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Analysis of synchronic and diachronic variations in the plaggen soils of north-west Europe in relation to social, cultural and environmental variations, AD 1000-1800.
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Email: jonathan.cogdale.11@ucl.ac.uk Supervisors: |
- Profile
The anthropic plaggen soils of north-western Europe have not been studied across their regional and temporal manifestation. Their nature and diversity have not been studied in the context of environmental and cultural changes that occurred during the millennium when they were a significant agricultural soil type. This research will use techniques drawn from soil science and geographic disciplines to create a representative, quantified and qualified catalogue of plaggen soils, detailing their micromorphology, texture, isotopic content, chemistry and age (using AMS and OSL dating) to describe and classify the soil's landscape histories, formation processes and fertility. The catalogue will be compared with documentary archive and archaeological material describing the environmental, topological and cultural dynamics of their regions of origin. Geoarchaeological, zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical techniques, and artefact analysis will be applied to understand past land use, seeking causative links with landscapes and human agricultural behaviours.
Education
- BSc, Archaeology UCL, 2014
- MSc, Environmental Archaeology, UCL, 2015
