Estuarine
Archaeology. The Severn and Beyond
Archaeology in the Severn Estuary
11. Exeter, The Severn Estuary Levels Research Committee, 2001, 213pp,
c 90 figs & plates, ISSN 1354-7089 (£5 or £8.50 p&p)
While writing this review I am sitting on a train
travelling on the Great Western Main line from London to South Wales
and am reminded of the importance this railway has played in the development
of industrial South Wales and Bristol over the last 200 years. In a
similar fashion the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel has played an
equally important role throughout the history of human activity in the
area and so it is fitting and appropriate that this volume is a timely
reminder of the progress that has been made into our understanding of
the history of the Levels both during the Prehistoric past as well as
the more recent Medieval period.
This volume was put together after the anniversary
conference to celebrate 10 years of working on the Levels. The contributions
to the volume are wide ranging in both time (from the Ipswichian (last)
interglacial to the Medieval periods) and space (from the Severn Estuary
eastwards to central Europe). The contents include retrospective views
of the main trends in research during this time period (Allen, Bell,
Rippon and Coles) as well as a number of other contributions on new
aspects of work. Contained within the 14 contributions there should
be something to suit everyone’s taste including palaeoenvironmental
reconstructions, Neolithic to Medieval landscape studies to wood and
maritime remains.
The volume beings with Turner, Allen and Rippon giving
us a brief overview of works in different parts of the Levels that range
from Gloucester to Cardiff and Bridgewater. What is interesting in their
paper is the admission that despite a number of important finds (eg
the Barland’s Farm and Magor Pill boats) there has been a failure
to connect with the general public and to put over the importance and
excitement of discovering the archaeology of the area. One wonders now
whether this has been redressed to some extent by the discovery of the
Newport Boat or whether the more remote Prehistoric past will remain
a mystery to most of the general population.
Following this general introduction Allen looks in
detail at the geological development of the Levels from the last interglacial
into the present interglacial (the Holocene). Here he demonstrates what
can be done with the judicial use of borehole records to model sub-surface
stratigraphy. His contribution also demonstrates the need for geologists
to utilise information from archaeological investigations when attempting
to model past landscapes. Perhaps one of the most surprising points
he makes is how different was the geological history of the last interglacial
to that of the present interglacial. It is interesting to consider that
the preservation of the archaeological record in the area is a result
of the very different Holocene sequence development and had the conditions
of the Ipswichian prevailed in the present interglacial we might have
found little preserved in the area now occupied by these important records.
Haslett et al. use molluscs and foraminifera to model changes in the
estuarine landscapes. They are able to demonstrate how the landscape
changed as sea level rose and postulate changes in the distribution
of different types of inter-tidal zones with changes in sea level and
patterns of sedimentation. This draws our attention to the potential
of the clay-silt dominated parts of the record which is often overlooked
by archaeologists and the fixation that many have with peat beds! Another
paper dealing with the environment of the estuary is a wide ranging
review of sea level, vegetation history, faunal evidence and animal
husbandry and fishing by Bell. He also attempts to look at dryland/wetland
relationships in the archaeological records (a topic of considerable
importance to those attempting to understand region patterns of human
activity).
Another paper based on evidence from the Levels is
Locock’s contribution on prediction and evaluation in the area
on the basis of a number of case studies from developer funded projects
(a hot topic of discussion amongst those responsible for curation and
development control of such landscapes). He reviews the common methods
of investigation (trenches, boreholes etc.) and demonstrates how they
have been applied on the various projects. This raises the notion that
there is potential overlap that might be usefully developed between
elements raised here and points made by Bell where he attempts to define
the range of site types commonly occurring in the Levels. For the successful
application of the range of techniques available to use we need to be
sure what our targets actually are and hence the necessity to examine
the site categories as defined by Bell and how these categories of site
can best be targeted by the methods available. We also need to have
considered a range of questions such as what the recovery of one flake
in an evaluation test pit means in terms of developing strategies.
Finally Brunning examines the archive of wooden artefacts
and structures from the Levels and demonstrates the importance of this
archive and the challenge that this material presents to us as archaeologists
now and in the future.
Moving away from the estuary Long examines sequences
in the Thames and Romney Marsh areas of SE England. This is an interesting
comparison because of the relative scarcity of detailed published information
on the archaeology of the wetland areas in these areas of SE England.
Further a field Maier and Vogt describe the reconstruction of Neolithic
landscapes from Western Lake Constance based on pedological and archaeobotanical
data.
Other papers in the volume may be of less direct relevance
to those with an interest mainly in the Prehistoric past. For example
Horton and Edwards present a very detailed paper on quantitive palaeoenvironmental
reconstructions but really fail to spell out the (considerable) implications
of their work for the archaeologists. Here a case study with archaeological
relevance would have been very useful. Others such as Rippon (historic
landscapes), Goodburn (historic woodworking in the Thames) and Gregory
(Danish Maritime archaeology) all present important contributions that
many of those interested in the broader aspects of wetland archaeology
will find fascinating.
Finally two points keep appearing throughout the volume.
Many of the contributions in this book stress the importance of multi-disciplinary
work and the need for specialists from a range of disciplines to co-operate
in project work. Although to many of us working in such environments
this is blindingly obvious to others less familiar with wetland archaeology
we can never make the case often enough. Secondly the importance of
the general public (often our ultimate paymasters) and the difficulties
of putting over our work (particular in the Prehistoric period) are
of prime importance and something that we often fail to achieve. With
this in mind Van de Noort’s paper on archaeological reconstructions
is an important contribution.
Overall this volume is an important addition
to the literature on the Levels. Anyone with an interest in the Levels
would be well advised to pick up this volume and follow the work of
those involved over the last decade and to look forward to the next
10 years as Coles does in summing up at the end of the volume.
Martin R. Bates
Department of Archaeology
University of Wales Lampeter
Review Submitted: May 2004
The views expressed in this review are not
necessarily those of the Society or the Reviews Editor.
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