the subject of wetland archaeology, highlighting research priorities relating to the interpretation, preservation and future of human relationships with wetland environments.
For wetland archaeology, this volume provides a comprehensive, international overview of the subject. As a ‘survey’ volume, it provides a starting point for research into the wide range of areas that are represented. The presentation of current research priorities and agendas, combined with consistently rich bibliographies, makes this volume an excellent starting point for studying the broad subject of wetland archaeology. In terms of audience, this volume provides a solid and comprehensive grounding in the subject of value to students and academics wishing to access the subject, and the vast range of topics covered will undoubtedly provide new information for specialists. For more specific areas of study, and particularly within the methodological chapters, specialists might find some of the content quite introductory, although a rich teaching resource. The majority of case studies focus on lowland and riparian wetlands, and some readers might find certain regions perhaps under-represented, such as the bogs of central Ireland. Conversely, there are some case studies that are returned to repeatedly, such as the lake-dwellings of the Alpine region, while other features such as boats are much less well represented.
In practice, in an ambitious volume like The Oxford Handbook of Wetland Archaeology, it would always have been impossible to cover everything in detail. In terms of the cultural archaeology of wetlands, the focus is on providing a breadth of geographical coverage rather than depth of information about any single landscape. The same is true for methodologies, where introductory overviews provide the focus, augmented by case studies. However, as a ‘survey’ volume, this book is an exceptional feat which represents a significant benchmark in the literature of the discipline which is sure to remain highly relevant for many years to come.