Abstract
'Waterlogged' organic archaeology beneath historic towns represents a major archaeological resource, but changing ground conditions are seemingly leading to its decay. This issue should not concern just archaeologists and others in the heritage industry: there will be significant loss of data concerning past ecology, micro-evolution and human daily life, as well as ground settlement and release of greenhouse gases. The information that will be lost is not restricted to that from macro- and micro-fossils in a conventional sense; the deposits contain a wide range of potentially equally illuminating biomolecules, including DNA and lipid residues (papers in Brothwell and Pollard 2001). Preservation mechanisms for buried organics are poorly understood, although both archaeologists and-ironically-the waste disposal industry are making progress. Here we issue a clarion call for fundamental research to determine factors influencing the balance of decay and survival of organic remains, especially in urban archaeological sites, and to establish methods for monitoring the health of the deposits. Meanwhile, following the precautionary principle, strategic research excavations with fully integrated and comprehensive post-excavation programmes should be carried out in case the resource cannot be conserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 584-596 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | World Archaeology |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- Urban archaeology
- waterlogged
- organic
- threat
- decay
- preservation
- IN-SITU PRESERVATION
- HOXNIAN INTERGLACIAL DEPOSITS
- BIOTIC HOMOGENIZATION
- FOSSIL RECORD
- CARBON
- CHITIN
- HETEROGENEITY
- CONSERVATION
- UNCERTAINTY
- SATURATION