Introduction
This volume contains written versions of papers presented at the
International Wetlands Archaeology Conference held in Gainsville,
Florida, December 1-5,1999. Its theme was: The Significance of the
Survival of Organic Materials from Archaeological Contexts. Delegates
from seventeen countries participated and subjects ranged in time
period from the Pleistocene to the recent past. Purdy’s introduction
provides a useful overview of the history of the history of wetland
research although proxy environmental records such as pollen, seeds
and beetles are not referred to. The papers are arranged into five
sections: (1) Florida archaeology; (2) archaeology of the Americas
other than Florida; (3) archaeology of the rest of the world; (4)
wetland environments; and (5) conversation methods.
The text
Webb and Hemmings discuss the finds from the Aucilla River Prehistory
Project, North Central Florida, which include an impressive range
of megafaunal bones shaped into tools. There are two chapters that
discuss the remarkable archaeology preserved in the Windover bog,
Florida. One reviews the project (Doran) and the other considers
the textiles and cordage recovered (Hyland et al.). The latter chapter
is complemented by papers by Croes and Bernick on finds from the
North West Coast of North America. Both the Hyland et al. and the
Bernick papers have detailed discussions on manufacturing techniques.
They use many technical terms and though these have been translated
for the layman, I suspect the discussion will be of more interest
to the specialist. Croes includes an interesting examination of
social status as indicated by hat style.
A number of papers (including those by Marquardt
and Walker, Purdy and Iriate et al.) discuss subsistence as indicated
by the wealth of floral and faunal remains that are preserved in
wetland environments. Iriate et al. use starch grain and
phytolith analyses amongst other data to examine the interaction
between human populations in mid-Holocene Uruguay and their environment.
Coggins describes perishable artifacts preserved in the Cenote
at Chichén Itzá. These and many of the Maori artifacts
found in New Zealand (Johns) are exquisite with intricate carvings
and demonstrate the valuable role of waterlogged deposits in preserving
ceremonial artifacts.
Many of the American papers discuss the additional complexity of
excavating in the USA caused by the Native American Graves Protection
and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Doran expresses his concern that
if a second Windover were found a similar investigation would be
prevented by the fact that most claims to ownership by tribal people
are honoured and reburial is expected. He highlights the fundamental
change NAGPRA has brought to US archaeology, which places constraints
on excavation, but has served to increase dialogue between tribal
peoples and the archaeological/academic community. Ivy and Byram
provide an example of this dialogue as they describe the fruitful
collaboration between the Coquille Indian tribe and University of
Oregon archaeologists in investigating, interpreting and managing
cultural sites. Similar links have been operating in New Zealand
for several decades and Johns stresses the long-term benefits of
co-operation between archaeologists and Maori communities.
Many of the European papers are more general
than those concerning the Americas, for example, Larsson examines
Mesolithic and Neolithic finds from south Scandinavia. Some focus
on particular aspects of wetland archaeology; Marangou discusses
Neolithic watercraft from the Greek Wetlands, Burov examines ancient
wooden objects and structures from Russian oxbow peat bogs and Van
der Sanden discusses ritual structures from wet contexts in the
province of Drenthe, The Netherlands. Coles makes an interesting
attempt to establish the relationship between European Bronze Age
metal work, wetlands and rock carvings! Soffer et al. consider
the Upper Palaeolithic evidence for cordage, netting, textiles and
baskets from iconography and the impressions left in clay and bone;
although I feel their fascinating interpretation of this data involves
an oversimplification of arguments of gender division of labour.
Ellis highlights the potential of Scottish peatlands and illustrates
this with a case study: the Carse of Stirling. The most microscale
paper concerns the medieval graves of two children from France and
demonstrates the wealth of analyses that can be carried out on well
preserved remains to establish cause of death, burial practices
and the surrounding environment.
Werker and Goren-Inbar use wood found during excavation of the
waterlogged deposits from the Acheulian site of Gesher Benot Ya’aqov,
Dead Sea Rift, Israel, to reconstruct the surrounding woody vegetation.
Crisman et al. emphasise the need to link palaeoecology with archaeology
in order to understand the ecological conditions of a site at the
time of human occupation. Lille and Chapman highlight the potential
of wetland sites with organic remains for placing Mesolithic sites
into their environmental context and for identifying subsistence
strategies.
Papers by Nicolas, Van Heeringen and Theunissen
and Van de Noortet al. discuss the problems of managing
wetlands and preserving their archaeological/palaeo-ecological record.
Many papers make the point that fluctuating water tables, especially
as a result of land drainage and reclamation, are a continuing threat
to these environments. The final paper (Hoffmann) discusses the
problems of preserving large wooden constructions once excavated.
Conclusion
The eclectic mixture of papers in this volume serves to illustrate
the diversity of wetland archaeology. As it covers such a wide range
of topics, time periods, cultures and geographical areas, institutions
will probably find it a more useful reference book than individuals.
There are some useful case studies for students of archaeology and
the background information included in many papers places sites
and cultures into context for those who are not familiar with them.
Most chapters are written in a very accessible style even when discussing
quite complex issues and techniques. The editor is to be congratulated
on publishing less than two years after the conference.
Sarah Clark
Sarah Clark has recently completed a PhD thesis on Holocene insect
remains in North East Scotland at the Department of Archaeology,
University of Sheffield. Her research interests include the origins
of pine in Scotland, causes of the elm decline and the environmental
impact of prehistoric mining. She has a general interest in environmental
archaeology. She is currently working as a research administrator
at the University of Durham. Further details can be found at Sarah's
personal website.
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