Suffolk River Valleys Project

Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service, 2009. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000077. How to cite using this DOI

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Citing this DOI

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https://doi.org/10.5284/1000077
Sample Citation for this DOI

Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (2009) Suffolk River Valleys Project [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000077

Data copyright © Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service unless otherwise stated

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Primary contact

Will Fletcher
Project Officer
Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service
Bury Resource Centre
Hollow Road
Bury St Edmunds
IP32 7AY
Tel: 01284 352199

Send e-mail enquiry

Resource identifiers

Digital Object Identifiers

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are persistent identifiers which can be used to consistently and accurately reference digital objects and/or content. The DOIs provide a way for the ADS resources to be cited in a similar fashion to traditional scholarly materials. More information on DOIs at the ADS can be found on our help page.

Citing this DOI

The updated Crossref DOI Display guidelines recommend that DOIs should be displayed in the following format:

https://doi.org/10.5284/1000077
Sample Citation for this DOI

Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (2009) Suffolk River Valleys Project [data-set]. York: Archaeology Data Service [distributor] https://doi.org/10.5284/1000077

Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service logo

Overview

Suffolk River Valleys Project 2006

In March 2006, English Heritage commissioned (Through the Aggregates levies Sustainability Fund ALSF) the Suffolk River Valleys Project (PNUM 4772), a joint project between Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCC) and The University of Birmingham (UofB). The primary objective of the project was to assess and characterise the geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental resource of the major river valleys of Suffolk affected by mineral extraction. In addition, it set out to investigate the evolution of different river catchments relating to the preservation and character of archaeological sequences in these areas, and to further assess the potential for investigating the role that human activity and climate change have played in the evolution of these valleys.

The information was then used to create a research agenda for Cultural Resource Management of the Suffolk river valleys and to aid in the design and development of future prospection and mitigation strategies in areas susceptible to or affected by aggregate extraction.

The report showed that the county has a rich and diverse cultural archaeological record, but that past academic study relating to the region's palaeoenvironmental record had not been adequately or proportionately published. It also demonstrated that the suitable deposits could be found across the county and that these deposits had the potential to address these shortcomings. Moreover, that targeted research could be used to understanding these sequences and to plan suitable planning strategies in areas affected by aggregate extraction.

Whilst multi-proxy assessments of the valley archives had revealed promising results, the radiocarbon dating program that accompanied it indicated significant problems with the age estimates for each site. Of the three sites that underwent analysis three locations provided highly anomalous AMS radiocarbon results, where inverted dates were common. Errors in sampling protocols were ruled out as the cause, and it was agreed that other factors may have been influential in providing such erroneous results. In discussion with a number of colleagues suggestions were made that chronological problems with radiocarbon dating are not restricted to the Suffolk River Valleys Project, but are quite commonplace. It became clear that it was essential to investigate the reasons behind these inconsistencies, particularly in relation to the wider implications of the project. A second phase was therefore proposed.

Suffolk River Valleys Project 2007

In July 2007 phase two of the project was undertaken (PNUM 4772ANL2), in with the aims of providing a methodological framework for dating which could be applied to future studies in the region, and to explore the potential causes of the irregularities encountered during the previous study. The work was undertaken in close collaboration with the English Heritage dating team, who advised on the projects proposal.

The project revisited three of the best palaeoenvironmental sites from the first phase, which all had significant problems with the dating. A new sampling and dating methodology was applied which combined geoprospection, sampling, and environmental assessment, linked to sedimentological analyses and a new dating program radiocarbon dating. As well as addressing issues specifically related to geoarchaeology and chronology, value was added to this research in the form of a methodological paper, to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the development of a regional dating methodology for application to mitigation in cases of floodplain development and aggregate extraction.

The digital archive

The digital archive currently consists of the following resources:

Project Reports
  • Hill, T., Fletcher, W., Gearey, B., Howard, A., and C. Good, 2008, The Suffolk River Valleys Project: An assessment of the potential and character of the palaeoenvironmental and geoarchaeological resource of Suffolk river valleys affected by aggregate extraction. Funded by Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund Administered by English Heritage, University of Birmingham Report No. 1393.
  • Fletcher, W.G., Gearey, B.R., Howard, A.J., and Hill T. 2008 The Suffolk River Valleys Project, Phase 2: An assessment of the potential and character of the palaeoenvironmental and geoarchaeological resource of Suffolk river valleys affected by aggregate extraction. Project Design. Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service.

The digital archive also includes a number of subsidiary documents and files created over the course of the project, including:

  • Radiocarbon sample recording forms
  • Stratigraphic reports
  • Palaeoenvironmental reports
Photographs

A range of images documenting the on-site sampling from Phase 1 and Phase 2

Project GIS

The shapefiles created over the course of the project, these include features mapped from Aerial Photographs and LiDAR, as well as the location of core sites and the results of the literature review.




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